Oh my! I think I have really excelled myself this time. The self imposed #5days5ways kalette challenge has just taken a very interesting turn: Kalette & Kikorangi Soup.
Seriously this has to be one of the best soups I’ve tasted, even if I say so myself. I’m quite impressed. I am no chef, but crikey am I up for a challenge and excited to experience flavour combinations that sing. Blue cheese and anything from the Brassicas family seem to be a kitchen combo made in heaven.
For the unitiated Kalettes are a special veggie, a cross between kale and brussel sprouts! If you haven’t found them at your local farmers’ market, try a Brussel Sprout version.
Served with hot ciabatta bread and crispy garlic butter chips, it is just divine! The latter by the way is literally a wrap slathered in butter and minced garlic and allowed to bake until crisp in the oven for approx 5-7 minutes. Wowser.
I love blue cheese and today I enjoyed a cheeky Kapiti Kikorangi. Delicious.
So, on Day #2 of my challenge… I hereby deliver:
Kalette & Blue Cheese Soup
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 50g butter
- 2 medium potatoes, finely diced
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 15 kalettes
- 1/2 cup cream
- 100g blue cheese
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, to serve
Method
- Melt butter in a saucepan, throw in the onion and add the potato. Over a medium to low heat, allow to saute for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Both onion and potato should be nice and buttery soft by the end of this process. Stir through minced garlic and take off the heat momentarily.
- Boil the jug and using vegetable stock cubes (or better still, the real deal) and pour the liquid stock into the saucepan. Add 15 kalettes (whole), cover and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove contents of the saucepan and put in the blender until silky smooth. The mix will be rich and thick.
- Return blended soup mix to saucepan on low heat. Stir in cream, 75g of blue cheese. Stir and allow to combine. Add more cream (or milk) as necessary until you are happy with the consistency. Personally I love thick soup so 1/2 cup of cream did it for me.
- To serve, dish into serving bowls. Garnish with remaining blue cheese crumbled on top and a sprinkling of smoked paprika. .
Enjoy!
