Watercress and Pear Soup

Recipe by: Victoria Blashford-Snell, Brigitte Hafner | from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

Cookstr

Course: Hot Appetizer

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by:

For extra flavor, serve this velvety soup with shredded Parmesan cheese

Yield: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6 oz (175g) watercress
3 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1 qt (liter) chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Olive oil, to drizzle

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, trim the watercress and pluck off the leaves. Add the watercress stems to the pot with the pears and stock. Bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the pears are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Reserving a few watercress leaves for garnish, purèe the soup and watercress leaves in a blender. Add the cream and lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning.

4. Serve hot, garnished with watercress leaves.

Variation:

Spinach Soup: Substitute spinach leaves for the watercress and omit the pears. Substitute ¾ cup canned coconut milk for the cream. Serve warm.

Chilled soup: Let cool and chill in the refrigerator. To serve; pour the soup into chilled bowls, top with crushed ice, and drizzle with a little olive oil.