Cauliflower Soup with Green Olive Salsa Verde

Step 1

Begin the soup. Cut the cauliflower into florets, thinly slice the onion, grate the garlic and thinly slice the preserved lemon.

Step 2

Set a dutch oven to medium heat and add 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Let this heat up before adding the onion. Season with salt and cook down for 4-5 minutes until softened.

Step 3

Add in the preserved lemon, garlic, coriander, cumin and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook down for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is no longer raw.

Step 4

Add in the cauliflower florets, reserving about 2/3 cup of small florets for later, and stir to coat everything. Season with a pinch or two of salt and a few cracks of black pepper.

Step 5

Pour in the vegetable broth, adding more if needed to cover the florets. Cover the pot but leave the lid cracked, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Step 6

While the soup is simmering, prepare the salsa verde. Finely chop the parsley and the olives and add them to a bowl. Grate in the garlic cloves and the lemon zest. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Step 7

Squeeze in the juice from the lemon, then add the olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar as preferred.

Step 8

Now that the soup has been simmering, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy. Add in the cumin seeds, reserved cauliflower florets and a few cracks of black pepper. Let this gently simmer for another 10-12 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft. Season with salt as needed.

Step 9

To plate, portion the soup into bowls and drizzle the salsa verde on top. Enjoy warm with crusty bread.