How to make courgette and sorrel soup

The acidity of sorrel may not be to everyone’s taste, but used judiciously, it’s a boon in the kitchen, Julia Platt Leonard says

(Julia Platt Leonard)

We’ve been loving or loathing sorrel in England for hundreds of years. Before citrus was readily available it was a handy way to add an acidic flavour to foods.

That acidity – thanks to the oxalic acid in sorrel – isn’t to everyone’s taste. But used judiciously, it’s a boon in the kitchen.

It’s also simple to grow and since it’s a perennial, it conveniently pops up year after year. Here at home, we like sorrel in soups or cream sauces or paired with fatty fish like salmon.

But you’ll find sorrel in Nigerian cooking where it’s used in teas, stews and salads. It’s also popular in Russia and the Ukraine.

Food writer Olia Hercules has several sorrel recipes in her book Mamushka (Mitchell Beazley) including a sorrel broth and moreish Moldovan breads with cheese and sorrel.

Sorrel pops up in Eastern European cooking, Indian, Vietnamese and Greek.

The bright green, arrow shaped leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked but be warned that heat turns it a rather unappetising brown colour.

For this soup, I add the sorrel in at the last minute and can depend on hefty amounts of courgette to keep the soup lovely and green. And you don’t need a huge amount of sorrel either to get that punchy, sour, fresh taste. Best yet, this soup is perfect hot or cold – a definite benefit in the hot summer weather.

(Julia Platt Leonard)

Courgette and sorrel soup

Serves 4

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium courgettes, approximately 600-700g total weight
​500ml chicken or vegetable stock
50g sorrel
Salt an pepper
Heavy cream
Micro sorrel leaves or minced chives to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan. Add the onion, stir and cover with a lid. Sweat the onions until they’re soft but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute or two. While they’re cooking, top and tail the courgettes and slice into discs. Add the courgette slices and stir to coat with the oil and onions. Add the stock, cover and cook over medium high heat until the courgettes are just cooked through.

While the soup is cooking, remove the leaves from the sorrel, discarding the stem. When the courgettes are ready, remove the soup from the heat and stir in the sorrel leaves. Using a blender or stick blender, puree the soup. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve in soup bowls and garnish with a healthy drizzle of cream and garnish with the micro sorrel leaves or minced chives. The soup can be served warm or cold.

@juliapleonard