As far as vegetables and herbs go watercress hasn't really ever been on my radar. I grew it on my parents' kitchen windowsill as a kid (didn't we all?) but I can't say I've given it much thought over the years (I'm foodie, so I think of food a lot - more than most people would).
Apparently, though, watercress is extremely healthy for you. According to Love Watercress, the benefits of eating watercress include:
- Helps stop and slows skin ageing
- Helps Lower Blood Pressure
- Helps fight Breast and Colon cancer
- Improves Eye health
Love Watercress is a website set up by The Watercress Company who grow and sell watercress from their farm in Dorset. Their customers include restaurants, caterers, individuals and the NHS. Recently they got in contact to offer me a few bunches on them and try out the recipes on their website. Here's how I got on.
Red Onion Tart with Watercress Pesto
I love a simple tart recipe, where the tart is just puff pastry with ingredients on top. Looks a lot more impressive than it actually is. This red onion tart was just as lovely as any others I've tried, and the pesto was my favourite use of the watercress.
Black bean & watercress burgers
This was the most labour intensive recipe out of the three I chose, still very lovely though. You don't really taste the watercress as much with this one; it was the spice from the chillis that my taste buds were picking up on!
Pasta primavera
This was the only recipe I wasn't as keen on - only because the overall flavour was just a little bit too sharp for my liking. Between the fennel, the lemon and the parsley it was maybe just a tiny bit too much for me.
Watercress Jacket sweet potatoes
This was such a beautiful combination of flavours. There were chickpeas roasted in paprika, tahini and soya yoghurt in the sauce and watercress sprinkled amongst it. Having cress delivered to your door is a really great idea if you have a lot of mouths to feed. Admittedly as a single person, I had to really rush to get through it all without waste. You're also given instructions on how to store it so that it can last as long as possible. You can have a look on their website for where you can order your own bunches from.
What's your favourite recipe to use cress in?