Watercress Bisque

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When i was a little girl we used to get watercress fresh from a running creek. It was a real treat. These days i have to buy it at the supermarket, but i still love its delicate flavour. I first tried watercress bisque when i was a member of a 'dining out' club. This is adapted from the recipe provided by the restaurant.

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Steps

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Chop off and discard the lower third of the bunches of watercress.

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Pick through the watercress , discarding any obviously woody stems.

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Chop watercress roughly , and , if desired , reserve some sprigs for garnish.

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Melt butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

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Add potatoes , onions and watercress and stir well until vegetables are well coated in the butter.

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Sprinkle vegetables lightly with salt.

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Reduce heat to very low and cover vegetables with a piece of baking paper , foil or similar , tucking it in at the edges.

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Sweat the vegetables over a very low heat for about 20 minutes , stirring and then re-covering , about half way through.

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Add stock , increase heat and bring to a gentle boil.

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Decrease heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

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Puree in batches in a blender or food processor.

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Return soup to pan and add cream and ground almonds and lemon juice , white pepper and salt to taste.

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Reheat to serve.

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Serve garnished with sprigs of watercress or float a young nasturtium leaf a.

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Ingredients

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watercress, butter, potatoes, onions, salt, vegetable stock, cream, ground almonds, lemon juice, white pepper