Red cabbage and cauliflower soup

Serves 3 (6/8 if you serve it as a starter)

• 450 grams purple cauliflower florets
• 350 grams sliced red cabbage
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 750ml (approx.) stock or water (if water you’ll need a bit of extra salt and grated cheese)
• generous handful of grated grana or parmesan cheese
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

To decorate:

edible flowers, florets of green cauliflower, fennel tops, ricotta cheese, cream, mint leaves or whatever else you think might look nice 🙂

Sweat the onion, garlic, cauliflower and red cabbage in the oil until they wilt….about 15 minutes in a saucepan, on a low heat, with the lid on. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember if you’re using water rather than stock you’ll need to be more generous with the salt), and add the stock or water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Zap with an immersion mixer, adjust the seasoning and add a generous handful of grated cheese. Stir well and admire the wonderful colour.

Now the fun starts! This deep purple soup is a canvas for your culinary imagination. You can serve it with some grated cheese, a swirl of fresh cream, a drizzle of oil and a sprig of parsley for everyday dining….and it will look great. However, if you want to make it look really special you can add some edible flowers, a floret of green cauliflower, a few slices of red pepper….the possibilities are endless 🙂