Sorrel

About

Several plants share the name sorrel, including hibiscus in the Caribbean, but this entry concerns common sorrel (Rumex acetosa), a floppy green leaf with a sharp acidity. It has fallen somewhat out of favor, partly due to its association with rich French broths and cream sauces, but it is easy to grow and works well in bean and pulse dishes that need acidity; it should not be cooked in iron or aluminum pans, which give it a metallic taste. Younger sorrel is generally preferred, as its sourness intensifies with age. Wood sorrel, from the unrelated Oxalidaceae family, has a similarly sharp, citric flavor, and like rhubarb leaves, sorrel contains oxalic acid, which is toxic in large quantities.

Pairs well with sorrel

• CiLemon"Greensauce," an old term for sorrel, also referred to a traditional sauce made by pounding sorrel leaves with lemon juice or vinegar.
• EaPotatoSorrel's sourness brightens potato's earthy flavor in soup.
• SuEggSorrel's lemony sharpness, unlike tarragon's anise note, both cuts through and heightens the richness of egg, cream and butter.
• FrAppleWood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is unrelated to true Rumex sorrels but shares their bright acidity, often compared to green or Bramley…
• ChCheeseSorrel's sour juice can be used to coagulate milk in cheesemaking, and the leaf pairs especially well with light, fresh cheeses - a creamy…
• GrParsleyA fine mince of tart sorrel, parsley and chives makes a fines-herbes-style gremolata, good over rich stews or risotto.
• EaLentilPuy lentils cooked in broth and finished with butter-cooked sorrel, blended smooth or left textured, make a well-regarded soup, also made…
• GrBuckwheatBuckwheat and sorrel both belong to the knotweed family, along with rhubarb, though sorrel's sharp sourness has more in common with…
• GrSpinachA 19th-century writer noted that sorrel's tang corrects spinach's flat flavor, a pairing still used today, with Swiss chard sometimes…
• GrLettuceCookery writer Eliza Acton's salad uses equal parts sorrel and young, tender lettuce, with the dressing kept from being too sharp.
• FrYogurtYogurt's tang masks sorrel's own sourness, letting its grassy flavor come through when the two are blended together with salt, producing…
• BeGooseberryChef Richard Corrigan considers sorrel the best wild pairing for gooseberry.
• WoWhole grain riceBrown rice with sorrel pesto, cooked medium-grain brown rice mixed with dill and preserved lemon, tossed with a pesto of sorrel, kale,…
• SuLeekSorrel's incomplete, faintly lemony flavor is filled out by leek's more assertive character.
• EaSplit peaSorrel, sometimes called the "vinegar plant," was traditionally added to green split pea soup as a spring aromatic during Lent, alongside…
• EaWhite beanA soup of white (navy) beans and sorrel is praised by food writer Elizabeth David, who notes there's no good substitute for sorrel's…