Craig Claibornes Sorrel Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Pick over the sorrel. Discard any tough stems and blemished leaves. Rinse the leaves and pat them dry. Pack the leaves closely and cut them crosswise into very thin strips. This is called a chiffonadeThere should be about two cups or slightly more when loosely packed.
• If there are any bones in the fillets, carefully remove them with pliers. Cut the fillets on the bias into about 14 thin slices.
• Put the reserved fish skin and bones in a small saucepan. Add one tablespoon of the shallots, the wine and chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil and let simmer five minutes. Add the cream and cook about five minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pushing the solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. There should be about one and one-quarter cups.
• Heat one tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan and add the remaining one tablespoon of shallots. Cook briefly and add the sorrel. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Add the cream mixture, the cubed tomato flesh, salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a stick-proof skillet. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper and place, a few pieces at a time, in one layer in the skillet. Cook one and one-half to two minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices, turning once.
• Pour the sorrel sauce into the center of a warm platter and smooth it over. As the salmon pieces are cooked, arrange them neatly, slightly overlapping, on the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat one-third cup of the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, leeks, fennel, garlic and celery. Cook, stirring without browning, about five minutes.
• Add the hot red pepper flakes, saffron, tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme and wine. Bring to a boil and cook 30 minutes. Pour the sauce into a wide casserole and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Leave the sea robin and sculpin fillets whole. Cut the conger and monkfish into 1 1/2-inch squares. Add all the fish to the tomato sauce. Stir to coat all the pieces. At this point it is best to refrigerate the mixture for two or three hours, but if you do not have the time, the soup can be cooked immediately. When ready, add the fish broth to the tomato mixture and bring to a boil. Let simmer about two minutes.
• Add the mussels and stir gently so they are covered with liquid. Cover closely and let simmer until the mussels open, about five minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp and let cook about one minute. Sprinkle with parsley and dribble the remaining one- quarter cup of oil over all. Baste the top of the solids briefly with the liquid. Gently stir in the Pernod or Ricard until blended.
• Serve in hot soup bowls with a crouton or two on top. Add the sauce to the top of the toast. Serve the remaining croutons on the side.

Steps:

• In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter and soften the shallots. Add the potatoes, water and chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until the potatoes are soft.
• Meanwhile, wash the sorrel, discard the stems and chop the leaves coarsely. When the potatoes are cooked, add the sorrel to the saucepan and cook, stirring, until the sorrel has wilted. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer gently for five minutes.
• Remove the soup from the heat and puree it in batches in a food processor. Allow it to cool.
• Stir in the buttermilk and chill the soup overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to serve the soup, swirl in the cream and correct the seasoning. Garnish with chopped sorrel leaves sprinkled on top.

Steps:

• Pick over the sorrel. Discard any tough stems and blemished leaves. Rinse the leaves and pat them dry. Pack the leaves closely and cut them crosswise into very thin strips. This is called a chiffonade There should be about two cups or slightly more when loosely packed.
• Bring the broth to the boil and remove it from the heat. Set aside. Do not let the broth cool for an extended period.
• Put the yolks in a saucepan and add the cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Beat briskly with a wire whisk and pour in the hot broth, beating constantly.
• Place the saucepan on the stove and heat briefly, stirring with a wooden spoon. Bring the mixture barely to the simmer and remove immediately from the heat. Do not let the mixture boil or it will curdle. Immediately pour the mixture into a mixing bowl to prevent further cooking from retained heat.
• Pour in the buttermilk and stir. Let cool. Chill thoroughly. Add the sorrel. Pour the soup into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend. Serve.

Steps:

• Pour the chicken stock into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pot.
• Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk; add to the pot along with the margarine.
• Boil for 10 minutes, then strain out the vegetables by pouring through a sieve, or if the vegetables are large enough, a colander may be used.