Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Watercress


YKL

Recommended Posts

Have just come back from my mother's and it appears that the watercress is doing rather well this year and so my sister is now looking for new ideas for use of watercress.

At the moment, she tends to use it in soups, and can think of various sauces. I also suggested mixing it with linguine and chilli crab.

But does anyone else have any suggestions? Any help would be gratefully received

cheers

Yin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like richer meats, like duck breast, simply placed on a bed of watercress while hot from the pan. The combination of juices and the wilting makes a delicious green.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

various options from the Watercress Festival :wink:

served raw, it adds a peppery bite to salads and sandwiches (a traditional favourite is with Marmite!). Juicing is another popular way to optimise intake, or you can snack on it straight from the bag.

Watercress combines particularly well with strong flavours such as garlic, chilli, soy, ginger and onion, and here its pungency is mellowed. Conversely with rice, pasta or bread, it is accentuated. The texture is all about crunch, bite and sensation – vital juices burst from the stalk, then the smoother, slightly fleshy leaves release the mustard oil flavour.

Once made a salad using Gala apples, lime juice freshly squeezed, watercress washed trimmed and dried, dried cranberries or dried blueberries, and walnuts chopped and toasted ....

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ooooohh, saute it with some garlic, chili flakes and olive oil. Serve alongside...anything. But it's best with something richer, as oer Malawry!

It's also really good in pasta - sometimes I treat watercress like broccoli rabe, adding it to a sauce with sausage, garlic and oil. Very delicious.

"We had dry martinis; great wing-shaped glasses of perfumed fire, tangy as the early morning air." - Elaine Dundy, The Dud Avocado

Queenie Takes Manhattan

eG Foodblogs: 2006 - 2007

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ooooohh, saute it with some garlic, chili flakes and olive oil.  Serve alongside...anything.  But it's best with something richer, as oer Malawry!

It's also really good in pasta - sometimes I treat watercress like broccoli rabe, adding it to a sauce with sausage, garlic and oil.  Very delicious.

I love watercress, especially when it comes without snails. The A&W variety that is iced not bagged, always has little snails climbing through, eew, gotta wash it!

Things to do: 1. watercress pesto/pistou - yummy on anything

just replace cleaned watercress instead of basil

2. any kind of salad you could think of especially with bleu cheese, walnuts, bacon and sherry vinaigrette (maybe add some endive for color and fun)

3. watercress oil - flavorful and colorful for your plating needs

by the way to negate the bitter flavor a tad add a pinch of sugar

if you have really peppery cress

4. warm potato and watercress salad with cornichons, mustard dressing maybe some hard boiled eggs, toss the watercress in last

5. a bed for any grilled meats or fish

or a great tournedos dish from the last restaurant I worked for:VERT-PRE TOURNEDOS – WATERCRESS SAUCE, STRAW POTATOES,

WILTED WATERCRESS WITH BACON AND BATONS OF SAGE DERBY CHEESE

6. watercress and apple risotto

7. speck (smoked prosciuto type ham), watercress, tomato pizza with truffle oil

Many, many other possibilites, and of course many great soup purees that could be enhance by a puree of watercress. Or puree of potato with watercress and garlic.... endless really.

Cheers

Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards…therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our plate.

A.L.B. Grimod de la Reyniere

'Almanach des gourmands'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ooooh, I just remembered one of my favorite salads, from Alice's Tea Cup on the UWS. It's watercress with roasted shallots and a champagne vinaigrette. It's soooo good - I order it, two scones and a pot of tea every time I go.

"We had dry martinis; great wing-shaped glasses of perfumed fire, tangy as the early morning air." - Elaine Dundy, The Dud Avocado

Queenie Takes Manhattan

eG Foodblogs: 2006 - 2007

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's great in stir-fries; also lightly blanched and dressed with sesame oil & salt as a Korean salad (namul/namool).

Further to that point, if you're in the mood to make kimchi, watercress kimchi is very good.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I make a tasty summer salad of watercress, baby spinach, walnuts and strawberries served with a very thin lemon aioli dressing. Just make a homemade mayonaisse with extra lemon juice, a bit of sugar and a bit of lemon zest and dress the salad. The peppery watercress is a great counterpoint to the sweet berries and lemony dressing.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 16 years later...
12 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Watercress is sold here at literally every vegetable vendor in Chinatown.

 

Any new, brilliant ideas for it?

David Lebovitz has a very nice watercress soup recipe. Also it is great added to other greens for a soup. I like raw cress as a bed for juicy meats. Just plop a whole hot roasted chicken on a thick bed of cress and let it drip so the greens get warm and wilted. Watercress is kind of a pain to clean and stem so it helps to be in a meditative mood, or perhaps I've just gotten less patient with certain tasks. Watercress makes a nice playmate for beets, too. Floating around the internet is a salad associated, I think, with the Zuni restaurant that sounds great when I come across it: cress, beets and walnuts served with mascarpone toasts or some variety thereof. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like an Asian style salad…added bean sprouts, green onion, cilantro, sesame and peanut oil, lime juice, soy sauce, grated ginger, a little sugar and chilies topped with cracked black pepper.  Have not had that in ages since watercress here is usually of poor quality.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...