This type of stew may not be very popular in your local restaurant or tapas bar, but it was a staple of my mum’s kitchen when we lived in Tenerife. It seems this is well know in their kitchens and for very good reasons.
Watercress or Berros are very nutritious and when you add a chicken liver, it increases its goodness (apart from making it tremendously tasty indeed). Among other things, Watercress stew supports your inmune system and metabolism.
My mum made this dish only when we lived in Tenerife. She said that outside of the Canary Islands it was almost impossible to find watercress so she hardly made it once we moved out to inland Spain. However, I still remember the smell and the taste even though many years went by before I tasted it again.
When I moved to London there were many words I still did not know and many vegetables I did not recognise but when I translated watercress and realised they were berros, I called my mum straight away and I asked her for the recipe. I promise you that when I started eating, this stew brought a tear to my eye and could see myself again as a young child running wild in the streets of Taco.
You can find the step by step video to this recipe here:
Watercress Stew
Ingredients
- 500grs Watercress approx,, chopped
- 100grs pumpkin/butternut squash, chopped
- 100grs carrots, sliced
- 500grs potatoes, roughly diced
- 1 Corn on the Hob
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, whole
- 1 tomato, chopped
- A couple of chicken livers (optional)
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- A few strands of saffron
- A splash of olive oil
- 2ltrs of cold water
- Salt to taste
Directions
-
- Put the water in a pot and bring to the boil.
- Add all the vegetables and liver, salt to taste, saffron, cumin, splash of olive oil and finally, the watercress. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook slowly until all vegetables are soft (about 40 to 50 minutes).
- Take off the heat and blend.
- Serve in a bowl and enjoy!
The Spaniard's Kitchen 
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