Muffin Top

Ever since tea and cookies mentioned the lemon sorrel soup she made for her mother back during the rains of March, I’ve been meaning to try and make some for myself.

I love lemon and have, in the last few years, developed a liking for sour flavors. That, and I like soup a lot. That, and I like soups with greens in them. But sorrel is not too commonly sold in stores, and I shelved the soup for a future date.

When I went to the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market last week, I made a few pleasant discoveries, not the least of which were some brilliant swiss chard and…sorrel!

I made a few adaptations to tea’s original sour lemon and sorrel soup recipe. I added swiss chard early, to the sauteed onions…and I added rice along with the chicken broth (I substituted the vegetable broth for chicken broth) for a heartier soup (I really like rice in soups). I also left out mushrooms, simply because I didn’t have any on hand. I garnished my bowl of soup with a small dollop of creme fraiche (just because I like creme fraiche). The creme fraiche gave the soup an even tangier edge.

This makes for a very sour, unique soup. If you like lemons and sour flavors, you will really devour this soup. On a cold and foggy day (and there are many mornings like that in the San Francisco bay area in summertime), this is such a pleasure to eat. Thanks, Tea!