Today’s recipe is from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. His publicists were nice enough to send me a copy, and I immediately earmarked about three-quarters of the book. Ottolenghi apparently has a mission to make cauliflower a more-loved vegetable, so naturally I picked a cauliflower-centric recipe for my first foray into the world of Ottolenghi.

This soup is incredibly luxurious. I did take a few luxuries with the recipe — including reducing the amount of cheese — but this is certainly something that we’ll be coming back to over and over again.

Cauliflower and Gorgonzola Soup Adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Serves 4-6

1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large yellow nion, chopped
4-5 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
5-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup Gorgonzola Dulce cheese
1/3 cup creme fraiche
parsley and lemon juice for garnish

1) Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat until translucent — about 5 minutes.

2) Add the cauliflower, thyme and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add stock. I like mine pretty soupy, so its a good idea to start with five cups and add the last at the end if you like. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft.

3) Crumble in the Gorgonzola and stir until it has melted into the soup. Add the creme fraiche and stir to combine.

4) Pick out the bay leaves and thyme stalks. Blend the soup until really smooth. Return to pan and heat gently if necessary. Garnish with chopped parsley, cheese crumble and a swirl of lemon juice.