The Capsule Pantry: Cauliflower Chowder 13+ Ways
The Capsule Pantry: Cauliflower Chowder 13+ Ways
AKA Cauliflower cheese in soup form
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The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made for one person or 20 - so will fit nicely into whatever your pre-Christmas plans look like this week.
It’s everything you need on the week before Christmas. Cheap. Customizable. Comforting, but not too heavy - you’ve gotta save room for that turkey in a few days’ time.
The cheese can be anything you like from the classic cheddar to sheep (I made this in Spain so I stuck in Manchego). Swap cauliflower for all manner of vegetables. Hell, stick some bacon in there if you’ve got it to hand.
And because I had them in the fridge, I topped it all off with some finely chopped chillies in adobo sauce for a kick up the ass - very much needed the first time I made this recipe back in Spain, during a busy work day.
The original recipe
Serves 4
4 tablespoons butter
One small cauliflower chopped into bitesize pieces
One small white onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Chicken stock, water or vegetable stock - around 3/4 litre / 3 cups
Milk - around 250ml / 1 cup
2 handfuls of grated cheese of your choosing (cheddar is my go-to)
1/2 cup sweetcorn kernels (frozen or canned)
Salt and pepper
Optional - chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
Bring a pot of water to a boil and stick in the cauliflower florets. Boil for 10 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Alternatively, you can roast the florets in a 180C/350F oven for around 20-30 minutes, turning regularly until golden (I would have done this but my current Airbnb doesn’t have an oven).
Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and gently fry the onions for around 7-8 minutes until cooked but not colored. Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes longer taking care not to let it catch.
Add the flour to the butter and onion mixture. Keep the temperature low and stir the mixture constantly for about 10 minutes. You want to cook out the flour so it loses its floury texture and flavor. Once the mixture starts to go a golden, almost nutty colour, you’re ready to go.
Keeping the heat low, pour in the stock a little bit at a time. Stir vigorously or use a whisk if you start to see lumps.
Once all the stock has gone, start to use the milk to thin out the soup. You want it around double cream consistency. The soup thickens as it heats up, so I like to pour some milk in, wait until it thickens then add more as needed.
Add the cauliflower, sweetcorn, and cheese, and season. Cook for another 5-6 minutes until everything is piping hot and the cheese has melted. Add more stock if it thickens too much.
And you’re done!
Variations
The vegetable
Cauliflower is great but you can substitute for carrots, broccoli, squash, parsnip (great for Christmas leftovers) or a mix of all of them.
The cheese
Any hard cheese will work here, or even use blue cheese if you want a real kick. Alternatively, leave it out altogether.
The roux
This uses a classic French roux with butter and milk but if you’re looking for a vegan alternative, you could use olive oil and oat or almond milk.
The toppings
As I say, I used chilies in adobo sauce to top mine, but you could also use croutons, a gremolata (lemon, herbs, garlic and salt chopped up finely), a swirl of pesto, or roasted nuts.