WATER CRESS PICTURE RECIPES

Steps:

• Pulse first 3 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add watercress and next 3 ingredients; process until finely chopped.
• Spread 1 Tbsp. cream cheese mixture onto each bread slice. Top with assorted vegetable slices and herbs in a single layer, pressing lightly. Trim crusts from bread. Cut each bread slice into 4 squares or 2 rectangles.
• Try These Twists:
• Goat Cheese Canapés: Omit watercress and parsley. Reduce cream cheese to 4 oz. Add 1 (4-oz.) goat cheese log, softened, with cream cheese and 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme with salt in Step Top with: candy-cane beets and chives, or sliced squash and salmon caviar.
• Bacon-and-Olive Canapés: Omit salt. Substitute 1/2 cup green olives, chopped, and 6 cooked and crumbled bacon slices for watercress and parsley. Add salt to taste. Top with: sliced grape tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs, or basil leaves, celery, and radishes.

Steps:

• Wash the greens, looking them over for bugs, debris, leaves, or other foreign objects, then dry them well, preferably in a small salad spinner.
• Put a film of water in the bottom of the pot, add the greens—I like to add them until they completely fill the pot--sometimes I add them in batches if I need to feed a lot of people. . Put the lid on the pot, and turn the heat to medium-high and wait a few minutes until the pan gets very hot.
• Take the lid off and using tongs, vigorously stir the greens around in a circular motion for moment or two to distribute the heat, then put the lid back on and cook for another minute or two, and repeat until the greens are wilted.
• Now taste the greens and judge their tenderness, if they need a little more time, continue cooking, and add a splashes of water if needed to keep it juicy. Keep cooking and tasting the greens--young ones will cook fast, mature leaves could take 15 minutes or more.
• When the greens are cooked and taste good to you, turn the heat off. There should be a very small amount of water in the bottom of the pan--drain that off.
• Drizzle a little fat of your choice and salt to taste then, mix very well in a circular motion to distribute everything, taste again, adjust as needed, then serve, with lemon or dashes of vinegar if you like.