Welcome spring, oh how I've been waiting for you to arrive. I'm craving spring greens like watercress but somehow the salad route is not the way I want to go. It's still pretty gray and cold these days in Paris so I think a warm detox soup is in order. Watercress is apparently a powerhouse veggie, high in many nutirents especially vitamin K and vitamin A—good for the bones and the eyes, and a versatile vegetable that can be steamed, eaten raw as a salad, and liquidized into soup.

Watercress Soup (Soupe au Cresson)

INGREDIENTS//Serves 6

• 40 grams butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 potatoes (small to medium), rough chop
• 1.5 litres of vegetable stock
• 2 bunches watercress, rough chop

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large saucepan, heat up your butter and then toss in the onion, shallot, and garlic. Sauté for about a minute or two.

Add the potatoes and sauté them all together until translucent.

Add 1.5 liters of vegetable broth to the ingredients, cover, and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Rinse the watercress clean. Tear off about a half inch of the ends and rough chop the rest.

Add the watercress. Cook for a few minutes or until the watercress has wilted.

Allow the soup to cool. Using a hand blender, mix until smooth.

Rewarm over low heat before serving. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or a dallop of crème fraîche with some toasted pine nuts.

NOTE

I never ate so much butter until I arrived in France. It's just superior to the American one. Simple as that. No competition. I use butter to sauté my alliums and potatoes in this recipe but you can choose your oil of preference.