Cooking With This Week's Box
 |
| Frosty Sorrel and Banana Smoothie |
.JPG) |
| Sorrel Hummus |
Vegetable Feature: Sorrel
Eating with the seasons can be an exciting, yet sometimes
challenging adventure in the spring. For
many people, some early spring vegetables may be less familiar and come with a
bit of a learning curve. Most of the early
spring vegetables are perennial plants that are either wild harvested, such as
ramps and nettles, or are crops we planted in a previous year that start poking
through on their own early in the spring.
Some of these vegetables include sorrel, chives, rhubarb and asparagus. They play an important role in nourishing our
bodies and have unique nutritive properties that help us transition from winter
into a new season. If you are not familiar
with these vegetables, they might be a little intimidating at first. However, don’t let a vegetable intimidate
you, just dive in and start learning how to enjoy something new! Don’t worry, we’ll help guide you along the
way!
This week we are featuring sorrel, a unique perennial plant that is amongst the first greens of the season. Sorrel leaves have a pointy, arrow shape and are thick in texture and bright green in color. You’ll recognize sorrel by its tart and citrus-like flavor if you nibble on a raw leaf. It has a bright flavor that will call your taste buds to attention. It is a very nutritious green that contains antioxidants as well as vitamin C, fiber, iron, magnesium and zinc.
Sorrel may be used in a wide variety of preparations and may
be eaten either raw or cooked. Raw
sorrel can brighten any salad and is excellent when blended into cold sauces,
vinaigrettes, dressings, dips or smoothies.
Because of its bold, tart, invigorating flavor, it is often treated more
like an herb when used raw and will give the end product a bright, cheery green
color. When cooked, sorrel behaves in a
very interesting way. First, its color
changes from bright green to a drab olive green almost immediately. Don’t worry, this happens to everyone and
it’s just the way it is with sorrel! The
other unusual thing about sorrel is how it “melts” when added to hot
liquids. The leaves will almost
immediately change color and start to soften.
The longer it’s cooked, the more the leaves break apart and you can stir
it into a coarse sauce. This is one of
the reasons it’s often used in soups and sauces.
 |
| Spiced Lentils with Nettles & Sorrel Yogurt |
The acidity of sorrel makes it a natural companion to rich
foods such as cream, butter, sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, duck, and fatty
fish (salmon & mackerel).
Additionally, it pairs well with more “earthy” foods such as lentils,
rice, buckwheat, mushrooms and potatoes.
As with many other spring vegetables, it pairs well with eggs and is
often used in quiche, scrambled eggs, custard etc. Don’t be afraid to think “outside of the box”
and explore some other interesting ways to use sorrel such as in desserts
including sorbet, ice cream and panna cotta or beverages including smoothies
and cocktails! Sorrel also pairs well
with citrus fruits and berries.
We have featured a wide variety of sorrel recipes in past newsletters,
and I encourage you to look at the searchable recipe database on our website. I have a few
favorites that I mention every year because they are easy, delicious and have
been well-received by other members over the year. Sorrel Hummus,
Sorrel-Lime Cooler and my Frosty Sorrel & Banana
Smoothie rank as my top three.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian main dish, this recipe
for Spiced Lentils with Nettles &
Sorrel Yogurt Sauce is excellent. There is also a recipe for
Spring Greens Soup that uses not only sorrel but four other vegetables from this week’s box!
We hope your spring is off to a good start and you are enjoying these early boxes. Don’t forget we have an awesome Facebook Group available to all CSA members. This is another great resource to find recipe suggestions and talk to other members about vegetables!
Potato Salad with Sorrel Dressing
.jpg) |
| Photo from lemonthymeandginger.com |
- First, prepare the Sorrel Sauce with Yogurt. Trim off the stem of each sorrel leaf. Give the sorrel leaves a rough chop and add them to a food processor. Cut the garlic or green garlic into smaller pieces and add to the food processor along with the yogurt. Process until the sorrel and yogurt is a smooth puree. Transfer the sorrel sauce into a small bowl and stir in the minced chives. Cover the sauce and refrigerate until needed. The sauce will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
- Next, make the sorrel dressing for the potato salad. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, 1-2 Tbsp of the Sorrel Sauce with Yogurt, and Dijon mustard. Taste the dressing and add additional salt, up to ½ tsp, according to your tastes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Prepare the potatoes by cutting into evenly sized pieces between ½-1 inch in size. Whether or not you peel the potatoes is your preference. Either way is fine for this recipe.
- Put the potatoes into a pot and fill with cold water until an inch above the top of the potatoes. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Place the pot with the potatoes on a burner and turn it on to high to reach a boil. When the potatoes are beginning to boil, turn the heat down to medium and put a lid on the pot. Cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Do not overcook the potatoes or they will fall apart. Drain the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the potatoes with 1 Tbsp vinegar and a pinch of salt, and gently stir to mix. Let the potatoes cool.
- De-rib and cut off the stems of the sorrel leaves. Stack the leaves and tightly roll them up and cut across to finely chiffonade the leaves. Put in a bowl with the cooled potatoes.
- Chop the celery ribs into a medium dice and rough chop the hard boiled eggs. Add both to the cooled potatoes and gently mix all the ingredients together. Add the sorrel dressing and gently mix together until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Taste and correct seasoning. Transfer the potato salad to a serving dish garnish with minced chives. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Sorrel and Hazelnut Pesto
.jpg) |
| Photo from sabrinacurrie.com |
- In a food processor (or with mortar and pestle), process the hazelnuts and salt until the nuts are very finely ground. Add the garlic and process again until it is uniform with the nuts.
- Add the sorrel, about ½ cup at a time until it is finely ground.
- Add the oil slowly, continuing to stir or process as you pour it in.
- Stir in the lemon zest and grated Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt. Add extra oil if you want a looser sauce
- Serve with hot pasta, on crostini or as a condiment on white beans, grilled fish or chicken.
No comments:
Post a Comment