When I first moved to England, I was mystified by the presence of watercress on the shelves alongside more common salad greens like spinach, “baby leaves” and arugula (“rocket”, that is). It’s available all year round, though it’s at its best April through September.
Still, even when watercress is at its prime, I have a hard time dealing with it raw – it’s flavour is bitter, slightly peppery, which I often find overpowering when served in a salad or as a garnish. So I’ve been exploring watercress’s other uses, treating it more as an herb, and in the process have discovered some great ways to use this pungent green outside of the salad bowl.
The sweet peas and refreshing mint in this recipe balance the peppery watercress, and it’s super delicious garnished with croutons, toasted seeds, or a hard boiled egg (or all of the above!).
This soup requires a blender – I use a Froothie power blender which blitzes even the toughest of pea membranes and watercress stems into a fine puree. If you are working with a stick blender or something less powerful, you can strain out any stray solids after blend it to get a silky smooth and luxurious soup. Enjoy!
Minted Pea and Watercress Soup
Serves 4
- 1 bunch of watercress, large (washed)
- 800ml of vegetable stock
- 30ml of sunflower oil or olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 potato, cubed
- 1 bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 400g of shelled peas, fresh or frozen
Method
- Coarsely chop the watercress, stalks and all, and place in a small saucepan with the stock. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse
- Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook on a low heat until softened but not coloured. Add the potato, stir, cover and cook until soft. Add the mint, peas and infused stock and watercress. Season and simmer for 2 minutes
- Place the soup in a blender and purée, then return the soup to the saucepan (you can strain the soup through a sieve if you like, to get rid of any tough-to-blend stalky bits, but if you have a powerful blender like a Froothie, it should be able to purée everything into a silky smooth soup)
- Serve warm garnished with boiled eggs, toasted seeds, a swirl of sour cream, croutons, or whatever you like – meat eaters might enjoy a sprinkling of crispy bacon
Just a heads up: this post contains affiliate links to the Froothie website – I’m a ambassador for their brand because, well, their blenders rule!
Gorgeous Monica – it’s soup weather here and this one looks like it’s calling my name…
Hard boiled egg in a soup might be my favorite new garnish–seriously can’t wait to try that goodness. And minted pea? Mmm yes please! I have a feeling this will happen next spring when fresh peas are available!
Looks great Monica – though being a Brit I’d have it for lunch 😉
Have added a link to this from this month’s Salad Days if that’s OK?
Thanks, VP – and happy for you to include it in Salad Days, of course!
That sounds like one gorgeous summer soup. The vibrant green is just sooooo appealing.