When it's raining in Andalucía, the kitchen becomes the best room in the house. This celeriac, cauliflower and ginger soup came together on one of those grey November days — the kind where you're glad to have something bubbling on the hob. I'd picked up a celeriac in Granada earlier that week and used half for a celeriac mash, and this soup was the happy result of not wanting to waste the rest.

And then the sun came out — Casa Adora

Celeriac is an underrated ingredient. Its flavour is earthy and mellow – somewhere between celery and parsley root – and it blends into a beautifully smooth, creamy soup without the need for any cream at all. Paired with cauliflower for body, fresh ginger for warmth, and a bright coriander lemon drizzle to finish, this is a soup that feels both rustic and elegant at the same time.

The drizzle is not optional. It lifts the whole bowl — the zest, the fresh coriander, and the sharp hit of garlic in olive oil cut through the richness of the soup and make it sing.

Ingredients for Celeriac and Cauliflower Soup

A glug coconut oil and a knob of butter
2 leeks, roughly chopped
Large knob of ginger, grated
5 garlic cloves, crushed and sliced
3 celery sticks, roughly chopped
½ celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
½ cauliflower (florets)
¼ white cabbage, shredded
Handful coriander stalks, chopped
2 litres homemade stock (I used veal)
Juice of a lemon
White pepper
Sea salt

Heat a large pan, then add the oil and the butter. Sauté the leeks, garlic, ginger and celery until softened.

Add celeriac, cauliflower, cabbage, and coriander stalks, continuing to cook until slightly softened, stirring from time to time.

Add stock so that everything is covered. Pop on a lid, then bring to a boil before turning down the heat so that things simmer.

When cooked, add seasoning to taste, then squeeze in lemon juice – set aside to cool.

When cool, blitz with a hand blender.

Meanwhile, zest a lemon in a bowl, add finely chopped coriander leaves and finely chopped garlic, then pour extra virgin olive oil over to create a consistency suitable for drizzling.

Tips and variations

The stock makes a real difference here. I used homemade veal stock, which gave the soup a wonderful depth and richness. A good chicken or vegetable stock works equally well — use whatever you have, but make it a good one.

Coconut oil and butter together create a lovely base for sautéing the aromatics. If you don't have coconut oil, a neutral vegetable oil works fine alongside the butter.

The coriander lemon drizzle is quick to make and worth preparing while the soup cools before blending. Zest and juice from a fresh lemon, finely chopped coriander leaves, a little raw garlic, and enough extra virgin olive oil to make it pourable. It keeps in the fridge for a day or two and works just as well over roasted vegetables or grilled fish.

This celeriac, cauliflower and ginger soup reheats beautifully and thickens slightly overnight — loosen with a splash of stock or water when reheating. And yes, by the time I'd finished, the sun had come out.

And now the sun is shining.

For a non-soup way to use cauliflower, try my Cauliflower: Pimping it up.

This recipe is part of my Soup Recipes collection. It joins 25 other soups — from chilled gazpacho to hearty broths and Asian-inspired bowls — in my complete Soup Recipes hub.

Wonky photos, proper soup, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef