Antony Worrall Thompson gives his support to watercress

15/01/2007

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson has created three mouth-watering new watercress dishes in celebration of National Watercress Week (13 -19 May).

 

Antony said: “National Watercress Week is a fabulous event celebrating this great British superfood. I am a huge fan of watercress; its distinctive mustardy flavour suits a variety of different dishes from meat, fish and stir fries to soups and salads.”

 

As well as the obvious advantages of its flavour, watercress has nutritional benefits too, being an excellent source of vitamins C, B1, B6, K and E, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc. 

 

So why not try Antony's selection of easy to follow recipies and give your health, as well as your tastebuds, a treat.

 

Thai Grilled Watercress Salmon

 

Preparation: 10 mins plus marinating.

Cooking: 10 mins (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

 

100g watercress, roughly chopped
18 mint leaves
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green chillies, seeds removed
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)
4 x 175g salmon fillets

Watercress Raiita:
200ml Greek yogurt
100g watercress finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

 

1.  Place the watercress, mint, salt, garlic and chillies in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Add the lime juice, caster sugar, ginger and fish sauce, and process to make a paste. Place the salmon in a glass dish or plate, spoon over the paste, and toss until evenly coated. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 20 mins.

2.  Whilst the salmon marinates, mix the yogurt, watercress and garlic together with seasoning to taste. Spoon into a bowl and chill until required.

3.  Cook the salmon on a hot griddle or barbecue for 4-5mins on each side.

 

Serve with the watercress raiita on the side.

 

 

Watercress, Mushroom and Cashew Stir Fry

 

Preparation: 5 mins.

Cooking: 10 mins (serves 4)

 INGREDIENTS

 

1 tbsp vegetable oil
350g mushrooms, quartered
3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cashew nuts
100g watercress, roughly chopped 

 

 

 

 

1.  Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan until almost smoking, add the mushrooms, and cook over a high heat for 3-4 mins.

 

2.  Add the ginger, garlic, spring onions and chilli to the pan and stir fry for a further 2 mins before adding the honey, soy, cashews and watercress. Toss to combine and stir fry for a final 30 seconds to lightly wilt the watercress. 

 

Serve immediately.

 

 

Shepherd’s Pie with Watercress Champ

 

Antony says "This classic shepherd’s pie, voted number three in the nation’s top ten favourites, shows that people like food just like Mum used to cook. It should be made with lamb, hence the reference to shepherds, but traditionally it was normally made with the leftovers of the Sunday joint  - whatever that happened to be. I often serve a variation on the classic using cauliflower cheese instead of mashed potato which is lower in carbohydrate. However, there’s really no comparison for the real thing - just serve a big dollop and enjoy!"

 

Preparation: 15 mins.

Cooking: 1 hr 20 mins (serves 6)

INGREDIENTS

 

1 tbsp vegetable oil
500 g lean minced lamb
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
400g can chopped tomatoes
300ml lamb, beef  or chicken stock
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp anchovy essence (optional)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

For the Mashed Potatoes
700 g/1 1/2 lb floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into chunks
150ml semi-skimmed milk
4 spring onions
50 g unsalted butter (or olive oil based spread for a lower saturated fat option)
1 egg yolk
2 (100g) bags watercress, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
1.  Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160/Gas 4. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan, add the mince and cook over a fairly high heat until evenly browned, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until softened but not browned, stirring occasionally.

 

 

2.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 min. Then stir in the chopped tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, anchovy essence, Worcestershire sauce and a good pinch of pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 mins or until the lamb is tender and sauce thickened and rich. Season to taste.

3.  Whilst the lamb cooks, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 15-20 mins or until tender. Drain the potatoes, then return to the pan and mash until smooth. Cook the spring onions in the milk for 3-4 minutes then tip into the mash with the butter, egg yolk and watercress and stir through with a fork, until it is nice and fluffy. Season to taste.

 

4.  Spoon the lamb mixture into a 1.75 litre pie dish, discarding the bay leaves. Spoon the fluffy watercress mash on top and fluff up with a fork. Bake for 25-30 mins or until bubbling and golden brown. Serve hot with green vegetables.

 

Cook’s tip

If you are running short on time you, after smoothing the hot mash on top of the mince you can brown it under a medium hot grill for 5 mins until crisp