Best Watercress Pesto Recipes

WATERCRESS PESTO

Steps:

• Place the garlic, walnuts, watercress, Parmesan cheese, and mayonnaise into a food processor or blender. Pulse until a finely chopped paste has formed.

WATERCRESS PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Pulse 5 cups watercress, pine nuts, lemon zest, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add oil and pulse to combine. Season with salt and red-pepper flakes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water; drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and stir in pesto. Add enough reserved pasta water, a small amount at a time, to coat pasta and make a light sauce. Season with salt and top with remaining watercress.

LINGUINE WITH WATERCRESS & ALMOND PESTO

Steps:

• Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the watercress and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and blend for a few secs until finely chopped. Add the grated cheese, half the almonds, the olive oil, lemon juice and sugar. Season well, then blend until you have a smooth purée consistency.
• When the linguine is cooked, drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan and pour over the pesto, using a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Stir everything together and divide between 2 bowls. To serve, top with the shaved cheese and remaining almonds.

NUTTY WATERCRESS PESTO

Steps:

• Pop the watercress, basil, garlic and Brazil nuts into a food processor. Blitz until very finely chopped. Add the remaining pesto ingredients and pulse again until mixed, then season to taste. Will keep, well covered, for 4-5 days in the fridge.

POTATO-WATERCRESS SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• To make the soup, cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins and pass through a ricer. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 8 cups of the watercress and blanch for 5 seconds. Immediately drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Place in a blender with the yogurt and blend until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the milk, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Coarsely chop the remaining 2 cups watercress and stir into the soup. Refrigerate until chilled.
• Meanwhile, to make the pesto, blanch the watercress as above. Drain, squeeze out excess water and coarsely chop with a knife. Place in a blender with the walnuts, garlic, olive oil and salt. Blend until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the jar.
• Taste soup and add more salt if needed. Ladle the soup among 4 bowls. Place 2 teaspoons of the pesto in the center of each bowl and sprinkle the mustard seeds around it. Serve immediately.

GRIDDLED RUMP STEAK WITH WATERCRESS, HAZELNUT & RED CHILLI PESTO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Place the hazelnuts in a baking tray, then toast in the oven for 5-10 mins until golden (you can roast the garlic for the mash at the same time). Leave the nuts to cool a little. Put the cooled nuts, chilli, 50g of the watercress, 1½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic and some seasoning in a food processor, then blitz until finely chopped. The mixture shouldn't be too smooth - there should still be some texture to the nuts. Set aside.
• Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Rub the steaks with a little oil, then season both sides with salt. Cook the steaks on the griddle for 2 mins on each side - this will give you medium rare (cook for 3 mins for medium or 4 mins for well done, if you prefer). Remove from the griddle, then sit on a plate for 5 mins to rest. Stir any juices from the resting steak into the pesto - they're delicious and shouldn't be wasted.
• To serve, divide the Roasted garlic mash (recipe, below) between 2 plates, top with a little watercress, then sit a steak across it. Top the steaks with a large tbsp of the pesto and drizzle the rest of the balsamic over.

WATERCRESS PESTO

Steps:

• Blend Watercress, olive oil, garlic in a blender or food processor. Add Pine nuts, when smooth place in a bowl and add grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt. Add ricotta and stir well

WATERCRESS PESTO WITH WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Put the pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the watercress, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pulse until finely chopped. Add the Pecorino-Romano and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and process until combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the white beans.

PISTACHIO, WATERCRESS AND GOUDA PESTO

Steps:

• Put the pistachios in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the watercress, garlic, red pepper flakes, tarragon and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pulse until finely chopped. Add the Gouda and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and process until combined. Transfer to a bowl.