Mcgrath Farms Watercress Soup With Gentlemans Relish Toast Food

WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic, cook until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in potato and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 1 minute.
• Add stock and 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in watercress. Return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among soup bowls and squeeze a lemon wedge into each bowl. Serve immediately.

WATERCRESS AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potato, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the potatoes are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Stir in the watercress and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme and let cool at least 5 minutes. Carefully puree until smooth with a handheld immersion blender or in 2 to 3 batches in a blender (do not fill the blender more than halfway full per batch).
• Stir in the cream and reheat the soup if necessary, adjusting the consistency and seasoning with additional water, salt and pepper.
• Serve hot sprinkled with almonds and chives.

MCGRATH FARMS' WATERCRESS SOUP WITH GENTLEMAN'S RELISH TOAST

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the sliced onion, leeks, carrot, and celery. Stir to coat with the butter, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and some pepper. Cook 5 minutes and add the chile, thyme, and parsley sprigs. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are just starting to caramelize.
• Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer 30 minutes. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables, and set the stock aside.
• Return the pot to medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the diced onions, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and a healthy grind of pepper. Cook the onions about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they're translucent and tender. Add the vegetable stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil.
• You will need to purée the soup in batches. Place 2 1/2 cups of the watercress, 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon in the blender. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of the hot stock over the greens. Cover tightly, and carefully start the blender at the lowest possible speed. When the mixture is puréed, add another cup of stock and turn the blender up to high. Add more stock, until the soup is a little thicker than heavy cream. Run the blender at high for 1 minute to ensure the soup is very smooth and creamy. With the motor running, pour in 1/2 cup of cream and taste for seasoning. Add a little squeeze of lemon juice if you like. At this point, the soup's consistency should be that of heavy cream.
• Set the first batch of soup aside, and repeat the process with the remaining watercress, herbs, stock, and cream.
• Pour the hot soup into a large tureen or soup bowl and pass the toasts on the side, so they remain crunchy. Tell your guests to float the toasts in their soup.
• Gentleman's relish on toasts
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Cut the baguette on the diagonal into twelve 1/4-inch-thick slices. (You may have leftover bread.) Brush both sides of each slice generously with olive oil, about 1/4 cup in all. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crispy but still tender in the center. Let cool.
• Combine the butter, anchovy, shallot, lemon juice, zest, cayenne pepper, parsley, and chives in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When the toasts have cooled, spread them with gentleman's relish.

WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Remove the leaves from one bunch of watercress and set them aside. Discard the watercress stems.
• Make sure the leeks are in small dice that will cook up quickly.
• Place butter, leeks and chicken broth in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 4-5 minutes.
• Add zucchini, cook several minutes more, until zucchini is just tender.
• Add salt and pepper, stir.
• Add watercress and reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute until watercress wilts.
• Remove from heat and purée in a blender.
• Correct seasoning.
• Just before serving, stir in optional cream OR optional virgin coconut oil.
• Serve hot, warm or cold.
• NOTE 1: Because the traditional French soup is pale green, Richard Grausman used peeled zucchini to create a paler shade of green. You could leave the zucchini unpeeled, thereby giving the soup a darker green color.
• NOTE 2: I am now using almond milk successfully instead of cream. Try Almond Breeze original unsweetened.
• NOTE 3: See my description for making this soup Weight Watcher friendly.