Watercress
Tuesday 8th April 2008 by Tom Aikens
 At 26, Tom Aikens was the youngest recipient of two Michelin stars; today he is one of the most exciting chefs working in the UK. In 2003 he opened Tom Aikens Restaurant  and in 2006 Tom’s Kitchen (both in Chelsea).
Tom’s first cookbook, Tom Aikens: Cooking is hugely popular and he is currently working on his second book. Watch this space...
We can sing and cheer because it seems Spring is here, well... for a while at least. I for one am ecstatic at the arrival of the new season; a whole host of new vegetables are arriving to inspire us in the kitchen and it means no more stews or casseroles to slave over for a while!
This fortnight’s Food For Thought: Watercress
Watercress is very adaptable, always available and it’s high in antioxidants
 It goes well with game, meat and fish and, it makes a great soup
Make a delicious summer salad with watercress, shredded radicchio, smoked duck, pickled pears and a mustard vinaigrette
Use it instead of spinach when making quiche or with a white sauce in a baked pasta dish
Use it for colouring and to flavour pasta (extract the chlorophyll by chopping up watercress and mixing it with cold water - bring this to a medium heat to draw the colour out)
Other seasonal ingredients to look out for:
Purple sprouting broccoli
Little gem lettuce
Cockles
Jersey Royal new potatoes
And Tom’s final word this fortnight: take advantage of all the new veg and make some fresh pea soup or try some crushed broad beans with a little olive oil, oregano and some crumbled fresh goats cheese.
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