Watercress is regularly used as a garnish for roasts and grills. The main reason being that the refreshing, peppery flavour compliments the taste of the meat, a fact that is often overlooked by chefs, who may add a token sprig, substitute it with parsley, or worst of all, arrange a small bouquet of yellowing, fowl tasting watercress with their grilled meat!
At it’s freshest, it can be added to salads, and also makes an excellent soup, sauce or mousse. Also known as Nasturium officianle, watercress is common throughout most of Europe but not in the Scottish Highlands or Central Wales. There are watercress beds around the Chorleywood area, where I occasionally walk. Being semi-aquatic, it grows in slightly alkaline chalk streams, where the plant floats due to it’s hollow stems. This remarkable plant has been used as a medicinal herb for centuries, although cultivation on a commercial scale did not start   the early nineteenth. I will not go into the health problems that it is claimed to help with, they are many and perhaps slightly unpalatable for a cookery column! It contains iron, iodine, copper, calcium and potassium and is a well-known and rich source of Vitamin C.
However, here is a favourite version of a popular soup:-
Watercress Soup with Crayfish and Crème Fraiche
Serves 4
1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped (about 100g)
50g unsalted butter
1 med onion, chopped
50g chopped leeks
25g chopped celery
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 ltr chicken or vegetable stock
4 tsp crème fraiche
12 cooked crayfish tails
Salt
Gently cook the onion, leeks and celery in the butter without colour and until soft. Add the potato, stir until coated with the butter, then add the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the watercress and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then liquidise until smooth. Strain through a coarse sieve into a clean pan, reboil, adding a little water if too thick. Season to taste and stir in the crayfish. Serve in warm soup bowls with a scoop of crème fraiche on top.