Cauliflower Blue Cheese Soup

Winter is here and in my neck of the woods that means rain, rain and more rain. By the end of winter Fondue Voodoo has sprouted webbed toes, a feathery rain coat and has a relentless urge for paddling around the local duck pond. Before that metamorphosis happens, I try to comfort myself with a giant bowl of soup. This blue cheese spiked soup is an excellent example of how to improve on cauliflower - the veg that hasn't the decencey to produce chlorophyll, seriously, it's basically a failed cabbage, time for redemption through blue cheesy goodness.

A Fondue Voodoo duck after months of rain.

You'll need:
1 head of cauliflower
1 onion
2 stalks of celery
2 extra large cloves of garlic
1 litre of veggie broth
500 mls water
seasoning - thyme, pepper, bay leaf, salt if necessary
1/3 cup or more blue cheese
Topping: Sour cream for decedents and toasty croutons floated on top.

Step 1. Cut one head of cauliflower
into 2 x 2 chunks. Toss with a little oil and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet & roast at 475 degrees. Roast until golden brown and cooked through. The cauliflower can burn quickly at this high temp, so keep your eyes's on it.

Step 2. Sweat the veggies
In a big heavy bottom pot sweat the following in a little oilve oil:
1 onion
2 stalks of celery
2 large cloves of garlic

Step 3. make soup
Add in the roasted cauliflower to the onions, celery and garlic
add 1 litre of veggie broth
1/2 litre water
season as desired - thyme, pepper, bay leaf, salt if necessary.

Step 4. Blend
Using an immersion blender to blend the soup throughly. The goal is a thick velvety soup that grips the spoon.

Step 5. Assemble
Crumble a table spoon, or more of blue cheese in your bowl and pour the pipping hot soup on top. Give it all a swirl as the cheese melts to incorporate the cheese. You can consider a spoonful of sour cream on top to add a rich creaminess, your preference.
Top with a float of croutons.

Something transcendent happens when the blue cheese melts, it's magic, it's a miracle, it's a mystery and it's fabulous.