Watercress and kumara soup with crème fraîche
This soup is a beauty! It’s simple, delicious and wonderfully green (so you know you’re slurping down a bowl of something truly nourishing).
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 500 g kumara peeled and cut into 1.5cm dice
- 1 l chicken stock*
- 350 g watercress chopped, plus extra whole watercress to garnish
- ¼ cup crème fraîche to serve
- edible flowers to garnish optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Cook onions with a pinch of salt for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add garlic and kumara and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add stock and bring to simmer. Cook until kumara is soft (about 10 minutes).
- While vegetables and stock are simmering, blanch the watercress (this will help to retain its vibrant green colour). To do this, fill a large bowl with a tray or two of ice cubes and top with cold water. Place watercress in a heatproof bowl or pot and pour over a kettle of boiling water. Leave to sit for 1 minute then drain well and immediately place in the icy cold water. When cooled completely, drain the watercress and add to the pot of kumara. Turn off the heat.
- Use a blender or stick blender to blend the soup until completely smooth. Season to taste with more salt (if needed) and a little freshly ground black pepper. Scoop out about ¼ cup soup and mix with crème fraîche to loosen.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with crème fraîche mixture. Garnish with some more fresh watercress and edible flowers if you like.
- *Check label if eating gluten free.
Notes
If you’ve never tried watercress before, this recipe is your chance. It’s got a great peppery flavour that’s so good with the sweetness of the kumara.
Watercress comes from the brassica family, so kale, broccoli and rocket are its cousins. It’s packed with vitamin C, calcium, iron and folate – talk about delicious AND nutritious!
This soup is ready in just 30 minutes, so it’s perfect on cooler days when you’re craving something comforting in a snap.
Serve with my buttery Garlic and Herb Bread (just switch to gluten-free bread if you’ve got an intolerance).
This recipe is from the August/September issue of NADIA magazine.
Photography by: Todd Eyre.