Fresh French Sorrel Soup Variations

The basic process.

When making soup we go through a set of steps:

  • Saute´ aromatics in the fat of your choice and a little sea salt until golden
  • Add your choice of stock and bring to a boil
  • Add other ingredients and simmer until cooked 
  • (Optional) Blend soup 
  • Flavour adjustment if needed
  • Garnish

The basic ingredients for Sorrel Soup

  • Any one or combination of minced aromatics: onions, garlic, green garlic
  • Your choice of stock or broth
  • Fresh French sorrel leaves, sliced thin
  • Salt and pepper 

Make it more fancy or hearty

  • Add herbs: parsley and dill 
  • Add diced carrots, potatoes and celery
  • Add cream or milk at end of cooking (do not boil)
  • Add cooked chicken
  • Garnish with hard cooked egg

The recipe we use here:

  1. Sauté minced green garlic, onion, carrot and celery leaves in butter in a large saucepan with a bay leaf and a pinch of sea salt.
  2. Once aromatics are golden, add about 4C beef bone broth (perhaps thinned with a little water) and bring to a boil. 
  3. Add at least 1C diced potatoes. Cook until they are nearly tender.
  4. Add 2C thinly sliced French sorrel leaves, 1/4c fresh parsley and 1 T fresh dill. Cook for another 5 minutes or so. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  5. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt, sour cream or kefir. 

Serve with cheese and crusty bread as a starter or light meal. 

 

 

Seasonal Eating – Spring

Close-up of pear tree blossoms
Pear tree blossoms are a welcome sign that spring is has arrived and lots of delicious seasonal flavours await.

 

I used our last homegrown carrots last weekend. They were purple carrots–a variety called Starburst–that I dug out of the garden in January. I put them into a curry that got slammed into the oven so I could get back to transplanting Swiss chard. Hours later, those carrots were still pretty tasty, as was the curry.

Starburst carrots dug in winter from the garden
Carrots dug from the garden January 22, 2017. Deliciously sweet!

 

Seasonal eating has been on trend for a while now. It’s something we are encouraged to explore to benefit our health, and the health of the planet. Growing most of our own vegetables here means we’ve really embraced seasonal eating. Maybe we are embracing it just a little too much, according to certain family members.

Continue reading “Seasonal Eating – Spring”