Creamy & spicy: Tony Jackman’s turmeric-spiced leek and cauliflower soup. (Photo: Tony Jackman)
Leeks have been abundant lately; I don’t remember a winter that gave us more of these elegant alliums. I didn’t want to go to the obvious – well, go-to – recipe of leek and potato soup. We’ve done that. So, how could I fashion a leek soup that was all about leeks but also about other things? What, in other words, would replace the potatoes?
My first thought was spice. But the structure of the soup, if leeks were to be the only substantial vegetable in it, would be too slight. And, before deciding on which vegetable to add, my mind first went to turmeric, both for its colour and that mysterious flavour profile it has. A bit smokey, intriguingly peppery and redolent of something like ginger, but not quite. It’s earthy and somehow essential.
Often, turmeric is a carrier for sweeter spices like cinnamon and clove, a central core for the other spices to bounce off. The spine of a spice mix. But this time, I decided, turmeric would be afforded a chance to have the playground all to itself.
I stirred the ground turmeric into the hot vegetable stock before adding it to the soup. Note the strength of the stock: 4 sachets to 1.5 litres of water. This is milder than the advised 1 sachet per 250ml water, because I wanted a mild stock that would not take over the soup’s broader flavour profile.
Instead of potato, I chose cauliflower, which would be sufficient to bolster the body of the soup while not overpowering the sweet charms of the leeks. And there would have to be plenty of leek in the mix.
Enjoy Tony Jackman’s writing and way with food? Sign up to Tony’s weekly newsletter here. It’s free, and in your inbox every Friday afternoon. If it goes to promotions or spam at first, please drag it into your inbox.
To build up the allium community in the soup, there would be both onion and garlic.
This was undoubtedly the best soup of the winter. Give it a go – the Weather Man is about to deliver a couple of chilly days, perfect for this real winter warmer.
Turmeric-spiced leek and cauliflower soup
(Serves 4 as a meal)
Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
Coconut oil
3 or 4 large leeks, about 4 cups when sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
500g cauliflower florets
1.5l vegetable stock made with 4 Ina Paarman veg sachets
1 tsp ground turmeric
Salt
White pepper
400ml coconut cream (not milk)
Coriander for garnish, chopped
Method
Cut the florets off the cauliflower and soak in cold water for a few minutes for any wriggling critters to rise to the surface and be poured off. Drain.
Chop the onion, melt some coconut oil in a soup pot, and fry the onion on a mild heat, stirring, until softened but not taking on colour. Add the chopped garlic and the sliced leeks and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the cauliflower florets, stir, and cook in the same way for 8 more minutes for all the flavours to develop.
Boil a kettle and pour 1.5 litres of the boiling water into a large jug. Stir in the turmeric and season with salt and white pepper.
Pour the stock into the soup pot, give it a good stir, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a moderate bubble. Continue to cook until the florets and leeks are soft; the cauliflower should be falling apart.
Use a stick blender to blend the soup very thoroughly.
Pour in the coconut cream, return to a simmer, and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and decide whether it needs more salt and/or white pepper; adjust if necessary.
Serve in warmed bowls, garnished with chopped coriander. Here’s to the return of Souper Tuesdays next winter, but in the meantime, to cool us through the hot summer to come, get ready for weekly Salad Days, coming soon… DM
Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido. Order his book, foodSTUFF, here.
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.
This dish is photographed in wares by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.