I love the pepperiness of watercress but picking the leaves for a salad can be quite tedious.
You’ll need about two bunches for this soup, but the beauty is there’s no picking required. You can use almost all of it, just discard the thickest stems and any yellowing leaves and throw the rest in the pot!
Serve it hot or chilled, with a glass of Chalmers Greco, a full-flavoured white wine with good acid that sings with the peppery watercress and rich crème frâiche.
Serves: 6 as a starter
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- 1 brown onion, diced
- salt flakes, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, roughly ground
- 300g floury potatoes, diced
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 500g watercress, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup crème fraîche
- Chive Pull Aparts, for serving
Method
Melt butter, add onion and a good pinch of salt, cover and fry over low heat for about 10 minutes until tender and just starting to colour.
Stir in fennel seed, potato and stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until potato is almost tender.
Add watercress, reserving a few small sprigs for garnish, and stir until it wilts enough to be submerged in the stock.
Cover and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, until thickest stems are tender.
Transfer to a bowl to cool a little.
Put into a food processor and process on high speed until smooth.
Return to a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Ladle into soup bowls, swirl crème fraîche into the centre and garnish with reserved watercress.
Serve with Chive Pull Aparts.
You’ll find a print-friendly version of this recipe here as well as a step-by-step video for delicious Watercress, Apple and Stilton Salad.
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What’s your favourite soup flavour? Why not share it in the comments section below?
Also read: Date and Walnut Roll
