This Russian soup goes so well with our Rye Bread! Just as we are ready to say goodbye to the summer it makes a surprise come back. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise as it happens every September! To make the season last a little longer we went to our local farmers’ market to get the last of the summer’s bounty. One of our unexpected finds was sorrel, fresh herb that looks a bit like spinach but tastes nothing like it!
What Does Sorrel Taste Like?
Despite its appearance resembling a type of lettuce or even spinach, sorrel has a much bolder taste. Intensely tangy some people describe its taste similar to a sour green apple but I personally think it tastes like lemon. Sorrel is vibrant, complex and delicious. It is also absolutely loaded with vitamins!
Sorrel Recipes
Sorrel (‘shavel’ in Russian) is traditionally used in soups in Russia and Ukraine in the summer, when it is in season. Because of its seasonal nature, sorrel soup is sometimes called “green borscht” as opposed to the true red borscht made with beets. In France sorrel is used to flavour sauce and is usually served with fish. I also think that a small amount of fresh sorrel would brighten up and add a complexity to a simple green salad. Try it!
How to Make Sorrel Soup
The soup recipe I am sharing today is the one I grew up eating. It comes together in a flash, especially if you have a container of ready-made or good quality store bought stock. My personal preference is chicken stock but if you wish to make this soup vegetarian, a good vegetarian stock is a must. The rest is very simple. The base of this soup is similar to all Russian soups, onions and carrots sauteed in butter or oil, then some stock is added, which could be beef, chicken or vegetable. The bulk of the soup comes from potatoes and sorrel. It’s often topped with a hard boiled egg for serving. The richness of the egg balances out the acidity of the sorrel. They really do work so well together. Sorrel only needs one minute to wilt, so add it at the end. Let your soup infuse with the sorrel flavour for 10 minutes. Then serve with plenty of chopped fresh greens like parsley, dill and green onion. Adding a hard boiled egg is an absolute must. Don’t even think about skipping it. As with majority of Russian soups, the sorrel soup is served with a dollop of sour cream.
More favourite Russian soups
Chicken and Dumpling Soup Russian Frikadeller Soup (Meatball Soup) Beef and Cabbage Soup Shchi Vegetarian Borscht
