sorrel
Summer is here and with it comes lots of amazing fresh herbs. Last summer I purchased some freshly grown sorrel from the Home Ranch’s farm stand. I wasn’t sure what I would do with it but it was exciting to buy something new and different. I can’t wait to get my hands on some sorrel again! Here is what I learnt about sorrel and a couple of recipes to try.
Well, you may be surprised to learn that it comes from the same family as rhubarb and buckwheat. It has a lemony tang and as you can see from the photo, sorrel comes in a couple of different varieties (broad leaf, red veined and French). Sorrel appears in the spring and stays until late fall although it gets progressively more bitter through the seasons. The young leaves are a lot more tender and don’t hold up well in cooking so they are best mixed into a salad or used as a garnish. The larger leaves can be blanched (which removes their bitterness) or just wilted in a pan. Sorrel can be used in sauces and purees and is a great addition when you want a lemony tang to your meal.
Not only does sorrel taste good, but it’s also good for you. It is loaded with vitamin A and C, both of which are great for your immune system. In addition, it’s high in potassium which helps lower blood pressure and increase blood circulation. Sorrel does contain oxalic acid (like kale and spinach) so if you have arthritis or kidney stones you should avoid eating it in large quantities as it will aggravate these conditions.
How to Cook Sorrel
This leaf is easy to prepare: just wash it well and remove any tough stalks. Then shred the leaves by rolling them up and then slicing them across thinly. Melt a little butter in a pan or add some olive oil and then add the sorrel to a hot pan. The sorrel will wilt pretty much immediately (just like spinach). It will also lose its bright green color and turns a dark brownish-green. Don’t be put off! It will still taste delicious. If you want to make a rich and creamy sauce, add a little cream or creme fraiche to the pan. This would be a great accompaniment to fish.
Sorrel Salsa Verde
I made this salsa the other day and loved it! I ended up eating it on everything from eggs in the morning for breakfast to new potatoes for dinner. The recipe comes from Bon Appetit and they served it with lamb chops.
⅔ cup sorrel or spinach leaves
⅓ cup mint leaves
⅓ cup parsley leaves
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 glove garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
Meanwhile, purée sorrel, mint, parsley, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, about 1 garlic clove, and ⅓ cup oil in a blender, scraping down sides as needed, until mixture is smooth. Season salsa verde with salt and pepper; set aside.
Lentil and Sorrel Soup
I can’t wait to buy some more sorrel and make this soup by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Starchy red lentils make a nice foil to the sorrel in this lovely soup. Serves two.
25g butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 stem celery, sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
75g red lentils
500ml vegetable stock (or chicken stock, if you like)
75-100g sorrel, coarse stems removed, leaves roughly shredded
1 tbsp double cream (heavy whipping cream), plus a little extra to serve
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt half the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add the onion, celery and carrot, cover and sweat gently, stirring from time to time, for about eight minutes, until the vegetables are slightly softened but not coloured.
Stir in the lentils and stock, bring up to a simmer and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, until both the vegetables and lentils are soft.
Ladle the soup into a blender along with the raw sorrel, the remaining butter and the cream. Blend until smooth, adding a splash more stock or water if you feel the soup is too thick.
Reheat gently, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, and serve in warmed bowls with an extra little swirl of cream on top.