Creamy watercress soup with toasted walnut butter and tamarillo chutney prawns

Watercress is now available in India. It is part of the nasturtium family and has a mild peppery flavour that is delicious. It is most commonly used in salads and soups.

This is a simple yet lovely soup. The peppery soup is complemented by the nuttiness of the butter, which makes for a delicate combination. In addition, I added a few tamarillo chutney prawns for some tartness and protein. Together, the soup was hearty and beautiful. The flavours explode on your palate, and this soup could easily become a meal with a few slices of sourdough bread.

New Vegetarian Classics: Soups is a lovely cookbook that taught me that gourmet soups are delicious. These recipes step out of the ordinary and are loaded with flavours from around the world. I have this old cookbook on my shelf, and I have cooked through most of the recipes at some point, each one a keeper.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil

2 leeks, washed well and sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 carrot

1/2 stalk celery

A pinch of dried thyme   

A pinch of dried marjoram

A pinch of dried sage

8 cups of water

2 sprigs of parsley

1 bay leaf

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

6 cups watercress leaves

Lime juice

For the walnut butter:

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted lightly until aromatic

2 tablespoons white miso (only white miso can be used

4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

Salt, to taste

For the tree tomato chutney:

6 tree tomatoes

1 fresh red chilli

1 onion, finely chopped

Salt, to taste

Shrimp

Method:

Heat the oil in a deep pot. Add the leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes on low heat until soft. Add the potatoes, carrots, garlic, and celery and cook for 5 minutes on low heat until the vegetables are soft. 

Add the thyme, marjoram, and sage and cook for two more minutes. Add the water, parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft. Remove the bay leaf and parsley and discard them. 

To make the butter, blitz the walnuts to a fine powder or butter. Mix in with the miso, Parmesan and butter. Set aside in the fridge. You may also chop the walnuts finely and mix in for butter with more texture instead.

To make the tree tomato chutney: Roast the tree tomatoes over an open flame until they are very well charred and the skin is easy to peel off. Cool completely. When cooled, peel the tree tomatoes. 

Char the red chilli and chop roughly. Char the onions until blackened in spots.

Add the charred tree tomatoes, chillies, onions, and salt to a blender and blitz until it is very smooth. 

Return the chutney to the same frying pan and add the shrimp. Cook until the chutney coats the shrimp, and they are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Set aside. 

Strip the thick stems off the watercress and chop roughly. Add the chopped watercress to the soup and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until the leaves are cooked but still bright green. Cool the soup and purée in a food processor until very smooth. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. 

Serve hot with a dollop of herb butter and a dollop of the tree chutney prawns.