The first time I saw sorrel was at The Eden Project in the gift shop. A stunning red veined variety which tasted as beautiful as it looked. I promptly bought a plant which sits happily in my garden for infrequent nibbles. It’s so pretty I don’t want to take too many leaves off it for fear they don’t come back.
Stunning Red Vein Sorrel at The Eden Project
Last year I decided to have a go at planting it at the allotment. It grew wonderfully well on my clay soil. It even survived the winter and bounced back into two large clusters a few weeks ago.
My sorrel bouncing back at the allotment
Other than munch on the leaves and add them to salads, I didn’t really know what to do with it. I put it into pasta using the same method I used for beetroot tagliatelle. It worked a treat. Lovely and lemony.
But I have discovered a very fast way to enjoy it so none of the leaves – even the bitten and wilted ones go to waste. Hummus. It’s perfect. The green leaves give the hummus a vibrant, summery colour and the lemon flavor is subtle but present.
I also experimented with adding a smoky flavour on top of the lemonyness using Halen Mon’s Oak Smoked Water. It worked a treat. Flecks of their wonderful salt also add another layer of interest. You could also use smoked rapeseed oil. I like Stainswick Farm Oak Smoked Rapeseed which I picked up at BBC Good Food Show. It’s much stronger than the water so I would only drizzle on top vs fold in like the water.
Sorrel Hummus
Notes
To make the hummus simply blitz all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. I used my Froothie blender because it sits on the kitchen counter and has no bits to clean other than the jug. Lazy I know but I did say this was a speedy supper.
Check the seasoning and then sprinkle over the smoked water or oil and scatter with toasted sunflower seeds.
What do you do with sorrel? What hummus flavours do you like?
Related articles
- Lemon Hummus with Pesto and Crudités (beardandbonnet.com)
- A Colorful Twist on Hummus with Roasted Carrots & Harissa – Delicious Links (thekitchn.com)
- Sorrel risotto (jamieoliver.com)