‘Coloured cabbage’ – Cauliflower in Russian – was amongst the first few ‘foreign’ ingredients that reached the just-post-Soviet Estonia in the early 1990s. I was about 11 and just started to do things in the kitchen, cooking I suppose one might call it.

Why it is that cauliflower wasn’t widely grown in the Soviet Union (don’t tell me your memories are different) I do not comprehend. I can only imagine that it’s the brassica’s overly flamboyant, too pretty appearance that made it inappropriate for the esthetic of the proletariat state (or perhaps more prosaically this cabbage is more prone to climate and trickier to grow that the reliable white cabbage).

The beauty of humble cauliflower.

Not having a clue as to the proper treatment of the said coloured cabbage, I used to just split it in florets and fry it in a pan with butter, till it got quite caramelised and still a tad crunchy.

Most importantly is that I then ate the little florets with mayonnaise. That was the most important element of the ehhh dish. The combination of sweet and slightly bitter cauliflower with tart, lush mayo. Not that I thought quite these thoughts at the tender age of 11. Then I just thought – it’s now bearable to eat this thing.

In my recent experiments in coming up with the ways to use more veggies as main ingredients, I recalled this long-forgotted cauli-mayo passion of mine. The result is surprisingly pleasing. Light and intense at the same time.

Soup of roasted cauliflower with home-made mayonnaise.

serves 2-4 depending on your greed.

You will need:

head of cauliflower, cut into chunks of about 5 cms.

olive oil, salt, pepper

1 tb coriander seeds, roasted and crushed

Chicken or vegetable stock about a litre

May need single cream (or whole milk) and lemon juice

2 tbs of mayo, quality shop-bought stuff at least

fresh coriander leaves for deco

1. turn your over to 180C. in a roasting tin mix cauli with all the ingredients but the mayo. cover with foil and roast for anything between 30-40 mins turning occasionally. open the foil for the last 10-15 mins so that the cabbage caramelises.

2. plonk the cauli into a saucepan, cover with hot stock (or boiled water and then add bought-in stock).

3. simmer for about 15-20 mins.

4. blend until smooth (leave a few florets for deco later). squeeze lemon, and, if too thick, add cream. taste for seasoning.

5. to serve put a spoon of mayo on top, roasted florets and a bit of chilli if you like.

Works wonders with cold cider.