A Cauliflower Soup Cheese Affair

We recently discovered Cheese Affair, run by Andrea Vola, an Italian entrepreneur who made Cape Town his home in 2015. Andrea is now making original Italian cheeses available in South Africa. Fine Italian cheeses, we should add, as when you start tasting his different cheeses, and hear Andrea passionately talking about the flavours you soon picture yourself in the streets of Italy.  

Cheese Affair offers a wide variety in flavours and textures that provides for plentiful pairing opportunities, for platters, in dishes, or on it’s own enjoyed with a glass of wine. As Andrea adds: ‘a good lover always needs a companion to match with’. So we decided to find a match for our cauliflower soup, and found a match made in heaven!

Cauliflower makes for a great base for a creamy soup, and the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP makes you look like a Michelin chef.

This cheese has been aged for at least 24 months, which is considered to be the peak. This cheese has many imitations, and as soon as you try the real thing, you’ll notice the difference. Give it a try, and also use the cheese for a small sprinkle on top: grate some cheese on a baking sheet, add some linseed, sesame, and or pumpkin seed, and leave in the oven for 10 minutes at 180C. The flavour will come through even stronger, and is the finishing touch to serving your soup.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cauliflower head
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, finely grated

Directions: 

Heat the butter in a pot, and glaze the garlic and onion for about 15 minutes. Cut the cauliflower head in regular pieces, and add to the pot. Add the chicken stock, and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, till cauliflower is cooked and falling apart.

Leave the soup to cool before blending, lid off the pan, for 10-15 minutes at least, to make it safer to blend. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to the jug, leaving the liquid in the pot for now. Fill it no more than halfway, and remove the cap from the lid, so that the lid is open. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the jug, blend on low, increasing to medium to blend the vegetables until smooth. Now slowly add the liquid to the jug, again make sure you prevent a vacuum. 

 Transfer the soup back to the pot, and reheat if necessary. Once hot, stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, and keep stirring until you’ve got a smooth soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP sprinkle.

Let's eat, andiamo a mangiare!