Caramelised Cauliflower, Pear & Pearl Barley Soup

Soups are my Jam! but not your ordinary, watery type! I’m talking about one with a real personality! Lots of textures, loaded flavours and interesting combinations. In particular, the nourishing, thick, creamy and silky smooth almost puree-like ones. Perfect for an easy, light meal and perfect for food prep - they last a few days in the fridge and can be frozen with an easy reheat.

Affordable Cooking

Soups like this are generally very affordable - you’re using humble ingredients, they are extended with liquids, you can use things in your fridge and puree them up and also buy second quality, blemished produce which is cheaper but still amazing flavour, as its all getting blended up.

Introduce a variety of flavours and textures

Soups are a great canvas to build up flavours like this combo of cauliflower and pear. Both humble staples of the veg and fruit world and paired together, they are one of the all-time great duos of the food world. It’s so, so good!

The subtle sweetness of the pear with the rich, creamy cauliflower works a treat and both are amazing and in season right now so, the perfect time to give this a slurp!

Pimp your Soup

So you’ve made the soup and want to go that little bit further. How about layering them up with some other textures and ingredients, turning them into a meal?

I like to call it soup and salad. I loaded up with a warm salad of grains like farro, buckwheat or couscous and some caramelised veggies, like cauliflower, Brussels, broccoli, carrots or zucchini to name a few of many you could try.

Nuts and seeds are next on the list. I’ve used seeds here which are super affordable and delicious but try anything from almonds to pine nuts and hazelnuts would be fantastic.

Go one step further for extra points spoon over a soft cheese like cottage cheese or marinated feta….. CHEFS KISS!

Swap

Parsnip or pumpkin for the cauliflower and apple for the pear if you want or if fruits aren't your thing, leave it out. The soup is still hella delicious. switch up the toppings with anything from above or keep it simple with just one or two things.

The combination of pear and cauliflower in this soup is so good. The little sweetness from the pear really lifts things up on the creaminess of the cauliflower. This recipe is plant based with the oat milk.

If you don’t want to use oat milk, regular is fine as is coconut milk. This recipe calls for the cauliflower leaves to be used but if your cauliflower doesn’t have leaves on it you can use a little baby spinach instead and sauté that briefly.

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Caramelised Cauliflower, Pear & Farro Soup

Prep/cook time – 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, leaves reserved