Cauliflower and Cannellini Bean Soup

The weather is finally starting to cool down a bit here, after a very long and above-normal temperature Summer and Autumn.  I actually made this soup in Spring, in October, but here we are at last.  The recipe calls for pancetta, but as Mr P. and I do not eat pig, I decided to whack in some mushrooms instead.  Definitely not foraged!  Hehehe ... You will get this reference if you're an Aussie, and if not, check out 'The Mushroom Killer'! 

This recipe is from Slow Cooking:Wholefood Recipes, by Olivia Andrews.  I made it for Cookbook Club last year, while the weather was still a bit doubtful as to its primary function in Spring :=)  And then we got the continuous, endless Summer!  Anyways, Winter is kind of a-coming at long last ...  (22C today, and I have a T-shirt and over-shirt on, and long pants and socks!)

thick and warming

Serves 4:

ingredients:

For the mushroom garnish:

1 Tbs EV olive oil

1 Tbs butter

150g./5.5 oz white or brown cup mushrooms, chopped  (I used white cup)

1 Tbs tamari or soy sauce

1-2 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1-2 tsp dried herbs - oregano/chives/parsley etc - your choice

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

one guess? :=)

For the soup:

another Tbs of EV olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 large brown or red onion, finely (or roughly!) chopped

1 small cauliflower, chopped up, stem too!    see Notes

1.25 litres (44 oz) chicken stock  (or vege. stock)

2 x 400g./14 oz tins of cannellini beans   see Notes

cannellini

cauliflower

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan, add the mushrooms, and stir for a few minutes over medium-low heat

Stir in the tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika, herbs, salt and pepper

Once the mushies are tender, take them out of the pan, and put aside

Now for the soup:

Heat up the oil in the saucepan, add the garlic and onion, and stir for a few minutes

Now add the chopped cauliflower and stock, and simmer till the cauli is tender - 25-30 minutes maybe?  Add some water here if it's too thick for your liking

In go the cannellini beans to heat up; simmer for a few minutes

When everything is cooked and tender, turn off the soup, and let it cool down for a few minutes till you grab your stick blender, and whizz away till as smooth as you like it

Add more salt and pepper if you please, throw on the mushies and some chopped parsley or chives if you fancy

Serve with some thick, buttered bread

I love me some butter!

Notes:

If you like pancetta, you sauté 12 slices in 1 Tbs EV olive oil (with some sage leaves) for the garnish

(I added some left-over zucchini to the soup too)

My cauliflower was about 815g./29 oz, and once stripped of the outer leaves, it came down to 620g./22 oz

Olivia's recipe uses dried beans.  She uses 200g./7 oz dried beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed, which she then adds to the saucepan with the sautéed garlic and onion, and 750 mL/26 oz of water.  This is then cooked for 30 minutes before adding the cauliflower and stock, and cooked for another 1.5 hours!  Nope, no can do!

ingredients gathered

tender, fragrant mushrooms

in goes the cauli!

simmer away

I must have blitzed it already ...

there might be some chicken in here :=)

I scribbled down 110g./4 oz cooked chicken on the bottom of my notes, so maybe I added some chicken to this soup ...

very tasty