Sorrel is something I started growing because I could not find it in the market place. It looks beautiful in the garden, comes back year after year, it's easy to grow and tastes delicious. Technically speaking, Sorrel is a green leaf vegetable native to Europe. It is also called common sorrel or spinach dock, and is actually considered less a vegetable and more an herb in some cultures. In appearance, sorrel greatly resembles spinach but is more acidic-tasting. That's due to the presence of oxalic acid, which actually gets stronger and tastes more prominent as the plant matures, so use the small leaves for salads, soups or stews. You can also saute it as you would spinach with garlic as a side dish. Here are 2 recipes to try!
Leek and Sorrel Pancakes with Smoked Salmon
Ingredients1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups leeks, cleaned and chopped
Vegetable oil
2 cups Sorrel
4 oz Smoked salmon
2 Eggs
Sour cream, for garnish
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
Chopped chives, for garnish
Procedure
Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add butter when pan is hot. After butter melts, add leeks and sauté until tender, but not brown. Add sorrel, cook briefly to wilt sorrel. Remove from heat and let cool. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add flour, whisk until smooth. Add cooled leek mixture. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Add a little oil. When oil is hot, drop about 2 tablespoons batter for each pancake on griddle. Cook until brown. Turn and continue to cook until brown on other side. Remove from griddle and top with salmon, sour cream and chives. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 to 10 appetizer servings.
Sorrel Sauce for Fish
Ingredients1/2 cup chopped fresh sorrel
2 T dry white wine
3 T minced green onions
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 t fresh lime juice
Ground white pepper
Procedure
Combine sorrel, wine and shallots in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sorrel wilts, about 2 minutes. Add cream and lime juice. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, about 12 minutes. Transfer sauce to blender. Puree until almost smooth. Return sauce to same saucepan. Season with ground white pepper and salt.
