This dish would work well as either a salad or a side dish, but I served it as a hot first course salad. Based on a dish of Laura Calder's, it seized the opportunity to work with fresh natural watercress, a virtually unheard-of item in these here parts, and some lovely local sunchokes (a tuber also known as Jerusalem artichokes). Very simple, very delicious.
For two:
One or two bunches of watercress, depending on size (it took two of what I bought here, but I would not have needed more than one of the watercress we bought in Hawaii last August)
1/2 a large tomato, finely diced
4 fat coins of ginger, minced
2 large sunchokes, peeled and julienned
2 cloves garlic
oil
vinegar
salt
2 fat pinches of sugar
pepper
Sunchoke pickle: Place the prepared sunchokes in a small bowl with a teaspoon each vinegar and olive oil, also salt to taste and one healthy pinch of sugar and 1/4th of the ginger. Set aside.
Wilted cress: Add some oil to a skillet and when hot, add the ginger and garlic. Saute to wilt, then add tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and the other fat pinch of sugar. When the tomatoes break down, about 3-4 minutes, add the watercress and toss until the cress wilts, about 5 minutes. Pile in the center of two plates; top with sunchoke pickle.