English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
- Herbs on Saturday -
English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
Buckler leaf sorrel
My herb for today is Sorrel and is one if my favourite herbs; I love it in soups, sauces, salads in with fish. Sorrel is a very old herb that has been used throughout the centuries in England, as well as the rest of Britain and Europe – especially France. I have called this an English soup, as it does not contain any egg yolks, as French Sorrel soup often does. It can be served chilled or hot, and is also delicious made with a combination of sorrel, watercress and other green herbs. You must try to use the small round tipped sorrel leaves, as the large pointed leaves are very bitter. Sorrel is a purgative and an excellent detoxification herb, so you can enjoy your soup as well as cleansing yourself, a diet soup then! Garnish this soup with croutons and finely chopped sorrel leaves.
English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
The name sorrel derives from the French for ‘sour’, in reference to the plant’s characteristic acidity – the taste is almost a lemony flavour, which, is why it is such a popular herb to use with fish. It’s only the leaves of the sorrel plant that are used in cookery. Sorrel leaves are generally large, bright-green and arrow-shaped with a smooth, crisp texture. Buckler leaf sorrel has tiny, shield-shaped leaves that are good in a mixed green salad or as a garnish, and its these sorrel leaves that I am using in my soup recipe, and that are grown in my garden. Sorrel should not be eaten in large quantities as it contains a high amount of oxalic acid…….a large amount would be several kilos, so my 300g as used in this recipe is fine!
Common sorrel or garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa), often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herb that is cultivated as a garden herb or leaf vegetable (pot herb). Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock.
Common sorrel or garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa), often simply called sorrel, is a perennial herb that is cultivated as a garden herb or leaf vegetable (pot herb). Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock.
English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Total time | 35 minutes |
| Allergy | Milk |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Lunch, Snack, Soup, Starter |
| Misc | Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
- 300g fresh sorrel leaves
- ½ litre vegetable stock
- ½ litre milk
- 1 tablespoon creme fraiche or 1 tablespoon double cream
- 100g frozen garden peas (defrosted)
- salt and pepper, to season
Note
You must try to use the small round tipped sorrel leaves, as the large pointed leaves are very bitter.
Directions
| Step 1 | Heat the oil and add the onion and potato, stirring all the time, cook them until they start to soften. Add the stock & milk, season well with salt and black pepper and bring to the boil. |
| Step 2 | Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 2 minutes before the end of cooking, add the sorrel & the creme fraiche or cream. Liquidise the soup. |
| Step 3 | Add the peas and simmer without boiling for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the peas are cooked and the soup is hot. |
| Step 4 | Serve it chilled OR hot, with croutons and finely chopped sorrel leaves. |
| Step 5 | To serve it chilled: Allow it to cool and store in a cool place such as the fridge. Just before serving, add an ice cube to each bowl and pour the soup into the bowl. Garnish as before. |
That’s all for my Herbs on Saturday post today, I hope you have enjoyed the recipe I have shared today……..the NEXT blog hop for March, with all the live link and all the instructions is posted below. Have a wonderful Saturday and I am looking forward to seeing what will be added for March. Karen.
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Karen S Booth
Very nice Karen and sounds simple and tasty. Yes one yearns now for green things as spring approachs. Mostly still expensive root vegetables in the stores here. Maybe the market will have more but we still have frost at night ;-(
Hugs Dear!
My sorrel grows in a sheltered area in the garden and I have been able to use it most of the winter, with the exception of when it snowed and was minus 10! Thanks so much for your lovely comments…Karen
Never seen or tasted this herb before. Thank for you sharing. I got to know something new today
Thanks Anita – it is a lovely herb the have in the garden! There is a French saying that says if you have sorrel in your garden, you will always have money in the bank!
soup looks wonderul i haven’t had sorrel leaf soup
Thanks, it is a lovely soup with the sorrel leaves!
such a winning combination, I love the rustic appearance with all the bits and bobs, very very appealing! And sorrel is such an underused herb… nice work m’lady!
Thanks Dom, this soup is a real winner and even the colour cheers me up!
What a gorgeous looking soup. I must remember to grow some sorrel, I adore the flavour of it. Lovely idea and bet it tastes as good as it looks! x
Thanks Laura, it is very easy to grow and withstands the cold too.
Ooh I like the sound of that. Springtime in a bowl! X
Absolutely, spring in a bowl indeed! Thanks Rachel.
Oh my goodness I LOVE the look of this soup – so beautiful, British and delicious – a winner!
Mary x
Thanks Mary – the soup was delicious and so refreshing too!
Hi Karen, I’m sorry I haven’t left messages lately, but I don’t get to see your posts until a day or so after in my email inbox. I used to see you on my dashboard which was easier ~ but not anymore.
I’ve got to catch up with all your wonderful work…oh my, this could take me some time? But so much fun!
Have a wonderful weekend
OH that is JUST fine Neesie! I have the same problem – I cannot see you on my dashboard any more, so added you to my sidebar to try and make regular visits! Hope your weekend was great, as it will be over by the time you read this! Karen
Super gorgeous colours, and using one of my favourite under-sung spring heroes. I wish I had started some last year. I’ll just have to try and find it at the market. Love the sour-lemon bite mixed with the sweet, lightly starched peas.
I’m going to have to keep an eye out for sorrel. I don’t know if it’s available in grocery stores here or not! I’d really like to give this recipe a try.
Thanks Lauren, it has a lemony kind of flavour and is very healthy!
What an interesting herb – I’ve never heard of it before and certainly never found it at any local grocers, but it sounds like a flavor I’d use frequently. Although when it comes to pea soup, I’ve honestly only ever had one version I could stomach and that was with mint. But a lemony flavor might work too…