This watercress pesto is creamy, peppery and fresh. A very simple and seasonal pasta dish.
Watercress is in season, a lovely fresh peppery leaf that makes a great addition to salads or can be wilted down like spinach. But I fancied trying something a little different with it and I love making pasta with seasonal veg so this seemed like a must try!
Ingredients: (serves 2)
Watercress pesto:
1/4 lemon, juiced
20g walnuts
1/2 garlic clove
80g soft sheep's cheese (or goat's cheese)
50g watercress
20mL EVOO
S&P
Method: (see photos and videos below)
Wash the watercress and pick off the leaves. (Keep the stems and use them as you would spinach in stir fries or omelettes etc.)
Toast the walnuts in a medium hot pan until they are warm and start to give off a pleasant aroma, then put them in the food processor.
Blend the walnuts in the food processor with the cheese, peeled garlic clove and EVOO until they form a paste. Add the watercress leaves, salt & pepper then blend again until smooth. Stir in a bit of lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Cook your pasta shape of choice, gnocchi or butter beans then stir the watercress pesto through with a bit of cooking water until it coats your carb of choice.
Enjoy with an extra drizzle of EVOO on top, bon appétit!
More about this recipe:
I used french Brousse as my cheese but any soft goat or sheep's cheese will work very nicely with the natural pepperiness of watercress.
Watercress is a great source of fibre, antioxidants, iron, calcium, vitamins A, K, C, E, and folate; these all help to support a healthy immune system, eye health, bone health, cell reproduction and heart health.
It's also a source of glucosinolates which have been shown to have protective effects against certain types of cancers.
On top of all this, it's a great addition to the diet to promote a happy lifestyle as it contains:
Folate - not having enough folate increases the chance of feeling depressed.
Vitamin C - involved in converting dopamine to noradrenaline - low amounts of noradrenaline are associated with depression.
Iron and calcium - involved in converting tryptophan to serotonin one of the good mood hormones.
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