Recipes: Two ways to cook with watercress

Gnocchi alla Trapanese (v)

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

20g toasted pine nuts

1 clove garlic

30g watercress (leaves only)

20g vegetarian parmesan

250g cherry vine tomatoes, halved

50g green beans, trimmed

350g gnocchi

50g rocket

Extra virgin olive oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

1. Bring a deep pan of salted water to the boil.

2. Peel and finely chop the garlic, then add to a bowl along with a pinch of sea salt and mix.

3. Add the pine nuts to a food processor and pulse once or twice, just enough to break them up but not too finely. Add to the bowl with the garlic.

4. Finely chop the watercress leaves and stir into the garlic and pine nuts along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Grate in half of the parmesan then mix and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

5. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pesto, crushing with a spoon to release the tomato juices, and mix thoroughly.

6. Add the green beans to the boiling water for four minutes, then remove from the pan, leaving the water on the heat.

7. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the surface. While the gnocchi cooks, chop the green beans into 3cm lengths and add to the pesto and tomatoes.

8. Drain the gnocchi, reserving about 250ml of the cooking water in a separate jug. Tip the pesto mix and gnocchi back into the warm pan and place over a low heat, stirring and adding a bit of cooking water at a time until everything is heated through and fully mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

9. In clean bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the rocket and toss to cover.

10. To serve, divide the gnocchi between two plates, then scatter over the rocket and grate the remaining parmesan on top. Finish with some freshly ground black pepper.

Rack of lamb with Hasselback potatoes, winter brassicas and red wine sauce

Serves 2

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

1 rack of lamb, French trimmed

300g Charlotte potatoes

50g watercress

50g mixed chard

50g kale

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Knob of butter

For the sauce:

250ml red wine

500ml beef stock

3 shallots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

Knob of butter

Method:

1. Remove rack of lamb from fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow to come up to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper and preheat oven to 190°C.

2. Prepare the kale by removing the stalks then finely slicing. Slice the chard then mix together with the watercress and kale in a bowl.

3. For the potatoes, take a wooden spoon and place each potato in turn into the bowl of the spoon. Slice along the potato horizontally at about 3mm intervals. Place a baking tray on a moderate heat on the hob and add the 50g of butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Heat until sizzling, then place the potatoes into the tray, sliced side down. Carefully put the hot tray into the oven for 40 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway through the cooking time.

4. Meanwhile, sear the rack of lamb in a heavy-based frying pan on a high heat, fat-side first, ensuring that all sides are golden brown. Place the lamb into the oven on a roasting tray and cook for 15 minutes before removing from the oven. Check the cooking of the meat by inserting a metal skewer close to the bone in the centre of the rack, the skewer should feel warm to the touch for pink lamb. If the skewer feels cold, then return the lamb to the oven for a further five minutes before checking again. For well done, cook until the skewer feels hot to the touch. Once the lamb is done to your liking remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least five minutes.

5. To make the sauce, fry the shallots and garlic in the butter until caramelised. Add the red wine, then simmer until reduced to a syrup. Add the beef stock and continue to simmer until the sauce has reached the desired consistency. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return to the heat while you cook the winter vegetables.

6. Finally, heat a knob of butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Toss in the prepared veg with a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until softened.

7. Slice the rested lamb into cutlets and serve with the potatoes, vegetables and a good drizzle of red wine sauce.