Cauliflower and Almond Soup

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Creamy cauliflower and almond soup with almond balls and dukkah, a delicious vegetarian starter for Christmas lunch or dinner.

In case you haven’t yet started thinking about what you will cook for Christmas, now would be the time to start doing it. 🙂

Many of my friends already know what they will cook, especially the traditionalists like my mother-in-law, who tend to cook the same meal each Christmas, but there are still some who still don’t have a clue and keep asking around: “And what will you cook for Christmas this year because I still have no idea?”.

The proposed menu includes today’s cauliflower and almond soup with dukkah, an Oven Slow-Cooked Leg of Turkey with Brussels Sprouts with Potatoes.

As a vegetarian alternative to the turkey leg, I chose an amazing Stuffed Cabbage Cake, which can be served with a nice salad.

And for the sweet part: my favorite dessert ever the Yogurt Bomb with Berries. On top of that a delicious Walnut Buttercream Cake.

What do you need?

For the soup:

• Cauliflower (fresh or frozen), butter, olive oil, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, double/heavy cream, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and parsley.

For the almond balls:

• Ground almonds, dried breadcrumbs, eggs.

For the dukkah:

• Whole almonds, olive oil, whole coriander, cumin and fennel seeds.

How to make the soup?

• Divide the clean cauliflower into florets and chop the stem into small cubes.
• Finely chop the onions and the garlic cloves.
• In a large soup pot heat the oil and the butter. Cook the onions and garlic until translucent, add the cauliflower, stir well and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
• Add stock, bring to a boil. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
• Puree the soup, stir in the cream.
• Adjust the taste generously with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon juice.

How to make almond balls?

• Mix together the breadcrumbs, ground almonds, the two whole eggs, salt and pepper to taste.
• Whisk the remaining egg white and carefully fold into the breadcrumb mixture.
• Leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
• In the meantime bring a pot of water to a boil.
• Wet your hands and form the little balls, about 30-32.
• Add some salt to the cooking water and simmer the balls for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.
• Add the balls to the soup.

How to make dukkah?

• Toast the almonds in a frying pan without adding any fat, for a few minutes or until fragrant and golden. Transfer immediately from the pan.
• Toast the coriander seeds the same way but for a shorter time, until they are fragrant as well. Add them to the almonds
• Toast the cumin seeds, add them to the almonds as well.
• Toast the fennel seeds and add them to the other ingredients.
• Don’t toast them all together, each sort requires another toasting time.
• Place all the spices in a small food processor or in a mortar with a pestle and grind them roughly.
• Add olive oil to form a rough paste, which can be swirled into the soup.
• Source for the dukkah: Orient Express by Silvena Rowe. (Amazon affiliate link)

Make in advance

The soup and the dukkah can be made a day in advance. Cook the almond balls as well and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat well in the soup.

Other Christmas starter soup ideas:

Sunchoke Soup with Bacon Topping

Zucchini Soup and Souffles

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

Potato Dumpling Soup

Red Cabbage Soup