Watercress Soup

I am not a great fan of soups so don't make that many of them. however the other day, in a very wintery French market place, I was totally seduced by the bright green display of glossy watercress so went ahead and made some soup. It was very delicious and I am looking forward to making it again so maybe I will see the winter out with soup !

The bunches of cress I bought were quite large- about 2 handfuls each. I prefer my soup to be quite thick, definitely not in favour of watery, thin concoctions so this yields quite a thick soup.

If this is not to your liking just add a bit more water and/or milk.

You will need some sort of blender.

Preparation and cooking time is about 45 minutes but you must allow time for the soup to cool a bit before you blend it. Especially if you are not using a handheld blender and have to pour the soup from the saucepan into a blender.

Watercress Soup ( for 4)

2 large bunches of water cress- cleaned and very thick stalks removed, chop roughly.

1 medium onion - peeled and chopped

1 medium potato - peeled and chopped into small dice

1-2 tbspns of butter

850 mls of chicken or vegetable stock

350 mls of milk

Salt & pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan add the onion and potato and stir about. Cook until they soften- about 10 minutes.

Add the cress to this and stir until it has wilted and soften a bit- a few minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover the saucepan.

Cook for about 30 minutes. Timing is not really too important but I think cooking for too long reduces the flavour.

Now it is time to blend. Let the soup cool a bit before you start. Especially if you are not using a handheld blender and need to transfer the soup from the saucepan into a blender. Once it is blended return the soup to the saucepan and add the milk. Give it a good stir and check the seasoning and if necessary add salt and pepper if you wish.

If you are preparing in advance stop now.

15 minutes before serving:

Heat the soup over a moderate heat, stirring periodically and bring it to the boil. Once it comes to the boil remove it from the heat and serve into bowls.

Garnish, if you like, with a dollop of cream fraiche, cream or yoghurt and a small bit of greenery.