Watercress soup
Ingredients
- 20 gm unsalted butter
- 100 gm white onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 300 gm watercress, tough stalks removed
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 100 gm spinach leaves
- 500 ml boiling water
- 500 gm ice cubes
- 100 ml fresh cream
Method
In a large saucepan on a medium heat, melt the butter and gently cook the chopped onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until soft and translucent but not coloured. This gentle sweetening of the onion and garlic will transform the natural starches present into sugar giving that lovely sweetened onion flavour as opposed to the harsh raw onion flavour. Increase the heat to high, add the watercress and a pinch of salt, cover with a lid and cook for 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until wilted. The spinach will round up the strong peppery qualities of the watercress. Pour in the boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the ice. This quick cooking of the vegetables and cooling with the ice will not only retain the colour and the flavour, but also maximise the vitamins and minerals. Pour half the soup into a food processor, and blend until smooth. Transfer the soup into a clean pan, and then repeat with the remaining soup. Serve the soup with the fresh cream swirled through.
