Recipe - Puree Of Watercress Mushroom Leek And Potato Soup

1 tablespoon Butter or margarine; or oil
1 md (1" diam) leek; cleaned and
chopped
One half pound Mushrooms; coarsely chopped
1 One half teaspoon Salt; or to taste
3 Potatoes; cut in small
chunks (fistsized
potatoes), peeling optional
4 cup Water
2 lg Garlic cloves
2 bn Fresh watercress; large,
chopped (approx 2 cups
loosely packed)

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS
1% lowfat milk; (1 cup)
OR soy milk; at room
temperature
Freshly ground black pepper;
to taste

OPTIONAL GARNISH
Sour cream; and/or
Red bell pepper; thin strips

1) Melt the butter or heat the oil in a soup pot or a Dutch oven. Add the
leek, mushrooms, and One half teaspoon salt. Saute for about 10 minutes over
medium heat.

2) Add the potatoes and garlic cloves, and pour in the water. Sprinkle in
another One half teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and lower heat
to a simmer until the potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat.

3) Puree the soup in a blender or a food processer (or directly in the pot
with a hand blender). Add the watercress, bitbybit, as you pur‚e, until
it is all incorporated and the soup is smooth. Taste to correct salt.

4) You can serve this hot, at room temperature, or cold. If you're serving
it hot, reheat the soup gently just before serving. stirring in the
optional milk at the end. If you are serving this room temperature or
chilled, add the milk at any time.

5) Top the soup with a grind or two of fresh black pepper, a little sour
cream and thin strips of red bell pepper, if desired, for a nicely finished
look.

TIPS: * This soup is lowfat and possibly vegan (if you use oil and
soymilk). * The vegetable quantities are somewhat flexible, so don't worry
if you don't have exact amounts. Mollie uses 'handfuls."

**Mollie Katzen the author of the Moosewood Cookbook serves up recipes
and cooking tips. http://www.molliekatzen.com/ Updated monthly starting
98Feb.Kitpath McBuster 98Feb McPER SERVING: 67CAL, 2g fat (27% cff).

Notes: Adapted from "Still Life with Menu Cookbook." Serves 6 or more if
you add milk. CookNote: Try this very simple, richtasting puree of
vegetables, which tastes delicious with or without milk added. The
watercress is a spunky presence which gives the soup a peppery edge. Go
ahead and make this several days ahead of time. It keeps and reheats
beautifully.

Recipe by: Mollie Katzen Monthly (Feb98)

Posted to EATLF Digest by KitPATh phannema@wizard.ucr.edu on Feb 18,
1998