Watercress Soup ("Brunnenkresse Suppe")

This is my first official "food" post and I would like to dedicate it to my dear friend T. who helped me through my college time and inspried me to start a food blog. Her delicious wedding feast had two dishes, that I had not eaten before and that left a huge impression: veal saltimbocca (veal topped with proscuitto and a sage leaf) and a watercress soup. 

Here is my take on recreating the watercress soup. This is an amazing light soup, especially good for the summer that is hopefully coming soon.

INGREDIENTS (for about 2-3 servings):

• 1 tablespoon butter/margarine
• 1 small onion
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 potato
• 1 cup white wine (brut = a dry wine, citrus is good, no vanilla/ almond/ chocolate flavor)
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable stock (best made with Knorr or Maggi instant vegetable bouillon)
• 1 package/ bunch watercress
• 100 g Creme fraiche
• Salt, Pepper, Paprika to taste
• Chives or watercress leaves as garnish

Croutons:

• 3-4 slices of toast bread, cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon butter/margerine
• 1 garlic clove
• herbs de provence, paprika or other spices

PREPARATION:

1. Heat the butter/margarine. Peel the onion and potato and cut in cubes. Here I got the chance to try out my new Onion chopper and it works great, especially good for working out some aggressive tendencies :) When the butter/margarine is hot, add the onion and cook till soft and translucent. Add salt and 1 tablespoon of flour, stir immediately. Now add the potatoes, cook with the onions for 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to burn onions, stir. Flour and potatos will thicken the soup later.

2. Boil 1 1/2 cup of water in a separate pot and stir in the instant KNORR vegetable bouillon (instead you can also use the ready to use vegetable stock). Add the bouillon and white wine to the onion/potato mix. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft.

3. Prepare the croutons: Heat the butter/margerine in a frying pan on low heat and add the cut toast bread cubes. Add the pressed (or finely chopped) garlic and stir the bread cubes. Spice with either herbs de provence or paprika. Roast the bread cubes on low heat till they are crunchy and golden brown.

4. In the meantime, remove long stems from watercress and chop (not too finely). Keep some of the watercress leaves for garnish (instead you can also use chives for garnish). When potatoes are soft, add creme fraiche and stir. Use creme fraiche as it will not separate with heat. If you use sour cream or heavy cream instead, make sure that the soup is not boiling anymore. Now puree soup until blended (in blender or with immersion blender).

5. Add salt, pepper, red pepper and/or parika to taste. Fill in warmed soup bowls and garnish with watercress leaves (or chives). Serve with croutons.

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