Roast Cauliflower and Cashew Soup

Ingredients

• 3 ½ oz Cashew Nuts
• 6 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 large Cauliflower
• 2 Leeks
• 1 large Onion
• 3 Celery Sticks
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 5 sprig Thyme
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Sunflower
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 tbsp Fresh Chives

Instructions

1. Put the cashews into a bowl, pour on 1.2 liters hot stock and leave to soak for at least an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F/375°F/gas 5.
3. 3. Put the cauliflower florets into a large roasting tray, along with their roughly chopped leaves (if they’re in good nick). Add all the other veg and the cumin seeds. Add the oil or fat, season well with salt and pepper and toss the veg to coat lightly.
4. Transfer the roasting tray to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until all the veg are tender and golden.
5. In the meantime, make the topping. Put the extra virgin olive oil into a small saucepan with the garlic, seeds, chili flakes and a pinch of salt. Place over a medium heat and heat gently for just a minute or two until the garlic starts to turn pale golden. Immediately take off the heat and pour the garlicky oil into a bowl. Leave to infuse until the soup is ready.
6. Scrape the contents of the roasting tray into a jug blender, add the thyme leaves and tip in the cashew nuts, along with their soaking liquor. Blitz until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat gently, without boiling. (Or you can blitz the soup directly in a saucepan, using a stick blender, as you reheat it.) Either way, add a dash more stock to thin the soup a little if it seems too thick.
7. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each serving with a trickle of the crispy garlic oil and a sprinkle of chopped chives and/or parsley.