Cauliflower soup: properties and popular recipes

If you want tasty and at the same time to eat right, then you certainly need to include in your diet cauliflower puree soup. This is not just an appetizing, but also an extremely healthy dish, which is recommended to be used by both adults and kids.

Many people know cauliflower - in most houses it has become a frequent and welcome guest at the dinner table. It is used to prepare nutritious side dishes for meat and fish dishes, vegetable stews, it is used in salads, but especially effectively it reveals its delicate taste in the composition of mashed soups with a delicate cream structure and the addition of cream, sharp cheeses, herbs and vegetables.

Cauliflower is useful, it contains a lot of vitamins, as well as micro and macronutrients, which are required for a person to maintain the normal functioning of the body. This vegetable is known for its ability to strengthen the immune system and normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract. The composition of cauliflower includes a lot of carbohydrates and amino acids, which are involved in the synthesis of protein, necessary for both children's body and a person of mature age.

Cauliflower very gently affects the digestion, it is no accident that this product is included in the children's diet one of the first, it is ideal for those who are forced to stick to a diet. Regular consumption of cauliflower can reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, stabilize metabolic processes and nerve fibers. However, cauliflower dishes are not recommended for people with intestinal diseases in the acute stage, you should not lean on it with gout, as well as gastritis.

The classic version of the dish includes:

• boiled cauliflower, salted - 1.2 kg;
• milk, 2.5% - 0.15 kg;
• water

The nutritional value of the dish is (in brackets are indicated% of the daily requirement):

• calories - 23 kcal (1.6%);
• proteins - 1.7 g (2%);
• fat 0.5 g (0.9%);
• carbohydrates - 1.9 g (1.5%);
• vegetable fiber - 1.9 g (10%);
• water - 95 g (3.4%).

The classic version of the cream soup first appeared on the tables of the French, but rather soon the recipe for its preparation was sold in European countries and reached Russia. Nowadays, the recipe is often complemented by other products that give the taste a variety of notes. Such a dish can be considered versatile, since it can be quite nourishing and low-calorie, and slightly sweet and spicy-salty, and tender and spicy - it all depends on the ingredients added to the main course.

Let us dwell on the most popular combinations of cauliflower with other products in the composition of the soup-puree.

• Many give the "palm" of the soup with potatoes and cream. This dish has a velvety structure and creamy taste.
• An interesting soup is obtained from a combination of two cabbages - broccoli and broccoli. Both components create a truly perfect pair, the fragrant soup of these vegetables both nourishes and heals the body, and can be served both at lunchtime and for dinner.
• Well, and among the three most common soups, puree version of cauliflower and squash or zucchini. By the way, this particular dish is recommended by pediatricians for feeding babies.

Nevertheless, there are many other and very worthy recipes, the existence of which many housewives do not even realize.

• Cooks recommend every hostess to enter into your diet mushroom soup, it includes directly cauliflower, champignons, potatoes, onions, cream or full-fat milk, as well as salt and spices to taste.This soup has a low calorie content: a 350 grams meal contains only 108 calories, so it can be safely recommended for women who watch their weight. Such a dish can be used even for dinner, without fear of gaining extra pounds. To cook the soup, you should first boil the cabbage along with the potatoes and celery root in a mixture of wine and water, they are cooked for about half an hour, then whipped in a soft mashed potatoes.

• Cheese soup - a real “hit” in French cuisine, its popularity is second only to the famous onion soup. For the preparation of such a dinner will need cheese, as well as carrots, onions and seasonings. The cooking process is quite simple - to begin with, in a thick frying pan, vegetable frying is made from carrots and onions in vegetable oil, while the cabbage itself is cooked in parallel, after carefully dividing it into separate inflorescences. As soon as the cabbage is cooked, add grated melted cheese or sausage cheese to it, as well as salt and pepper, after a few minutes, add a fry, boil for a short time and beat all with a blender. As soon as the soup acquires the necessary texture, sprinkle it with grated hard varieties of cheese on top - this will give the necessary exquisite notes to the cooked dish.

• For those who can not imagine their life without meat, we can recommend the chicken soup or turkey mashed potatoes. This soup will be cooked in just 30 minutes, and will eat it much faster. This dish is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it is very satisfying, but it does not cause the slightest damage to the figure. To cook cabbage-chicken cream, you should buy chicken fillet, cauliflower, onions, carrots and spices to taste. The first step is to boil the fillets, and this should be done in such a way as to get not only meat, but also broth, in which you also need to boil cabbage and other vegetables. After all the components of the dish are ready, they need to be mixed and whipped with cream, however, many make such a dish without adding milk.

• Very beautiful and original will be a cream soup with the addition of pumpkin - this vegetable will give the dish a rich orange-yellow shade that kids will love. In addition, the pumpkin is considered to be a pantry of vitamins and substances that have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, so the soup with the addition of pumpkin, no doubt, will be useful for the digestive system. Many people add beans and pine nuts to such a dish to give an original and exquisite taste.

• But the following recipe for children is not suitable, it is only for adults. Its main components, in addition to cauliflower, are white wine and brackish cheese. This cream is obtained creamy and spicy with an unobtrusive wine tint. This soup will require broccoli, cream, celery, garlic, cheese, potatoes, carrots, onions or green onions, nutmeg, suitable spices and, of course, dry white wine.

In order for the soup to become not just tasty, but also beneficial to health, one should correctly select its basic ingredient, namely cauliflower. We give a number of recommendations that will allow to distinguish a quality head from a stale product.

• The heading should have a greenish or grayish shade, a white color with a hint of yellow is allowed, the color of the cabbage depends largely on the characteristics of the region in which it was grown, on whether it bloomed in the sun or in the shade, and on the presence of certain components in it. .
• The heading must necessarily be even, the presence of cuts and any dents is not allowed: if such defects were noticed, it most likely indicates that the product began to rot and unscrupulous sellers simply tried to hide the deterioration processes that had begun.
• Cabbage should not be loose and soft to the touch, all its inflorescences should be very close to each other.
• It is very important to weigh the head out: if you notice that with an externally large volume it weighs too little, it means that the cabbage has been bred in an accelerated rhythm with the addition of growth stimulants.
• The leaves should be evenly colored, no color transitions, as well as spots of light and dark tones are allowed.
• If leaves sprouted between inflorescences, then be sure to buy such forks, this cabbage will be juicy, and the dishes from it will be delicious and fragrant.

Many prepare the soup of frozen cauliflower. Of course, fresh vegetables are always better and more beneficial, because when freezing, part of the micronutrients disappears, and the taste characteristics are reduced. However, fresh frozen products will be optimal for use in the winter-spring period, when fresh vegetables are not commercially available, and if they are on the shelves of supermarkets, they are usually either imported or grown using chemicals.

For families with lovers of cauliflower or just small children, it makes sense to freeze a few packets of this fragrant vegetable from their garden in the summer.

People who suffer from various health problems are sometimes forced to go on diets, so a special dietary version of cauliflower cream soup is prepared for them. Such a dish completely eliminates frying in oil and does not contain potatoes, which can be dangerous for a sick person due to the high starch content. You should not worry that without these components the soup will turn out to be empty, it will not lose any of its taste quality at all, even if you remove two or three ingredients from the classic composition.

For diet soup, you must take:

• cauliflower - 1 head;
• low fat milk - 100 ml;
• bow;
• carrot;
• salt and spices.

To start, the cabbage must be washed, and then placed in water and boil for 15-20 minutes, after which the onions and carrots, chopped into small pieces, are added to it. Mix the mixture over low heat for another 15-20 minutes, then cool well and bring to a puree with a blender. After that, they inject milk and beat it again, and then season the finished dish. This vegetarian soup can be cooked in a slow cooker.

For babies, puree soup is cooked according to a special recipe, which is characterized by a longer cooking of cabbage, a lower salt content, with the exception of any spices and herbs, if the kid has not previously consumed them. For children's dishes will need:

• cabbage - 0.5 kg;
• water, and fit only bottled;
• carrots - 0.3 kg;
• turkey or chicken fillet - 0.2 kg;
• vegetable oil;
• green pea.

To begin with, boil the water, then run chicken fillet into it for 40-45 minutes. When the broth boils, you should add carrots and cauliflower into it, cook for about half an hour. After the chicken-vegetable mixture has cooled, it should be whipped. Add butter to the resulting puree, then salt and beat again. The finished dish is decorated with peas.

Another dish that will never leave the kid indifferent is made from cauliflower with a slight addition of potatoes, rice and cream. To do this, the cabbage is divided into florets, then placed in a pan and about 25 minutes. kept on medium heat to full readiness. Cook the rice separately, when all the components of the dish are ready, you just need to whip the resulting mixture and fill with milk or low-fat cream.

If desired, you can add oil, although for younger children who have not yet turned 1 year old, it is better to exclude it.

Well, the best dish for the whole family will be a lean cauliflower puree soup. It will appeal to both the youngest family members and households of more mature age. For this dish are required:

• cabbage - 0.5 kg;
• 2-3 potatoes;
• half a pack of butter;
• salt pepper.

Onions should be fried in sunflower oil in a pan, cut the potatoes into small cubes and put to the onion, and then add cabbage blossoms. After all the ingredients have been laid, pour some water in such a way that it slightly covers the prepared products, wait for boiling and hold on the fire for another 25 minutes. Then the vegetables are ground into mashed potatoes, and milk, spices and salt are added to them.

Mistresses need to know the following.

• Cauliflower contains quite a lot of nutrients, but the main problem is that during heat treatment most of them disappear. You should not despair, the option to keep all the vitamins is - you just need to stew the cabbage in a small amount of water so that the vegetable is not completely immersed in the liquid and always under the lid. Many steamed - this option also saves the full value of the product, so it can be safely used by the owners of the double boilers.
• In order for the soup to have a pleasant beige tint, it is necessary to slightly cut off the topmost layer of cabbage.
• A good addition to the dish will be crunchy croutons and crackers, naturally, it is better to cook them yourself, purchased ones contain flavors and flavor enhancers, which are not always combined with cauliflower.
• It is advisable to cook the soup at once, because in the reheated state it is not so tasty, and sometimes it is not at all pleasant.

• If you want to increase the satiety of the prepared dish, break an egg into it and process with a blender - the taste and smell will not change much, but the nutritional value will increase dramatically.
• It is very important to beautifully serve the cream soup to the table, the main secret here is the correct introduction of milk or cream: they need to be whipped and very carefully poured into the soup. But you should not mix - perfect if they are visible on the surface.
• However, if you want to enhance the creamy taste of the dish, you can enter the milk into mashed potatoes before processing, but before serving, put a small part of the cream on the dish in the form of droplets.
• It will be interesting if you try to make a small pattern on the surface. Toothpicks or very small spoons are usually used for this. And, of course, the dish should be decorated with parsley, its taste and aroma goes well with cauliflower.

You will find out how to make a cauliflower cream soup in the next video.