Garden

Spring Sorrel Soup

For a fresh bit of spring-infused flavour, check out this delightfully light and tasty soup

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Credit: Flickr / Davidzschiller

On a warm day, sorrel soup can be served refreshingly cold

It’s never too early to start planning for spring sorrel soup

Some edibles are so darn easy to grow that, in my opinion, it’s a sad state of affairs that they are not part of every single garden. One of these is French sorrel, a steadfast perennial that readily self-seeds and offers a fresh burst of growth every spring.

For many years, April and May had me in the garden plucking it to add to salad, while my children joined me to snack on the crisp lemony leaves right off the plants.

Now I’m looking for new ways to take advantage of this abundant crop, so was delighted to see several recipes for sorrel in Christine Allen’s gorgeous new book, A Year at Killara Farm. Christine advises using this recipe as an opportunity to cut the plants right down in May, so that they send up tender new shoots for summer salads.

Sorrel Soup

Sorrel is one of the secrets of gardening! Anyone with a little space in their garden can grow a nice lush patch and enjoy this perennial herb for much of the year. This soup tastes of spring, and is delicious served cold on warm day. (Excerpted from A Year at Killara Farm)

Ingredients

  • 8–10 cups (about 2 L) loosely-packed sorrel leaves
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter
  • 1 large French shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 4 cups (1 L) chicken stock
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) parsley, chopped
  • ½ tsp (2.5 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • Sour cream and chives to garnish

Directions

  1. Remove sorrel stems, wash leaves carefully to remove any dirt.
  2. Melt butter in a soup pot and then add shallot and garlic. Cover and cook until tender and lightly coloured, 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Add sorrel, replace lid and cook until leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add stock, potato, parsley, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender.
  5. Transfer to a blender and purée.
  6. Return to soup pot, add cream, salt and black pepper to taste.
  7. Stir over low heat until simmering.
  8. Garnish with sour cream and chopped chives.

Serves four as a starter