2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2 medium heads cauliflower, cored and florets chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
8 ounces Marcona almonds, divided
6 garlic cloves
1 – 16 ounce jar roasted red peppers (drained, seeds removed), chopped
2 – 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk
Kosher salt, to taste

For the Garnish:
1 link (6 ounces) Silva brand Spanish chorizo, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 ounces Marcona almonds
Olive oil for sautéing
2 tablespoons minced parsley

• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and sauté until soft, 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower, and the stock. Cover the pan, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes.

• Prepare the garnish: Place 2 ounces of the Marcona almonds in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Remove the almonds. Place the chorizo pieces in the processor and process until coarsely chopped. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage and almonds and sauté, mixing together, for 3 minutes. Add the minced parsley, fold to combine, and then remove from heat and set aside.

• Next, to the same processor bowl (no need to clean), add 6 ounces of the Marcona almonds and the garlic cloves, and process until coarsely chopped. Add the roasted red peppers, sherry vinegar and a big pinch of kosher salt, and process until smooth. Last, with the machine running, add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Remove mixture from the processor, and set aside.

• When the cauliflower is soft, add the pepper mixture, and almond milk to the pot, and stir to combine. Blend the soup in a blender (in batches if necessary), until very smooth. Return blended soup to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Adjust thickness: add more almond milk or stock, if too thick. Taste. Season with kosher salt and a splash of sherry vinegar.

• Garnish with the chorizo-almond mixture, and drizzle with the rich, red oil from the pan.

Serves 4 – 6

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