BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...

Subject: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Bobert
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 06:03 PM

Well, well, well...

Mr. Clifford brought up 2 1/2 pound bag of creasy greens (water cress) yesterday and we rinsed 'um up real good but they are too strong for eatin' uncooked...

He says he par-boils 'um fir 5 minutes, rinses 'um, then cooks 'um down fir about 2 hours, puts vingar on 'um and down the hatch...

Man, there's gotta be somethin' better to do with 'um then treat 'um like mustard greens... I mean, we only get a short season of reash ones so...

...any good recipes out there???

No pig meat, thank you... Don't eat them critters...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Peace
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 06:11 PM

A link to the folks wot knows.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 06:28 PM

Here's a recipe I make in the spring:

Pot roast a chicken with a lemon and an onion in the cavity, with about half a cup of chicken stock in the pot. Take the lid off for the last half hour to brown.

Take your chicken out of the pot to rest, and put the lemony stock into a saucepan. Put in a good dollop of sour cream (creme freche in England)and several good handfuls of raw watercress. Take a mouli and whizz the sauce briefly so you still have leafy flecks, then warm through again without boiling. Season as necessary. Slice your chicken and put it onto plates. Spoon the watercress sauce over your chicken and serve with boiled new potatoes or mash. I also like leeks with it.

Singing "The Watercress Girl" during preparation is optional.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Mrrzy
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 09:24 PM

Sorry, read it as Greasy Greens, and was going to recommend bacon and collards...

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 11:59 PM

Toss a handful into a pot of chicken broth. Very Chinese; very good.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: michaelr
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 01:04 AM

I would not cook watercress for more than 5-8 minutes. After that, use it in salad or as a side veg like spinach.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 09:56 AM

Don't see why a parboiled lot of cress could not be tried for a pesto. If it's good with lemon it's probably good with garlic?

Also P-Vine could add them into her egg gravy after lemon-water toss in the pan and most of lemoon-water cooks off.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: EBarnacle
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 10:04 AM

If you have access to an oriental market, try chopping them and an equal amount of seaweed into pieces about 6 inches long. A quick fry in sesame oil with garlic and tofu tastes just fine.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 11:07 AM

Wysiwyg, I wouldn't par boil for pesto - it will just go slimy, but certainly it should work raw. It will need olive oil, some garlic, maybe some lemon zest, and Nigella Lawson's secret in her rocket (aruglua) pesto: an anchovy or two. just whiz it all together in the food processor. The anchovies can't be tasted in the finished product, but they add a depth and savouriness to the sauce.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Sorcha
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 03:23 PM

Boil for 2 hours? Are we talking about the same kind of water cress? I am familiar with the stuff that actually grows IN running water...has a small 'peppery bite' to it but not overwhelming. It's used on salads and sandwiches raw. Looks sort of like sweet clover.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 06:59 PM

What's a "mouli" Ruth?

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 07:15 PM

it's one of those hand-held liquefying blenders - the kind that you put into your soup or sauce and just whizz.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 07:19 PM

as Sorcha says, it's worth checking we're talking about the same plant. Watercress in England is a bigger, broader-leaved plant. The small, clover-like plant that comes in little plastic punnets in the supermarket is just called cress here.

I have been assuming that Bobert was talking about the former - I'd never even think of cooking the latter.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Peace
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 07:20 PM

"the kind that you put into your soup or sauce and just whizz"

My gawd. Well, it might help the vichyssoise.

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 07:30 PM

LOL!

Subject: RE: BS: Creasy Greens Recipes Needed...
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 31 Mar 08 - 08:19 PM

Heard it's very good for eyesight but too much not so good for liver or kidney (can't remember which)!