After a trip to the Avondale Markets my arms were laden with fresh herbs and watercress. Lunch was to die for.
The noise, sights and sounds of the Avondale Markets are eclectic. The wafts of freshly made popcorn, tents of fresh fish on ice, and fresh vegetables you’d have trouble naming, are there for the picking.
I wasn’t looking for anything particular, but thought I’d rediscover a new vegetable every time I go, to broaden my foodie horizons and share my efforts.
A big bag of watercress caught my eye. The last time I had watercress was in a boil-up in my flatting days, and prior to that, watercress sandwiches as a kid. I thought I should come of age and drag watercress into my more modern repertoire of edibles.
The dark green leaves are peppery, but it’s the juicy stalks that hold lots of taste. Alone these are peppery plants and not to everyone’s taste. It seems though, once you put it WITH something else, the bitterness wains quite substantially.
Watercress 101
- What to look for: Nice, green leaves with no signs of yellowing.
- Storage: Refrigerate in plastic bags or if roots still attached, keep in a glass of water on the window sill.
- Good for you? Sure is. Watercress is a good source of vitamin C and contains folate.
- How to prepare: Wash well (watercress grows in ditches in ‘the wild’ although more and more are grown commercially). Remove discoloured leaves and only thick woody stalks (but they can be used for vegetable stock).
- How to eat: Watercress can be eaten raw in salads, sandwiches and as garnish. It can be used as a flavoursome spinach replacement in soups, sauces and omelettes (sauteed, boiled, baked etc).
A trip to the markets always makes one hungry! Lunch was:
Grilled Watercress & Feta Toastie
- fresh baked bread (we bake daily), toasted
- slathered with Caramelised Onion
- crumbled with feta
- draped generously with fresh watercress
- sprinkled with grated Edam cheese, then grilled to perfection
Watercress & Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- medium onion, diced
- 5 small gourmet spuds, diced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 6 cups roughly chopped watercress (or combo of watercress and spinach)
- 2 Tbsp lemon rind, and juice of half a lemon
- generous handful of coriander, chopped
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- swirl of cream, to garnish
Method
- Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute onion.
- Add potatoes and further saute for 5 minutes.
- Add vegetable stock and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add watercress and/or spinach, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat. In a blender in batches, blitz soup into a smooth puree texture. Return to saucepan and heat to a simmer.
- Before serving add in lemon zest and juice, sprinkle with coriander and ground pepper. Fresh with a swirl of cream and serve with fresh bread.
What will my veggie pick be next time? Well, we will have to wait and see.
