Potato Watercress Soup With Pesto Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Coarsely chop watercress leaves and stems seperately. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Mix in onion, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, garlic, bay leaf, and watercress stems. Cover; cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally; about 12 minutes. Add broth and potatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Discard parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Purée soup in processor until smooth. Return soup to same saucepan. Add 1 cup milk and watercress leaves; bring to simmer, adding more milk if soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Chill until cold, about 4 hours.

Steps:

• To make the soup, cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins and pass through a ricer. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 8 cups of the watercress and blanch for 5 seconds. Immediately drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Place in a blender with the yogurt and blend until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the milk, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Coarsely chop the remaining 2 cups watercress and stir into the soup. Refrigerate until chilled.
• Meanwhile, to make the pesto, blanch the watercress as above. Drain, squeeze out excess water and coarsely chop with a knife. Place in a blender with the walnuts, garlic, olive oil and salt. Blend until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the jar.
• Taste soup and add more salt if needed. Ladle the soup among 4 bowls. Place 2 teaspoons of the pesto in the center of each bowl and sprinkle the mustard seeds around it. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add potatoes and onions. Stir until coated with butter, about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 minute. Add 2 3/4 cups broth and milk. Cover pan. Boil gently until potatoes and onions are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to pan. Add 1 3/4 cups watercress. Bring back to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth, if desired.
• Lade soup into bowls. Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup watercress.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add potatoes, watercress and onion to the pot.
• Cook, stirring about 5 minutes until onion is tender. Stir in the broth, half and half cream, pepper and celery seed.
• Cover and cook over low heat, 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Using an immersion blender, blend soup until pureed to desired consistency. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Serve garnished with watercress sprigs.