The 15-minute soup with ‘healthiest vegetables in the world’ that is perfect for winter
AN UNDERREGARDED superfood is being hailed as the healthiest vegetable on the planet – and it makes for the “tastiest” soup.
You’d be forgiven for assuming that kale or spinach would be at the top of the list of number one vegetables.
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But it’s actually the humble, nutrient-packed watercress that has received the highest praise from agricultural and nutrition experts.
The Center for Diseases and Control (CDC) assigns nutrient density scores to foods based on their concentration of essential vitamins and minerals.
And the only vegetable with a perfect score of 100 is watercress, making it the healthiest vegetable in the world, according to researchers. Delicious.
The superfood is low-calorie, fat-free and packed with vitamins and minerals.
To introduce watercress into your diet, TV Chef Raymond Blanc recommends a simple soup that is a “bowl of health” on a winter day.
The best part? It takes less than 15 minutes to make, from preparation to cooking.
In his BBC show Kitchen Secrets, Raymond says: “I love watercress. I use it in many ways, not just as meaningless garnishes, but also in my food, whether it’s herb puree or soup. There are so many wonderful ways to use it.
“It’s a very strong flavor packed with masterful flavors and pepperiness, it’s absolutely delicious.
“Watercress should have a much greater place in our country [kitchen] then just a garnish.”
For the watercress soup, melt some butter in a pan and cook half a chopped onion and a clove of garlic for three minutes.
Then increase the heat and add 300 g of watercress, together with a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 seconds.
Then add about 100g spinach and cook for a further two minutes, or until wilted.
Then add 500 ml of boiling water and let it boil for three minutes.
Raymond then calls his next step his ‘little secret’ to get the most flavor out of the vegetables.
He says, ‘I’m going to stop cooking [process] with ice. That’s a little secret, so you preserve the taste, colors, texture and nutrients.”
For this recipe, 500 g of ice is sufficient to retain the vitamins, minerals and flavor.
The healthiest fruits and vegetables you can eat
According to the Center for Diseases and Control, the following are the healthiest fruits and vegetables you can eat.
This is based on nutrient density scores that assess the vitamin and mineral content of each food, on a scale of up to 100 points.
VEG
- Watercress, 100
- Chinese cabbage, 91.99
- Chard, 89.27
- Beet green, 87.08
- Spinach, 86.43
FRUIT
- Red pepper, 41.26
- Pumpkin, 33.83
- Tomato, 20.37
- Lemon, 18.72
- Strawberry, 17.59
At the bottom of the vegetable list was sweet potato, with a score of only 10.51. For fruit, it was grapefruit, which scored 10.47.
Finally, puree the soup in a blender until smooth and simmer until piping hot again.
Before serving, add a dash of crème fraîche and salt and pepper to taste.
Raymond concludes: “If you want to make it really simple, just remove the spinach, onion and garlic. Just take water and watercress and I guarantee it will still be delicious.
“It’s a bowl of health. The most delicious soup.”
