Sorrel - how can I use it?

[Annemieke]

The first plant to come up in my windy garden is the garden sorrel. That's why I have it. However, I don't like the taste much. I do generally like sour things, but somehow not sorrel.
Any ideas as to how I can profitably use it?

[Maggie1]

Hope this is of help

Sorrel is a plant. People use the above ground parts for medicine.

Be careful not to confuse sorrel (Rumex acetosa) with roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), which is known as Jamaican sorrel or Guinea sorrel.

Sorrel is used for reducing sudden and ongoing pain and swelling (inflammation) of the nasal passages and respiratory tract, for treating bacterial infections along with conventional medicines, and for increasing urine flow (as a diuretic). Sorrel is also an ingredient in the herbal cancer treatment Essiac.

In combination with gentian root, European elder flower, verbena, and cowslip flower, sorrel is used orally for maintaining healthy sinuses and treating sinusitis.

How does it work?
Sorrel contains tannins, which have a drying effect to reduce mucous production.

[p.penn]

Luckily, I do rather like it, especially the young leaves. I tend to pop a couple into a salad to enliven it.

Other than that, not sure, sorry

[Freeranger]

Sorrel is nice in salad and also soups and stews. The soup is quite delicate. You say you don't like the bitter taste, so I wonder why you'd beat yourself up by growing it?! The bitterness in salads could be eased by using a slightly sweeter dressing, perhaps including a fruit vinegar or honey. It's not something I've used a lot, but I've seen recipes for sorrel & lemon, potato and mushroom soups, which would all manage the bitterness, and it's bitterness is actually a benefit with oily fish such as salmon and mackerel. With the fish, you could flavour a white sauce with it, or add it to a salsa verde instead of other herbs. I guess you could also use it instead of spinach in dishes such as quiches and other egg dishes. I have a vague recollection that you can make a tea from it too - then you can put sugar in it!

[manda]

You can make sauce out of it in the same way as you would with mint ..goes nice with cold meats.

If you pick it in Spring then it's not so acid but that develops more through the season till it reaches it's peak.

I haven't tried it yet but apparently you can use it as rennet as the juice of the leaves will curdle milk....something I would like to try with my cheese making.

Oh and you can also use it as a dye - yellow green from the leaves, red from the roots.

Had a quick squizz on the internet and found these:

Sorrel and Goat Cheese Quiche

2-3 cups sorrel, coarsely chopped
a few scallions, chopped
3-4 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
3 eggs
1½ cups milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread goat cheese (or any strong flavored cheese) in the bottom of a piecrust. Cover with chopped sorrel and scallions. Beat eggs, salt and milk together. Pour over greens. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.ps.

Source: A Luna Circle Farm original recipe

Cream of Sorrel Soup

Clean, shred from the midrib and chop:
½ cup sorrel leaves
1½ cups leaf lettuce

Sauté them until wilted in:
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
When they are sufficiently wilted, there will be only about 3 tablespoons of leaves.

Add:
5 cups poultry or vegetable stock
Simmer about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add a small amount of the soup to:
½ cup cream
3 beaten egg yolks

Combine all ingredients and heat until the soup thickens slightly, but do no boil. Makes 5 to 6 cups.

Source: Joy of Cooking


Sorrel Pesto: great as an interesting pasta coating or a thick sauce for fish.

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh sorrel, ribs removed
1/3 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor or blender puree the sorrel, the parsley, the garlic, the parmesan, the pine nuts and the oil, transfer the pesto to a jar with a tight fitting lid and chill it, covered. The pesto keeps, covered and chilled, for 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.

To use the pesto: For every pound of dried pasta cooking in a kettle of boiling water, stir together in a heated serving bowl 3/4 cup of the pesto and 2/3 cup of the hot cooking water. When the pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander, add it to the pesto mixture, and toss the mixture until the pasta is coated well. Vermicelli works very well with this recipe.

Greens and Fish
An old authentic French recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 pound chard
1/2 pound spinach
few leaves of sorrel
one garlic clove
2 pounds thin fish fillets
Crusty bread

Place the greens and one peeled, crushed garlic clove in a pot and cook for ten minutes, then chop. Add the fish, and cook for 10-15 minutes until done-NO longer. Place piece of crusty bread on a plate and serve the fish and the chopped greens beside one another with the liquid.

Sorrel Omelet

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 tablespoon cream
1 cup sorrel, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 tsp salt

Shred sorrel. In a heavy pan, heat half the butter and add sorrel and salt. Cook for about ten minutes, while stirring. Combine the eggs and cream in a bowl, beating gently. Add the sorrel mixture and combine. Add the remaining butter to a skillet and heat until butter is slightly browned. Add the egg mixture and stir briskly with the back of a fork or spoon until the eggs are evenly spread on the bottom of the skillet. Keep moving the unset eggs around with the utensil smoothly until there is no liquid left. Do not overcook. Shake the pan gently over the heat a few times. Fold the omelet over in half and serve.

Sorrel Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound sorrel
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups water
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk

Clean and shred sorrel, then chop. In a large heavy pan, heat butter. Add sorrel and cook, stirring, for ten minutes until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add the water, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Strain and mash or puree the vegetables. Stir the cooking liquid into vegetables and return to pan. Bring to boil. Stir in milk and yolk. Cook until hot, but do not boil. Serve with French Bread.

I like sorrel in a quiche (personally I would wilt it first then squeeze it out like you would spinach to avoid a soggy quiche) but I've not had it with fish before.

[Annemieke]

Thanks for all the ideas - especially the goat's cheese quiche and the one with fish appeal.
The reason I got it was that it's early and I did not know I wasn't keen yet!