Soup of roasted cauliflower leaves and stalks

Cauliflower stems (like broccoli stems) are something that unfortunately too often ends up in the bin. Everyone knows that they are absolutely edible, but we go for the soft tender florets, because that’s what most recipes ask for. Recipe writers never seem to write about incorporating the stems. The leaves even suffer a worse fate. They only serve as some kind of flower wrap. Cauliflower would look unbelievably bland, mabye even suspicious if it was displayed on the shelves of green grocers and market stalls without the green leaves that are mostly trimmed to display the ‘flower’. So people rip off the leaves and discard them. At least some are mindful enough to compost them or feed their pets with it.

I have only learned a few years ago that they are edible. My friend Leanne of Luna & Fennel lived in Berlin for a while and hosted supper clubs where she acquainted many with her delicious and wholesome pizza bases made out of cauliflower leaves. She also roasted the leaves and served them at the beginning of the evening as an appetizer with drinks. People were almost fighting over them. The flavour and texture was just amazing and I vowed to use the leaves more often. A few times I have actually rescued some from the bottom of the crates in a supermarket on a Saturday evening and made kimchi with it.

Last weekend I tried a recipe from Ottolenghi’s and Scully’s NOPI cookbook where (again!) I used mainly the cauliflower florets and part of the stem. I really wasn’t inspired to do something with the rest of the stem and the leaves. The scraps of a fruit or vegetable just never look that luscious and appealing as the whole beast. I did nudge myself though to make something with it. I thought a soup would be good. Then I thought roasting the leftovers instead of cooking them to introduce a smokiness to the flavour of the soup would be good. Time was limited that evening and since I didn’t have enough time to make the whole soup I broke it into increments.

I roasted the leaves and the stem in the oven for 10 minutes and after they were out of the oven and have cooled down, I stored them in a container in the fridge for a few days. That meant part of a quick dinner one weekday evening was already prepared. I came home last Thursday, put the roasted leaves with some herbs (chervil I had leftover in my fridge), garlic, vegetable stock, butter and grated parmesan in a food processor and puréed it for a few minutes until nice and creamy. The leaves of the cauliflower taste a bit sharper and more pungent than the rest of the plant. I don’t mind that, but some might prefer to tone it down a tad with cream or yogurt. I am not giving exact quantities here. Since I made this up myself I roasted what I had left from the cauliflower and incrementally added the stock to make a creamy soup. You can experiment to achieve the texture you like. Some people like their soups more thick and creamy, while others prefer them a bit thinner. You can always add a bit more stock to thin it to a consistency you desire.

Soup of roasted cauliflower leaves and stalks

leaves and stem of one cauliflower
vegetable stock
1 clove of garlic crushed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of butter
olive oil
herbs such as parsley, chives or chervil, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan (220 degrees conventional oven). Toss the leaves with a generous glug of olive oil and some sea salt. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the outer part of the leaves are nicely charred. Remove from the oven. Heat the vegetable stock. Put the cauliflower leaves and stems, the garlic and the herbs (if using) into a food processor and add a bit of the stock. Purée and add more stock to reach the consistency you desire. Reheat the soup before adding the butter and parmesan. Season to taste. Serve with some herbs sprinkled on top if you like.