Sorrel Soup

This silky sour soup perfectly captures the mood of a lazy summer evening.

The sourness comes from oxalic acid which is poisonous in large quantities but delightful in small ones. Sorrel has very little so that this is quite safe. However, the veins of the leaves must be removed.


Ingredients

2 bunches sorrel (veins removed)
1 head spring garlic
4 cups broth (or water)
olive oil
salt
pepper
chives (to garnish)

Recipe

Fry the garlic languidly in olive oil. Toss in 4 cups of broth, salt and pepper Bring to a boil. When boiling, toss in the sorrel. The sorrel will wilt immediately, and turn color from pale green to dark green. Cook for about 30 seconds.

Purée and pass through a fine sieve. (This is what gives it a silky texture.)

Serve with toasted bread and chives.

Summer Haul

Sorrel, garlic scapes, chives, zucchini, eggs.

Summer is here!!!

Sorrel Soup

This is one of those joys of nature. The power of pure technique over ingredients (there are only five - six if you count salt!)

It has a very strong lemony (from the sorrel) and peppery (from the black pepper) flavor.

Sometimes an egg is blended in at the last moment but that tends to undercut the sorrel taste so the CC skips it.

Ingredients

1 large red onion (diced fine)
2 potatoes (diced)
3 bunches sorrel (deveined if the veins are thick)

broth (or water)

salt
lots and lots and lots of black pepper

Recipe

Fry the onions at a medium-low heat. Do not hurry this step. Yes, it takes forever.

Fry the potatoes at the same heat. Again do not hurry this step. Drink a martini while it fries languidly.

Add the broth. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes till the potatoes are cooked through.

Add the sorrel. It will wilt almost immediately changing color from a light green to a dark one.

Turn the heat off, and blend in batches. You can reheat the soup when needed.

Green Borscht

The CC has been trying to replicate this ever since he first ate it last year.

Mere words cannot describe how delectable this soup is!

Ingredients

1 large red onion (diced fine)
1 head green garlic (diced fine)
1 bunch sorrel (stripped of stems, chopped)
2 potatoes (diced into smallish cubes)
1 bunch scallions (green and white parts, chopped into rounds)
1 large bunch fresh dill (chopped)

4 cups broth (substitute with water)

oil
salt
lots and lots and lots of black pepper
dash of vinegar

Recipe

The recipe is straightforward.

Fry the onions and garlic. Fry the potatoes. Add the sorrel and fry till it wilts. Add the broth, salt and black pepper. Simmer till the potatoes are soft (20 mins roughly.)

Add the scallion and dill towards the end. (The soup should be just lightly sour. Add a dash of vinegar if not sour enough.)

Scrambled Eggs with Sorrel (and Rye Toast)

Mmmmm mmmmm .... mmmmm. Lemony goodness!

Brighton Beach

The CC went out there for a birthday bash, and since he's a food-a-holic, he picked up sorrel, ramps, frozen vareniki, lots of dill and some great Russian dark rye bread.

They also have these walnut shaped pastries that are stuffed with walnuts. Quite delicious.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Ingredients

2 lbs cucumber (peeled, coarsely chopped)
8-10 sorrel leaves
2 cloves garlic
4 cups yogurt

8-10 dried baguette slices

salt
black pepper

Recipe

Blanch the sorrel leaves really quickly (less than 15 seconds or so or they will just "melt".)

Soak the bread in some water for about 15 minutes.

Pull it out, squeeze the water out. Place all the ingredients in a blender, and blend.

Pass through a fine sieve.

Chill and serve.

Sweet Sufferin' Siberia

One of the CC's close friends is leaving for Siberia to do environmental work. So she decided to throw a party that would be the perfect antithesis to a (future) Siberian winter.

Beach party, bright and early, at Brighton Beach.

After a hearty day of swimming, sun-tanning, watermelon-consumption and escaping from a swarm of jellyfish, all assembled to head out for some variegated Russian food.

First up, was a "green borscht" (made with sorrel and beet greens.) The CC's friends noticed that the CC was quite the enthusiast so they generously gave him more than his rightful share.

Next up, were vareniki with mushroom and potatoes (boiled dumplings like ravioli), blini with caviar (mmmmm ... salty), manti (steamed meat dumplings), and some excellent plov (lamb-lovers and rice-lovers, this dish is for you!)

For dessert, we had the vareniki stuffed with sour cherries.

The CC couldn't resist picking up some wondrous Russian rye bread (the smell, the smell) and some Bulgarian brined cheese. Also, a package of 100 vareniki was picked up to be placed in the CC's freezer. Cost? $11.

Aah, New York in summer: sun, sea, sand, and splendrous splendrous food.