Cooking with Bear: A Story and Recipes from the Forest
IT HAD BEEN a long cold winter in the forest Bear looked out his window and saw bright sun and the snow beginning to melt Spring is late this year he said Bear was cozy inside his den but he wondered about his friends Were they warm Did they have enough to eat I will check on them today he said But first he had some cooking to do
Watercress soup Bear combines fresh watercress and potatoes to make a tasty spring soup 1 tbsp olive oil A large sweet onion roughly chopped about 1 cup 1 clove garlic minced 1 large russet potato peeled and roughly chopped about 1 cup 1 tbsp butter pinch of salt and pepper 1 cups chicken or vegetable stock large bunch of watercress drizzle of cream optional
With an adult's help heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan Add the onions and garlic and fry them stirring often until the onions are soft and golden about 5 to 7 minutes Add the potatoes and butter to the pan Toss the potatoes with the onion mixture and fry for a minute or two until the potatoes are coated with butter Sprinkle with salt and pepper Add the stock and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft Rinse the watercress and shake off the excess water Then remove the large stems and roughly chop the leaves You should be left with about 1 cup of leaves Add them to the soup and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more until the leaves are slightly wilted With an adult's help purée the soup with a hand blender until it is smooth Alternatively use a potato masher being careful to avoid splashing Small pieces of bright green watercress will remain Taste and add salt and pepper as needed Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with a little cream if desired MAKES 2 LARGE BOWLS OR 4 SMALL ONES
