Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
LATIN NAME
Common sorrel: Rumex acetosa. Wood sorrel: Oxalis acetosella
SEASONALITY
Often found all year round but spring and autumn are the best times
HABITAT
Common sorrel: often found in rough pasture and hedgerow. Wood sorrel: common in all types of woodland
MORE RECIPES
Fried fillets of perch with sorrel and potatoes
One of my favourite leafy greens, sorrel bridges the divide rather splendidly between herb and vegetable. It doesn’t look much – like a frail spinach, perhaps – so the lemony punch it packs can be a delightful surprise the first time you try it. Sorrel’s leaves are among the earliest to reveal themselves as the ground warms in February or March, and they provide a wonderful tonic for palates tired of starchy winter fare.
My favourite sorrel is the kind I pick in the wild. Common sorrel can be found fairly easily in hedgerows and permanent pastures where chemical fertilisers and weedkillers aren’t used (avoid the similar-looking, but toxic, ‘Lords and Ladies’). Also the unrelated wood sorrel with its pretty trefoiled leaves is widespread in mixed woodland. A handful of leaves of either variety makes a fantastic accompaniment to grilled fish, a great partner to sautéed mushrooms and a lovely addition to a lettuce salad. Raw sorrel wants only a few drops of olive or rapeseed oil and some salt and pepper – no lemon or vinegar is needed as the leaf provides its own sharpness.
Cultivated sorrel (pictured next) is perhaps easier to come by – certainly if you grow your own (which I always do). It’s a perennial that flourishes enthusiastically in pretty much any situation. Some farmers’ markets and greengrocers, organic suppliers and even supermarkets now sell it too. When young, the leaves are good in salads but I tend to cook the more mature, robustly flavoured leaves. Like spinach, sorrel wilts down alarmingly when heated, shrinking to a fraction of its former volume, its lovely bright green turning to a dull khaki as it does so. Keep stirring and wilting and the leaves actually dissolve into a purée. It looks messy, but the flavour remains a delight.
You can harness this dissolving tendency to make a superb, intensely flavoured sauce for fish – especially oily fish; it also partners a poached egg, or warm new potatoes happily. Just wilt a good handful of shredded sorrel leaves in a generous knob of butter to the purée stage, then remove from the heat and stir in an egg yolk and a little cream. Sorrel also works beautifully in soups and risottos – dishes where its acidity can be balanced by starchy, buttery, creamy elements.
When you’re cooking the larger leaves, strip out and discard the stalks first. Unless they are very small, the leaves are generally best shredded: roll them up first into fat ‘cigars’, then slice them across thinly. Avoid aluminium or cast-iron pans, because the oxalic acid in the leaves reacts with the metal and affects the flavour.
MERINGUE WITH STRAWBERRIES AND SORREL
Sorrel’s lemony acidity is fantastic with sweet meringue – and the vibrant green of the raw leaves contrasts beautifully with strawberries. Serves 4
FOR THE MERINGUE
2 medium egg whites
100g caster sugar
TO ASSEMBLE
150ml double cream
40g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
200g strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
A handful of small sorrel leaves (or larger ones, shredded)
Preheat the oven to 120°C/Fan 120°C/Gas ½. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a scrupulously clean bowl until they hold soft peaks, then slowly whisk in the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. When it is all incorporated, whisk for another couple of minutes until the meringue is very thick and glossy.
Spoon on to the baking sheet to form a round, about 15cm in diameter and 4–5cm high. Bake for 3 hours (for a meringue with a nicely marshmallowy middle). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Shortly before serving, whisk the cream with the sugar and lemon zest until it holds soft peaks. Spoon the lemony cream over the meringue. Top with the strawberries and sorrel just before serving.
