The good thing about the cold weather is that vegetables like cauliflower grow slower and have better flavour. The less sun they get the whiter they are as well. Cauliflower grown from seed take 10 to 14 weeks and can still be planted now if you don’t get too much frost.
For any vegetable soup start with a dice of onion, celery & leek (carrot depending on soup) Sweat them off with a little seasoning to release the flavour, don’t colour. Add the cauliflower and just cover with water, cook until soft, puree, then place back on the stove, bring to the boil and add in a good amount of cream and season. Try adding cumin for a nice twist.
Grab an extra cauliflower and pickle it now for spring salads and antipasto. Boil 1 cup of water, 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of sugar. Add some pepper corns, coriander root and thyme. Let it cool to room temperature then pour onto little pieces of cauliflower, make sure they are covered by the liquid. Put an old plate onto it if needed to keep them down. Put in the back of the fridge and leave for at least 6 weeks.
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