Sorrel salad, April 2012
One of the happy surprises of our unseasonably warm weather here in Iowa was the early reemergence of sorrel in my garden−hence, a sorrel salad recipe.
I’m getting to know and love this hardy green herb, an easy-to-grow perennial that has thin arrowhead-shaped leaves and lovely lemony flavor. It can be used in sauces, soups, stews, and salads. In salads it’s wonderful by itself or combined with other leafy greens. I bought my sorrel plant on a whim last spring, and it yielded well last year even though I paid it practically no attention.
Also in this sorrel salad recipe are dry-cured olives and Sultana raisins. The dry-cured olives add pleasant deep flavor and saltiness. Sultana raisins are similar to golden raisins in sweetness and flavor. The sultana raisins I used are from my local food co-op, New Pioneer, and are unsulfured so they look only a little lighter in color than traditional raisins.
The cutting technique for the salad greens is called chiffonade, from the French, meaning “in rags.” The ribbons of green look elegant, and the technique is simple. It’s done by stacking the leaves, rolling them like a jelly roll, and slicing them into the desired thin width. The technique can also be used with any salad green or herb including kale, basil, and mint. A chiffonade of basil adds a special look to bruschetta.
| Sorrel Salad | | Print |
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon (about 6) dry-cured olives, pitted and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
- 1/4 cup Sultana (or golden) raisins
- 4 ounces (about 4 cups chiffonade, or thinly sliced) sorrel or other salad greens
- Wash and dry sorrel, cut out tough stems, stack and roll leaves, and slice rolled leaves into thin ribbons (chiffonade). Place in salad bowl.
- Make the dressing: Flatten the garlic cloves by placing them beneath the blade of a large chef's knife and giving the knife a whack with your fist, being careful to avoid the sharp edge. Sprinkle the salt onto the garlic, and with the knife at an angle almost flat to the cutting surface, alternately drag the edge back and forth and chop to crush the salt together with the garlic to make a paste. Place garlic paste in a small container and add the chopped olives, pepper, and olive oil. Whisk to combine.
- Toss the greens with the dressing, sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and raisins, and serve.
(Recipe adapted from Weaver Street Market’s Grilled Lamb on Sorrel and Spinach Salad.)
Shared at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and The Gluten-Free Homemaker Gluten-Free Wednesday.
Pin It
Great salad and the dressing is sooo simple but makes the salad! I’m not totally sure about the raisins. We all tried it with and without and except for the kids, the without raisins made the grade.
Now I know what to do with sorrel besides soup and the salad is much quicker and easier to make. I’ve made it 4 times in the last 2 weeks and intend to grow more sorrel in the coming year. thanks!
Liz, I’m so happy you like the salad. I really enjoy the little bursts of contrasting sweetness from the raisins, but I can imagine it would be great without as well. Now I want to try sorrel in my soups–thanks for the inspiration!
Lovely salad! I was noticing my sorrel was up just today. Now I have something delicious to use it in. Thanks so much for sharing! Yum!
I noticed some radicchio, parsley and kale, also, that seem to be coming back. Isn’t it fun to see the changes in the garden each day?
It was so fun to meet you this past weekend at Nourished. Hope you have a great week!
So fun to meet you too! I just love freezer meals, so I’ll be visiting your blog often.
Good for you for growing kale and radicchio. I haven’t had very good success with annual greens so I mainly grow herbs (and flowers). But no matter what’s in the garden, seeing it grow is so great.