Healthier than kale, and bursting with vitamins and minerals, watercress has a wonderful peppery little leaf which tastes good when eaten raw in sandwiches and salads, but it’s also good when wilted into pastas and stir fries and makes tasty soup and sauces.
With the British watercress season now underway, now is the time to enjoy this incredibly versatile little salad leaf.
WATERCRESS AND SMOKED BACON ON SOURDOUGH BREAD
SERVES 2
This brunch dish is great for lazy weekend mornings, and only uses a handful of ingredients to create a flavoursome start to the day.
2 eggs
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon
2 slices sourdough bread
2tsp butter
2 handfuls watercress
Bring a pan of water to a simmer, add the eggs and simmer for 3 minutes then put the lid on and turn off the heat, leave to stand for 2 minutes. Meanwhile heat the grill and cook the bacon on both sides until crispy. Toast the bread and butter it.
When the eggs are cooked run them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle then peel off the shells.
To build your brunch, put a handful of watercress on top of each slice of toast, top each with 2 pieces of bacon, then slice the peeled egg and place it on top of the bacon. Serve with a dash of your own favourite hot/spicy sauce.
ROAST CHICKEN AND WATERCRESS PLATTER
SERVES 4
A light and healthy version of a Sunday roast. Succulent roast chicken is carved and served on a Mediterranean-style salad.
50g salted butter at room temperature
1 lemon
4-5 sprigs thyme
1.8kg chicken
1 bag watercress
1 bunch spring onions
16 black olives
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
2tbsp Fussels rapeseed oil
Quarter clove of garlic, crushed
Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Beat together the butter, lemon zest, leaves of the thyme and a good pinch of black pepper.
Gently lift the chicken skin from over the breast meat at the end closest to the legs and use your hands to spread the butter over the meat, under the skin.
Cut the lemon in half, squeeze out the juice and set aside to use later then put the lemon, along with the thyme twigs, inside the chicken cavity.
Sprinkle a little salt over the skin and roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour 45 minutes, basting twice with the cooking juices during roasting. Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to rest.
Put the watercress in a large bowl, add the sliced spring onions, halved cherry tomatoes and olives. Combine the reserved lemon juice with the rapeseed oil and crushed garlic.
Leave 2 tablespoons of dressing in the bowl and use the rest to dress the watercress. Toss well and load onto a serving platter. Carve the chicken and arrange the meat on the salad. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.
WATERCRESS AND MUSHROOM SLIDERS
SERVES 4
A meat-free dish that will leave everyone satisfied with big flavours from the watercress and the creamy blue cheese.
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 Portabello mushrooms, stalks trimmed
85g watercress
100g creamy blue cheese such as Gorgonzola
6 small rolls, sliced horizontally
Your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, onion etc to serve
Mix the olive oil, vinegar and garlic together with salt and pepper. Pour half into a dish that will hold all of the mushrooms. Put the mushrooms in and drizzle over the remaining dressing.
Cover and leave to marinate for an hour, moving them around once or twice to make sure they’re coated. When ready to cook, heat the grill and put the mushrooms on a shallow baking tray gill side down. Grill for 5 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes.
While they are cooking, put the watercress into a bowl and cover with boiling water, leave for 1 minute until wilted, then drain on some kitchen roll.
Once the mushrooms are cooked, fill each one with watercress and top with the cheese. Return to the grill along with the rolls, cut side up.
When the rolls are toasted and the cheese is bubbling, place a mushroom inside each roll to make the burgers and serve immediately with your choice of fillings.