Watercress. Its not a vegetable that will likely be at the top of anyones grocery shopping list. In fact, it might not even be on the bottom of their list. But thats a shame because this obscure vegetable is actually quite versatile, considering that it makes a starring attraction in sandwiches, salads, and as a lovely garnish for platters. While North Americans may not be rushing out to purchase the deep-green vegetable, watercress is actually quite popular in Europe, particularly in Britain where it is commonly used in sandwiches and in their famous watercress soup.
It was the Europeans, who at the end of the 19th century, introduced this green leaf vegetable to the Chinese, who just cant seem to get enough of what they refer to as the "western water vegetable." The love affair with the Western vegetable has grown to the point that in some areas of the country, rice actually has to compete with watercress for planting space.
A member of the Cruciferae family (mustard family), watercress grows in or around water. Its Latin name, Nasturtium is derived from the words nasus tortus ("a convulsed nose," or "nose twister") because of its tangy taste. Though it originated in the Middle East, the pungent vegetable travelled to ancient Greece, Persia, and Rome, where it was used as a health supplement.
Greek and Persian soldiers were ordered to eat it with the staunch belief that it would keep them in top shape for battle. Soldiers also took it along on their long war campaigns because of its ability to prevent scurvy. Roman men suffering from premature baldness ate it in the belief that it would give them a full head of hair.
The healthy benefits of watercress persisted centuries later in the Britain of the 17th century, where the countrys famous watercress soup was and still is considered to be a good remedy to cleanse the blood and help headaches. And what more respected advertisement could the watercress hope for than a ringing endorsement from non other than Francis Bacon, who advised ageing women (he never mentioned men) to use it in order to restore their youthfulness?
With its unmistakable peppery taste, watercress finds its most popular role in soups of every kind imaginable. Britains trademark watercress soup is quite a simple starter dish to make. Melt butter in a pan, and then add watercress and onion. Fry it for a few minutes until softened. Flour is stirred in and the ingredients are cooked together for a minute. The milk is added and then the stock. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. After covering and simmering for 30 minutes, liquidize. Then add the cream and reheat gently without boiling.
Then there is the delicate and nutritious leek and watercress soup, which relies on vegetable oil, onions, potatoes, stock, chives, salt and pepper to taste, and some Worcestershire sauce, in order to create a zesty soup. Watercress can also be amicably combined in a soup which gets more of a zesty helping with the addition of peppercorns. Mushroom and watercress soup is a more filling soup, which will stave off a large appetite when served with bread. Puree of watercress, mushroom, leek and potato soup is a rich-tasting and filling starter course. The real beauty of this soup is that it can be made several days ahead of time; and when you reheat it, it will taste just as good as fresh.
But for these hot July days, a cold soup is more in line. Chilled watercress, celery and fennel soup will keep you cool during these very humid temperatures.
Speaking of keeping cool, salads are a great way to showcase the peppery taste and wonderful texture of watercress. Watercress, melon and almond salad is quite an eclectic combination of ingredients which end up working quite well together. What about the wonderful colours and textures found in endive, watercress, fennel, red onion and orange salad? No need for vinegar when it comes to this appealing salad the juice of the oranges mingles with a drizzling of vegetable oil to make a light dressing.
Besides taste and versatility, other winning attributes of the watercress includes its high nutritional content. High in iron, and packed with vitamins C and A, its high time this vegetable came out of obscurity (at least for North Americans).