Moira Hodgsons Sorrel Soup Recipes

COLD SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter over moderate heat in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven. Cook onion with salt and pepper until soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in sorrel and cook over moderate heat, uncovered, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally so the sorrel is evenly cooked.
• Add half and half, water, and Tabasco pepper sauce. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Puree in a blender until smooth and strain through a medium sieve. Stir in lemon juice, adjust with salt and pepper, and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours, or, to serve immediately, chill in bowl rested in another bowl of iced water. Serve cold.

MOIRA HODGSON'S SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter and soften the shallots. Add the potatoes, water and chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until the potatoes are soft.
• Meanwhile, wash the sorrel, discard the stems and chop the leaves coarsely. When the potatoes are cooked, add the sorrel to the saucepan and cook, stirring, until the sorrel has wilted. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer gently for five minutes.
• Remove the soup from the heat and puree it in batches in a food processor. Allow it to cool.
• Stir in the buttermilk and chill the soup overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to serve the soup, swirl in the cream and correct the seasoning. Garnish with chopped sorrel leaves sprinkled on top.

DAUPHINE POTATOES WITH SORREL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the sorrel and discard the stems. Chop the leaves coarsely. Melt two tablespoons butter in a skillet and saute the sorrel until it has wilted. Set it aside.
• Butter a nine-inch baking dish and layer it with potatoes and sorrel, pouring on a little cream and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Top with potatoes, cream, salt and pepper and the remaining butter cut in small pieces.
• Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour or until they are tender and the top is browned.

BABA'S BEST SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add sorrel in batches, stirring well until wilted, 5 to 8 minutes in all.
• Pour chicken stock and water into the Dutch oven. Stir in potatoes, carrot, parsley, dill, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer soup until flavors combine, about 1 hour.
• Puree soup with an immersion blender until mostly smooth before serving.

SORREL SAUCE (CHICKEN, FISH, LAMB OR VEAL)

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, soften the shallots and the garlic in the butter. Add the sorrel and cook, stirring, for one to two minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and cook another five minutes. Remove from stove. Peel the garlic and add the flesh to the sorrel. Puree with the sorrel mixture in a food processor and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
• Place the sauce in a small saucepan and keep warm until ready to serve.

BAKED POTATOES AND ONIONS WITH SORREL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a large shallow baking dish and add the onions. Toss to coat with the oil and sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper. Bake for an hour, stirring occasionally or until the onions are browned and crisp.
• Scrub the potatoes and put them in the oven to bake after the onions have cooked for 15 minutes. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until done.
• Meanwhile, cut the sorrel leaves into thin strips. Soften the remaining butter in a skillet and add the sorrel. Cook for a few minutes until the sorrel is wilted. Add the cream and cook for two to three more minutes, stirring until the cream is amalgamated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut the potatoes in half and top each half with a couple of tablespoons of sorrel and then sprinkle some of the onions on top.

POTATO GRATIN WITH SORREL

Steps:

• Put the potato and onion slices in a saucepan and pour in two cups of water. Add one teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, shaking the pan to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom. Turn off the heat at the boil. Drain potatoes and onions but reserve the cooking liquid for later.
• Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a skillet, add the sorrel and cook for two minutes, wilting it into a puree. Mix in the cream and the remaining half-teaspoon salt. Cook for three minutes or longer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rub the baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and scatter in the minced garlic.
• Put the potatoes and onions in a two-quart rectangular or oval baking dish 14 by 8 by 2 inches. Pour in the cooking liquid and spread the creamy sorrel on top.
• Bake in middle of the oven for an hour to an hour and a half or until potatoes are tender and golden on top.

SCHAV

Steps:

• Stem and wash the sorrel, and cut the leaves into ribbons. Peel the potatoes and cut them into half-inch dice. Cut the leek in half, chop it and wash it thoroughly.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and cook the leek for two minutes over medium heat. Add the sorrel and potatoes and cook for five minutes. Add the stock, two cups water, salt and pepper to taste, and the sugar, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender.
• Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. (A blender works better than a food processor; if you use the processor, puree the solids first and gradually add the liquids). Stir in the cream and chill the soup for at least an hour. Just before serving, add the lemon juice and additional sugar and salt, if necessary - the soup should be refreshingly tart but a little sweet. Serve schav in bowls with dollops of sour cream. Garnish each bowl with chopped scallions.

SORREL SAUCE

Steps:

• Wash the sorrel and spinach and discard the stems. Chop the leaves coarsely. Soften the shallot in the butter in a saucepan. Add the sorrel with the spinach and cook until they have wilted.
• Add the chicken stock or water, bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Add the cream and puree the mixture in a food processor or blender. If you are using the sauce right away, return it to the saucepan and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you are serving the sauce chilled, refrigerate it for at least two hours.

SALMON FILLETS WITH SORREL SAUCE

Steps:

• Wipe the fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle with oil and lemon juice. Preheat broiler.
• Heat the butter in a small saucepan and saute the sorrel leaves until they are limp. Add the stock and cream. Bring to boil, season, simmer until thickened slightly.
• Pure sauce in a food processor and return it to pan. Heat through.
• Broil the fillets for about five minutes on each side or until they are cooked. Arrange them on a serving platter. Serve the sauce separately.

SORREL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, without browning, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sorrel and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir over low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Stir in boiling stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, beat yolks lightly with cream. Whisking constantly, slowly pour 1 cup hot stock mixture into egg mixture, then return back to saucepan. Do not let soup boil after egg yolks have been added or yolks will curdle.
• Stir in softened butter and serve hot with a dollop of creme fraiche and chervil. If serving the soup chilled, do not add the softened butter.