Receta Watercress and Buttermilk Vichyssoise: #ProgressiveEats
Move over kale, there’s a new powerhouse in town. Well, it’s actually been around for a long time. In fact, Hippocrates built his first hospital near a natural spring because it was a natural habitat for this green. I’m talking about watercress.
What? The limp, frail little thing found in English tea sandwiches with crusts trimmed off?
Yes. It’s Clark Kent before he ducked into a phone booth to morph into Superman.
Through the centuries, this peppery green was a staple for both the diets of Roman soldiers and of the poor working class in England, and then ebbed out of favor. But it’s seen a recent surge in popularity. Technically it’s in the same cruciferous family of kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and arugula, but packs the highest nutrition punch of all, yes even more than kale, calorie for calorie. It’s great for building bones, fighting cancer, and lowering blood pressure – and 2 cups weighs in at a skinny 7 calories.
So next time you’re at the market, pick some up. Chop and scramble it into some eggs, add it to salads, or sauté in olive oil, salt and pepper, to add to your next batch of brown rice.
Or, make this soup. It’s a great lunch, or a starter soup served in shooter glasses for your next party. Since it’s served chilled, you’ll have plenty of time to whip it up a couple of days before your guests arrive.
Watercress and Buttermilk Vichyssoise: #ProgressiveEats
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: Makes a little more than 4½ cups
2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 cup finely diced sweet onion ½ cup thinly sliced leeks – white and very, very light green parts only 2 cups thinly sliced Yukon potatoes 1 tsp chopped garlic 2 cups vegetarian broth 3 bunches watercress, leaves and stems chopped (about 6 cups, chopped) 1 cup buttermilk 1 ½ tsp kosher salt ½ tsp white pepper 2 Tbsp mascarpone cheese pinch kosher salt ½ tsp lime juice, or to taste
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat - I use my Le Creuset for this. Add the onion and leeks and reduce the heat to medium-low. Put a lid on the pot and cook the onions and leeks until soft - about 15 minutes. At this level of heat, it's more sweating than sautéing - be careful not to brown! Add the potatoes and garlic. Replace the lid to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the broth and watercress, and bring to barely a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, and pour the soup into a blender. I use my Ninja blender for this. Purée the soup and pass through a food mill if desired. The food mill will ensure that any stems remaining are removed. Stir in the buttermilk, salt and pepper. The soup may taste under salted, but when chilled it will be fine. Chill for a few hours or ideally overnight before serving. Whip together the mascarpone cheese, salt and lime juice with a small whisk or fork. Drop a ½ teaspoon dollop of cheese on each soup shooter. 3.2.2925
And it’s time for another Progressive Party at #ProgressiveEats!
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is Soup’s On! and is hosted by Lauren Keating who blogs at Healthy. Delicious. Need some warming up? We can help!
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
And now check out the rest of our party!
Soups On!
Soups
- Lamb and Barley Soup from Healthy Delicious
- Sausage, Pepper and Bean Soup from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Creole Black Eyed Pea Soup from Never Enough Thyme
- Old Fashioned Chicken Soup with Dumplings from Creative Culinary
- Watercress and Buttermilk Vichysoisse from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Pressure Cooker Chorizo Chicken and Kale Soup from Pressure Cooking Today
- Rhode Island Clam Chowder from girlichef
- Salads & Breads
- Quinoa Beet Kale Apple Walnut Goat Cheese Salad from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- Gado Gado – Indonesian Vegetable Salad from Spice Roots
- Buttermilk Herb Rolls from Stetted
- Gluten-Free Corn Muffins with Jalapeno and Cheese from The Heritage Cook
- Dessert
- Berry Soup Dessert Shooters from Miss in the Kitchen
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Tags: buttermilk, featured, watercress