Wonderful Watercress
Spring is here and with us the start of the UK watercress season.
Watercress contains over 50 vital vitamins and minerals. Gram for gram it provides more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more vitamin E than broccoli and more folate than a banana.
There are countless reasons to eat watercress but most of all it’s the taste! The peppery, crunch of watercress complements any dish be it grilled fish, meat or a vegetarian option.
Here are two delicious recipes to make the most of watercress and it’s health-giving benefits.
Spinach and Watercress Veggie Burgers – Makes 6
Ingredients:
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 125g watercress
- 125g spinach
- 5 slices white bread
- 100g cheddar, grated
- 40g vegetarian parmesan, grated
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- Vegetable oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
- Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and add in the onions with a pinch of salt. Fry gently until cooked through then leave to cool.
- Place the white bread in a food processor and blend until turned into breadcrumbs. Tip into a large bowl. Also, blend the watercress until finely chopped then add into the same bowl. Repeat with the spinach.
- Add in the cooled onion and cheese before mixing together. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
- Add the egg to the other ingredients a little at a time until the mixture comes together. You may not need all of the egg. Add in a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Shape the mixture into 6 burgers then dust all over both sides with flour, tapping off any excess. The burgers can now be kept either chilled for up to 3 days before frying or frozen for up to one month.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat another splash of oil in a frying pan and fry each burger for 2-3 minutes before placing on a baking tray and finishing in the oven for another 8-10 minutes.
- Serve with toasted brioche buns, roasted peppers, and hummus, or with any other topping you prefer.
Sticky Pork Belly Burritos
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 1kg of pork belly, skin on and ribs removed
- 3 tbsp demerara sugar
- 3 tbsp treacle
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- Pinch chilli flakes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp salt
For the 5 bean salad:
- 1 400g tin 5 bean salad
- ½ bunch coriander, chopped
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
- ½ a red onion, finely diced
- Juice of half a lime
- Salt to taste
To serve:
- 6 large tortilla wraps
- 150ml sour cream
- 100g tomato salsa
- 100g grated Cheddar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C and place the pork in a deep roasting tin, skin side up. Combine the remaining pork ingredients in a bowl, then spread all over the meat including on the under-side. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 3 hours or until tender.
- Meanwhile, make the 5 bean salad by draining and rinsing the tinned beans before combining with the other ingredients. Season to taste.
- Once the pork is out of the oven, leave to rest for 30 minutes before slicing thickly. Finish the pork slices by cooking for a minute or so on each side on a preheated barbecue. This will crisp up the skin and give a nice smoky flavour. Alternatively, you can finish by frying on each side in a hot pan. Keep any leftover sauce from the cooking of the meat and drizzle over the pork before serving.
- Serve with the bean salad, wraps, watercress, salsa and sour cream in bowls.
For more information visit www.thewatercresscompany.com
Recipe Photography Laura Jane Thorpe
For more tasty recipes visit: https://aroundsaddleworth.co.uk/category/food-drink/
