Cook with Sorrel

Sorrel is a green herb that has a tart flavor and can be used to add more complex tastes to various dishes. Because sorrel has such a unique taste, it's important that you pair it with complimentary flavors. Sorrel can be used as a garnish or replacement for other herbs and is a good ingredient in sauces and soups. If you use sorrel in the right dishes and combine it with the right ingredients, it can help elevate your cooking and add a robust and unique flavor to your foods.

Ingredients

Sorrel Sauce

• 3 tablespoons (44.36 ml) of butter
• 2 cups (50 g) of fresh sorrel leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup (5 g) of chervil
• 1/2 cup (15 g) of chives
• 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) of heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

Sorrel Soup

• 4 tablespoons (59.14) of unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (75 g) of chopped green onions
• 4-6 cups (532 g - 798 g) of sorrel, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 quart (946.35 ml) of vegetable stock
• 1/2 (118.29 ml) cup cream
• 2 egg yolks
• Olive oil
• Salt

Steps

Cleaning and Preparing the Sorrel

1. Immerse the sorrel in warm water. Wash the sediment and dirt from your sorrel by immersing it in a tub of water. Run your fingers across the leaves to wash them before removing them from the water.
2. Pat the sorrel dry with paper towels. Press down on the sorrel with paper towels and try to absorb as much moisture as you can.
3. Fold the sorrel in half. Folding the sorrel in half makes it easier for you to cut both sides of the stem.
4. Cut the stem out of the bottom of each leaf. With the sorrel leaf folded, make an angled cut to take off the hard stem of the sorrel. The cut should run about two-thirds up the stem of each leaf.
5. Store sorrel in the refrigerator. If you plan on preserving your sorrel for later use, wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in your refrigerator. Sorrel will become soggy very quickly and will wilt in a day or two. Wrapping them with a damp paper towel will slow the speed at which the leaves turn brown and wilt.

Making a Sorrel Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Place the pan on the stovetop and turn it on to medium-high. Take 3 tablespoons (44.36 ml) of butter and place it in the hot pan. Mix the melting butter with a fork or spoon until it liquefies. Turn the heat down to medium once it's melted.
   • If the butter starts turning a dark brown, you are burning it.
2. Add sorrel, chervil, and chives to the melted butter. Add 2 cups (50 g) of fresh sorrel leaves, 1/4 cup (5 g) of chervil, and 1/2 cup (15 g) of chives to the melted butter and allow the sorrel to wilt. This should take approximately two minutes.
   • You can replace chervil with fresh parsley.
3. Mix in heavy cream. Pour 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) of heavy cream over the wilted sorrel leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce it to a simmer for about five minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve with fish. Remove the pan from the heat and taste it with a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. This sorrel sauce tastes best over fish like salmon, halibut, cod, and sole.

Making Sorrel Soup

1. Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Pour your vegetable stock into a deep pot and turn the stovetop to high. Once your stock starts boiling, reduce the temperature to medium to bring your stock to a simmer.
   • You can also use chicken stock.
2. Brown the onions with olive oil in another pan. Pour a teaspoon of oil in another pan and turn your stovetop to high until it starts to smoke slightly. Reduce the heat to medium and start cooking your chopped onions. Stir the pan until the onions become translucent.
3. Add the sorrel and onions to the stock. Add your chopped sorrel to the stock along with your cooked onions. Mix the sorrel and the onions into the stock for five minutes, uncovered.
   • You can add more sorrel to your stock if you want your soup to taste stronger.
4. Whisk the egg yolks and cream in a separate bowl. Combine the 1/2 (118.29 ml) cup cream with the two egg yolks and mix them together until everything is well incorporated. You must do this separately before you add it to your broth.
5. Pour the egg and cream mixture into your stock. Use a ladle to trickle the cream and egg mixture into your broth. Continue to ladle the mixture into your soup until you've transferred it all.
6. Reduce the temperature to low and cook the soup for five minutes. Do not cook the broth on high heat while you add your eggs or they will become scrambled. Stir the soup as it heats up. Allow the soup to continue cooking for five more minutes before serving it.
   • This sorrel soup can also be enjoyed with a dollop of sour cream.

Putting Sorrel in Other Dishes

1. Replace spinach, chard, or arugula with sorrel. If you are cooking a recipe that calls for spinach or chard, you can use sorrel as a replacement. Consider the bitterness of sorrel and decide how it will alter the dish you are planning on making.
2. Accent dishes with a sprig of sorrel. The bitter and unique taste of sorrel can be appreciated as a garnish for many different dishes like mashed potatoes, rice, lentils, eggs, and cheese. Try replacing a garnish like parsley with sorrel and see if you enjoy the taste.
3. Add sorrel to your salad. The bitter taste of sorrel tastes great in different kinds of salads. Be careful not to add too many leaves, or it could overpower the taste of your salad and make it too bitter. Use traditional greens like iceberg lettuce, spinach, and romaine lettuce to build the base of your salad and then add some sorrel leaves to it to enhance the flavor.

Sources and Citations

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