Hi this is Tammy Proctor, and as we continue our theme of “spicy” this season, I want to talk about
another spice – this one is an herb and a vegetable. Some might say that doesn’t count as a spice, but
according to the French culinary encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique, spices originally could be seen
as sweet or savory, and the category included powders, seeds, leaves, liquids, etc.
Spices were cooking flavorings – broadly defined. Over time, the categories changed, and some of these
flavors disappeared. Others got redefined as something else – who today thinks of milk as a spice?
So with that little historical introduction, let me move to the spice I want to discuss today, something
that is used widely in French cooking: sorrel. Sorrel is a green leafy herb that looks like a number of
other greens. It originated in northern climates, northern Asia and Europe, and it is a healthy food
because it is high in vitamin C and potassium, for instance.
Sorrel is a bit of an acquired taste as it can be a little bitter or some people call it tart, and while some
people eat it in salads when it is young and tender, I vote for the cooked variety as its better form.
Sorrel grows well in Utah, and if you plant it, it will be ready to cook by late spring/early summer
(unless we have a late snow). Another reason why you might want to add it to your garden here in the
intermountain west is that it is drought-resistant and hard to kill. So, keep that in mind if you plant it –
the sorrel will be here to stay!
If you’ve traveled to France or been to a nice French restaurant, there’s a good chance you’ve tasted
sorrel. It is often used in sauces to drizzle over fish or chicken, and it sometimes comes as a purée or
chiffonade – creamy accompaniments to other foods. In a Flemish cookbook from Belgium that I own,
sorrel is used for a simple sauce to use on vegetables or meats – it is cooked with bouillion and cream,
the latter of which tames the acidity and sourness of the greens.
I should mention that there are different varieties, including some wild North American versions, but
I am most familiar with the sorrel found in gardens in France and Belgium. If you want to forage here
in the west, you can find wood sorrel.
So, my favorite way to prepare this spice is as sorrel soup. Julia Child has a famous recipe for sorrel
soup, but here is a pretty straightforward one from chef Hank Shaw’s website: https://honest-
food.net/french-sorrel-soup/ We will link the recipe on the UPR website.
So for sorrel soup, a couple of important things. The cooked sorrel can be really sour tasting without
other spices and additions. In this case, you cook the sorrel with scallions or ramps and some vegetable
or chicken stock, but the key is to add cream and egg yolks to the soup. These give the soup a velvety
smoothness but they also control the sourness of the greens. You really need this step.
For a vegan version of the soup, you can substitute coconut milk for the cream and eggs,
and the soup is naturally gluten-free, so it’s the kind of soup or you can make for a gathering. It meets
dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free needs.
Another version of the soup (NOT vegan) is more of a sorrel vegetable soup, so it is made with potatoes,
carrots, onions, and brown rice added, then you finish with a little sour cream. There are lots of recipes
out there, and you can experiment with the flavorings – different fresh herbs like mint or nettle or
tarragon all work. It is really good served with rye bread.
So that’s it for another historic herb that is still tasty today. Please join us for more spice and herb stories
on Eating the Past, at noon on Sundays just before the Splendid Table on your Utah Public Radio.
Sorrel Soup, French Style
You will need a fair bit of sorrel to make this recipe, as it cooks down into a puree
alarmingly fast. You can buy sorrel at some fancy supermarkets, a lot of farmer's markets in the spring
-- or you can garden your own or forage for it. (If you want to plant it in your garden, you can buy
sorrel seed online.) If you can't find it, substitute watercress and use sour cream instead of regular
cream.
10 mins 30 mins 40 mins
Main Course, Soup French 4 people Hank Shaw
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter,divided
1/2 cup chopped green onions,ramps or other wild onion
4-6 cups of chopped sorrel,packed
Salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup cream
Instructions
1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the green onions or ramps and
turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and cook gently for 10 minutes.
2. While the onions are cooking, pour the stock into another pot and bring to a simmer.
3. Turn the heat up, add the sorrel leaves and a healthy pinch of salt to the pot with the onions and
stir well. When the sorrel is mostly wilted, turn the heat back to medium-low, cover and cook 10
minutes. Stir occasionally. Mix in the flour and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. Whisk in the hot stock, stirring constantly. Bring this to a simmer.
5. To finish the soup, whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Temper the mixture by ladling a little
soup into it with one hand, while you whisk the egg-cream mix with the other. Repeat this three
times. (You are doing this to prevent the eggs from scrambling) Now start whisking the soup.
Pour the hot egg-cream-soup mixture into the pot with the soup, whisking all the way. Add the
final tablespoon of butter. Let this cook -- below a simmer -- for 5 minutes. Do not let it boil or
the soup will break. Serve at once.
Notes
Serve this with bread and a nice white wine, or a floral beer like a Belgian.