Whenever I find watercress in fine condition, I buy enough to make not only salad but also a pot of emerald soup. By "fine condition" I mean large-leaved, thick-stemmed and with leaves of deepest green. Watercress as it should be, with glossy, deeply peppery leaves, bursting with health. Watercress with spirit.
As salad leaves go, watercress is the most difficult to keep in fine fettle, such is its love (and need) for cool, clear, running water. Bunches used to be sold on the streets of Victorian London by "watercress girls", who would regularly refresh the leaves from the city’s many water pumps.
Up until a few years ago, greengrocers would stock bunches in white, waxed cartons, which they would mist-spray throughout the day to keep fresh. A decent bunch is now a rare sight in my neck of the woods, replaced by the milder "landcress", which is to my mind a wimpish version.
Another green joy of shopping in spring is finding bunches of carrots with a feathery plume of leaves attached. They make a spicy little pesto when pounded or blended with pine nuts, garlic and basil. (I use almonds as the price of the best-quality, slim pine nuts is now beyond belief.) I don’t add parmesan, but you certainly could.
Such a vibrant paste is a dazzling addition to a carrot soup or as dressing for new potatoes fresh from the steamer.
Watercress soup and cheese palmiers
You can use landcress at a push. The palmiers can be made in advance, chilled overnight and baked the next day.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 shallots
1 large garlic clove
20g butter
200g potatoes
750ml hot vegetable stock
350g watercress (leaves and stems) Single cream (optional)
Method
Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Melt the butter in a deep pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, without colour, for 7-10 minutes until soft. Stir regularly to prevent them colouring.
Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and stir into the shallots. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Have a large mixing bowl of water with ice cubes in it to hand. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the watercress and cook for 30 seconds. Then remove and plunge the watercress immediately into the iced water. Drain the watercress as soon as it is cold, add to the potatoes and stock, then reduce to a thick soup using a blender. Taste and correct the seasoning. Check the heat and texture, and, if you wish, introduce a little cream. Serve with the palmiers (below).
Cheese palmiers
I suggest a mature Caerphilly here, but use whatever cheese you have to hand.
Makes about 20
Ingredients
325g puff pastry sheet, thawed
100g cheese, finely grated
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 egg
A little parmesan, finely grated
Method
Roll the puff pastry into a rectangle about 30cm×20cm. Turn the pastry so the long side is facing you. Mix together the grated cheese and mustard, grind in a little black pepper and dot over the pastry. Roll up the left-hand side of the pastry tightly towards the middle, then stop when you reach the middle. Repeat with the right hand side, so the 2 tight rolls touch.
Break the egg into a small bowl, beat lightly with a fork to combine yolk and white, then brush a little along the edges of each roll and press together to seal. Wrap tightly in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Set the oven at 200°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Remove the roll of pastry from the fridge, cut into 20 pencil-thick slices, then place each slice flat-side down on the baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Brush the sides of the pastries with a little egg, then sprinkle the top with some parmesan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen, crisp and golden. Remove from the baking sheet and serve with the soup.
Carrot soup with carrot leaf pesto
The soup’s flavour and texture will vary according to your carrots. Thin carrots will produce a less thick soup, so you may need to adjust the water.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
450g carrots (with leaves and stems)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
750ml water
2 tsp thyme leaves
For the pesto
Carrot stems and leaves (from above)
50g garlic (1 small clove)
50g almonds, skinned
40g basil leaves, stems
150ml olive oil
Method
Remove the stems and leaves from the carrots, pick the leaves from the stems and set aside. You will need 50g of leaves.
Roughly chop the carrots. Peel the garlic. Warm the oil in a deep saucepan over a moderate heat, add the carrots and the garlic and let the carrots cook for about 10 minutes until they colour lightly, stirring occasionally. The toasting will deepen their flavour. Pour in the water, bring to the boil, add salt and the thyme leaves and simmer for about 25 minutes until the carrots are thoroughly tender. Use a stick blender to reduce the carrots to a soup and set aside.
Make the pesto: put the reserved carrot leaves in a food processor or blender, peel and add the garlic, skinned almonds and basil, add salt then process to a coarse paste, adding the oil as the blades turn.
Ladle the soup into bowls and stir in the carrot leaf pesto.
