Stilton And Watercress Soup Recipes

CREAMY STILTON SOUP

Creamy Stilton Soup image

Here is a rich and satisfying cheese soup. Stilton cheese is the great English blue-veined cheese that ages to ivory-pale gold perfection.

Provided by By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups crumbled Stilton cheese (6 oz)
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Steps:

Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and bay leaf in butter about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion and carrot are tender.
Stir in flour and white pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and half-and half. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.
Stir in cheese. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, just until cheese is melted. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle parsley over soup.

WATERCRESS SOUP

Watercress Soup image

For more delicious recipes visit www.watercress.co.uk

Provided by mustardcomms

Time 15m

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

15ml/1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small stick celery
350g/12oz potato, peeled and diced
600ml/1pt chicken or vegetable stock
3 (85g) bags watercress
150ml/1/4pt milk
pinch of nutmeg
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and celery and sauté over a medium heat for 5 mins until pale golden. Stir in the potato and stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 10 mins or until the potato is tender.
2. Stir in the watercress, cover and cook for a further 5 mins or until the watercress is wilted. Transfer the soup to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Return the soup to the rinsed out pan add the milk, nutmeg, lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Gently reheat until piping hot and serve with crusty bread.

CELERY AND STILTON SOUP

Celery and Stilton Soup image

This will seem like a fancy soup without a lot of effort. Stilton cheese is really rich and creamy, and gives the soup a wonderful flavor.

Provided by Sarah Lai

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Cream Soup Recipes

Time 1h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

2 sticks butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups chopped celery
4 ¼ cups water
3 ¾ ounces Stilton cheese, crumbed and divided
4 sprigs watercress, for garnish
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch salt, or as desired

Steps:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
Add the celery and the water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until celery is soft.
Add 2 1/2 ounces of the Stilton cheese to the soup and mix well. Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor and transfer it to a clean pot. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Stilton can be very salty, so beware!
Pour into individual bowls, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and garnish with the watercress.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 518.4 calories, Carbohydrate 4.7 g, Cholesterol 141.7 mg, Fat 53.7 g, Fiber 1.1 g, Protein 6.8 g, SaturatedFat 34.1 g, Sodium 777.6 mg, Sugar 2.1 g

WATERCRESS AND STILTON SOUP RECIPE

Watercress and Stilton soup Recipe image

Back before mesclun started to seem as everyday as iceberg lettuce, watercress was in my salad spinner about as often as Grey Poupon was in my vinaigrette. The little green leaves had the peppery kick of then-exotic arugula but were as affordable, accessible and dependable as supermarket mustard.And that made them too easy to give up once every store outside of 7-Eleven started carrying carloads of equally pungent leaves that not only needed no washing, trimming or even dressing, but also brought home a lot more snob appeal for a little more money.This spring, though, watercress is looking tempting again. Partly it's because I've been remembering eating it wild as a kid in Arizona, where it grew like a weed along the Verde River once the weather warmed up in the mountains. But I also started thinking that there had to be more to toss into a salad bowl than a bunch of greens I could get in any restaurant anywhere. What trend-conscious chef, after all, even prints the word "watercress" on a menu anymore?When I went looking, watercress was stowed just where it always was, leaves-down in a bin of water in the herb-and-greens section of my neighborhood stores.The price was still below reasonable (99 cents for a bunch big enough to make a salad for two or more), and the quality was still way above the state of the romaine and red leaf lettuce wilting nearby like mesclun's poor relations.The care and handling also were easier than I remembered: The leaves just had to be pulled off their tough stems and dunked in cold water a few times, then spun dry. Unlike big, floppy lettuce leaves, watercress doesn't retain water, so it's ready to dress fast.Once I started playing around, the salad potential seemed unlimited. Because of its pungency, watercress goes with many good things in the buttery category -- avocado, cheese, smoked salmon, sauteed shiitakes and barely boiled eggs -- and many more in the spicy-sweet-crunchy division: sliced chorizo, roasted peppers, pears and apples, and toasted nuts, from almonds to walnuts.Because the leaves are so aggressive, the dressing doesn't have to be as submissive as usual. A combination of soy sauce and lemon is an even better starting point than true Dijon mustard, and a nut oil, such as hazelnut, walnut or almond, smooths out the flavor even more.The superiority of watercress over mesclun was most clear once I started cooking it. Throw the high-priced greens into a soup pot, and you don't want to watch what happens. But if you add sturdy watercress to stock simmering with leeks and potatoes, you're not just halfway to a French classic (potage a la cressoniere) but far down the road to a sophisticated soup with Stilton and pecans. The leaves wilt just enough to mellow their bite without losing their gorgeous green color.Watercress also can be stir-fried, or pureed with butter or cream and a good companion vegetable such as potatoes or peas to make a side dish. Finely chopped leaves are good in eggs: scrambled or deviled or in a salad for sandwiches. And if you use enough of it, watercress can substitute for sorrel in the classic cream sauce of springtime, for salmon or veal.The flavor is most potent raw, which makes watercress better than wimpy spinach in a dip made with whipped cream cheese, creme fraiche or sour cream. Just mince the leaves from a small bunch and mix them into about a cup and a half of whatever "cream" you choose, then add a little salt and hot sauce if you like. A couple of strips of smoky bacon, fried crisp and crumbled fine, or some finely chopped prosciutto also can be mixed in. You can dunk chips into this or spread it on crackers or toasted rounds of baguette as canapes.Now that I've gotten reacquainted with standard-issue watercress, I've noticed cute little leaves with a distinctive taste seem to be popping up as a garnish on more and more dainty but elaborate appetizers in ambitious restaurants. When I ask, the waiters always say they're cress, different varieties with a similar flavor that are newish entries in the field of microgreens.And that means this symbol of spring may not be able to hang on to its status as the overlooked green. At the top of the food chain, the opposite of super-sizing always seems to reverse a vegetable's fortunes.

Provided by Regina Schrambling

Categories VEGETARIAN, SOUPS, APPETIZERS

Time 1h

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium leeks, white parts only, washed well and thinly sliced
Coarse salt
Freshly ground white pepper
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 baking potatoes, peeled, quartered
2 bunches watercress, washed, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped
1 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
2-3 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled
A few sprigs watercress
Chopped toasted pecans, for garnish

Steps:

Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, 8 minutes. Add the stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the watercress and cook until wilted but bright green, 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully transfer to a blender or food processor in batches and puree until smooth. Strain through a coarse sieve into a clean saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
Stir in half-and-half and cheese until the cheese is melted. Adjust the seasoning. Garnish with sprigs of watercress and pecans.