Ingredients
For the watercress soup
1 tbsp olive oil
4 spring onions, finely chopped
handful fresh parsley, chopped
150ml/¼ pint hot vegetable stock
bunch watercress, chopped (a tablespoon reserved for garnish)
150ml/¼ pint double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Taleggio crostini
2 tbsp olive oil
3 slices ciabatta bread
75g/2½oz Taleggio cheese, sliced
freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, add the spring onions and sweat for 2 minutes or until softened.
2. Add the fresh parsley, stock and watercress and simmer for five minutes.
3. Add the cream, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer for another minute.
4. Blend with a hand blender until smooth and pour into a bowl.
5. To make the crostini, preheat the grill to high. Rub the olive oil onto the ciabatta bread and top with the Tallegio slices. Season, to taste, with black pepper and place under the grill for 2-3 minutes, until melted and just turning golden-brown.
6. To serve, place the bowl of watercress soup onto a large plate with the crostini placed alongside.
