A hearty soup recipe that's delicious as a dinner party starter, or as a cosy midweek dinner. Check your Stilton is suitable for vegetarians, if needed. If you don’t have time to make the soda bread, serve the soup with warmed ciabatta rolls instead.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Cal/Serv:
458
Ingredients
For the soup
11/2Tbsp.
olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
600g
cauliflower florets
4
thyme sprigs, leaves picked, plus extra leaves to garnish
180g
pack cooked chestnuts, we used Merchant Gourmet
2
garlic cloves (unpeeled)
800
-900ml vegetable stock
100ml
double cream, optional
For the soda bread
350g
plain flour
11/2tsp.
bicarbonate of soda
100g
Stilton (or other crumbly blue cheese), crumbled, see intro
325g
Greek-style yogurt
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. For the soup, in a medium-large
roasting tin, mix 1tbsp oil, the caulifl ower
fl orets, thyme, 150g of the chestnuts,
the garlic cloves and plenty of
seasoning. Roast for 30min, or until
the cauliflower is tender.
Step 2Meanwhile, make the soda bread. Line
a baking sheet with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon,
mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and 1/2tsp fine salt. Mix in the Stilton. Make
a well in the centre, add the yogurt
and mix to a shaggy dough.
Step 3Tip on to a work surface and briefl y
knead to bring together. Shape into a
rough ball and place on the lined sheet.
Step 4Pat down to a rough 17cm circle.
Using a large knife, score the circle into
6 wedges through the centre, cutting
about halfway through the dough (flour
the knife blade before cutting, if needed).
Add to the oven and bake for 30-35min,
or until deep golden and the base sounds
hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.
Step 5Squeeze the garlic cloves from the
caulifl ower tin into a blender and scrape
in the remaining contents of the tin.
Add the stock and whizz until smooth.
Empty into a pan, stir in the cream,
if using, and check seasoning.
Step 6Roughly chop the remaining 30g
chestnuts. Heat remaining 1/2tbsp oil in
a small frying pan over medium heat
and fry the chestnuts for 5min, stirring
occasionally, until golden and crispy.
Step 7Reheat soup on the hob until piping
hot. Divide between 6 bowls. Garnish
with the fried chestnuts, extra thyme
and some freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle over some oil and serve with
the soda bread.
GET AHEAD Make the soup and soda bread up to a day ahead. Once cool, store the soda bread in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover and chill soup. To serve, gently reheat soup on the hob until piping hot, thinning with extra stock, if needed. Reheat soda bread in an oven preheated to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 10min.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
Alice Shields is Senior Cookery Writer for Good Housekeeping. A trained pastry chef, you’ll find her food styling on photo shoots, developing delicious recipes and writing about all things food. She loves to bake and her favourite pudding will always be a chocolate fondant. Originally hailing from Lancashire, she finally achieved her goal of getting a butter pie recipe into the magazine.
