“P otage “ is what the French...

“P otage “ is what the French call a thick, aromatic soup. This one can be served either hot or cold. Best of all, it’s fairly fast to make.

If you’re unfamiliar with watercress, it’s a delicate, peppery member of the mustard family. Not only does it spice up this soup, it’s good in green salad or stir-fried with vegetables.

Buy watercress with thin, tender stems and deep green, crisp leaves. Throw away yellow leaves and thick, woody stems. If not using watercress right away, rinse it in cold water and wrap it in a moist paper towel, then store it in the refrigerator for one to two days. You can also stand the stems in a glass of water, cover the watercress with a plastic bag and refrigerate it.

Serve this soup with crusty French bread or multi-grain rolls.

MENU

Watercress and Leek Potage

French Bread

SHOPPING LIST

French bread or rolls

3 leeks

Fresh tarragon

2 bunches watercress

STAPLES

Butter

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Onion

3 pounds potatoes

4 cans low-fat and low-salt chicken or vegetable stock

GAME PLAN

30 minutes before: Heat stock. Slice leeks. Dice onion and potatoes. Start cooking leek.

20 minutes before: Cook onion and leeks, wash and remove stems from watercress. Add potatoes, watercress, tarragon and stock to onion mixture.

5 minutes before: Drain leek, place soup bowls in oven, puree the soup.

Just before serving: Garnish soup.

Watercress and Leek Potage

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes * Vegetarian

I like to use White Rose potatoes.

4 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-fat, low-salt vegetable or chicken broth

1/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying

3 leeks, white and palest green parts only, cut in half, divided

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 bunches watercress, stemmed

3 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup water

Watercress sprigs, for garnish

Heat the broth in a medium saucepan.

Place the vegetable oil in a small skillet. Thinly slice 1 leek and add it to the skillet. On the lowest heat setting, cook the leek, stirring occasionally, until the leek turns golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the remaining leeks in 1/2-inch pieces. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and leeks and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the hot stock, watercress, potatoes and tarragon. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Puree the soup using a hand-held blender. (This can also be done in batches in a blender. When adding hot mixtures to a blender fill the container 1/3 full, then place the lid on tightly and cover with a kitchen towel so it will not splatter.) If the soup is a little too thick, thin it with some water.

Drain the cooked leek on a paper towel. Ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the frizzled leek and watercress leaves.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 421 calories; 178 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 4.75 grams fiber.