Watercress and Eggs

Watercress and eggs are natural partners on the plate and with spring comes lots of fresh watercress and the first eggs from our hens. Vitamins make watercress a super food. A watercress omelette makes a super quick and easy meal.

Our hen advisor, my sister Kerry, told me to grab free pullets on offer in late summer as a start to our hen apprenticeship. They lay petite eggs – a number 5 size at the supermarket.

I’ve always been a fan of eggs more than hens but I have to admit I’m rather fond of our girls …except for when they get into my vegetable garden and uproot freshly planted things after that illusive bug.

I’m so lucky to have an abundant supply of watercress Nasturtium officinale  that I can forage to add a mustardy tang to a salad. It’s from the mustard or Brassicaceae family  of plants and is closely related to rocket, garden cress and radishes.

The pungency or the mustard punch of watercress is best complemented by the addition of something sweet like oranges, apple and pear or something creamy or bland like avocado or potato.

One of my favourite sandwiches is egg and watercress.

This easy watercress omelette is simply delicious.

The ingredients are 2 of my smaller eggs per person with chopped parsley and 2 tbsp of water per egg, salt and pepper. Grate some cheddar cheese or any cheese of your choice.  

The watercress is washed and I couldn’t resist using some stems of wild onion weed, keeping the flower-heads aside for later….but this is not necessary.

Cast iron pans are the best for making good omelettes and while you can make one omelette at a time, I find it’s best to make two at once if cooking for two. Melt butter and then divide the egg mix between the two pans.

Once it starts to bubble push with a fork to assist all the egg to disperse and cook evenly. Once it sets on top pile on the greens and cheese on one half.

Then run a spatula or fish slice around the outside edge of the omelette lifting and sliding under the omelette to gently flip over to cover the filling.

Sometimes it won’t look as perfect as this but it will still taste great.  Once you see the cheese melting and the watercress wilting it’s ready to serve.  I used whole stems so it was a little chewy.  If you have the time just strip the leaves from the stems to avoid this. Sprinkle the wild garlic flowers over the top or garnish as you will.

Watercress is an aquatic or semi aquatic plant so needs plenty of water and can be found near streams or in boggy places.   Be careful when collecting watercress as it will pick up contaminates very easily.  As we do not run animals anywhere near our watercress and the water source has been filtered through natural bush I know our cress is clean and safe to eat raw. If you come across it on land where you don’t know its history or land use, do not collect and eat raw – you could use it if you cook it well first.

Watercress is a very healthy vegetable and gram for gram contains more vitamin C than oranges, four times more beta-carotene and vitamin A than apples, tomatoes and broccoli, more vitamin E than broccoli, more calcium than whole milk and more iron than spinach. It’s this combination and chain reaction of vitamins that makes watercress a super food.
If you cook it then the vitamin C will reduce but the other vitamins will remain.

In the UK a nutritionist did an experiment with women eating a bag of watercress raw a day.  It was the only alteration to their diet and the changes to their skin were noticeable..even wrinkles disappearing.
Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2216852/Eat-way-facelift-Watercress-latest-wonder-food-battle-anti-ageing.html#ixzz4O1W28r3j

I’m not sure I want to consume a bag of watercress daily, but it’s a good food to eat plenty of when in season – spring and autumn. Once it flowers it becomes too strong or bitter to enjoy. Most of the watercress you buy is hydroponically grown and as an aquatic plant is well suited to this method of cultivation.  But for me half the pleasure of watercress is putting on my gumboots and harvesting it myself  from the wet spots in our valleys.