Sorrel is sour and grassy and if that doesn’t sound like an endorsement then you don’t know me very well (which seems unlikely, mom, unless you WEREN’T. LISTENING.). I love Sorrel. It brightens up every food it touches, injecting some oomph anywhere you use it.
That being said, Sorrel can be kind of overwhelming if you don’t know how to utilize it. For me, pesto is the best way to showcase the flavor. I can smear it on pizza, pasta or fancy toast. I can swirl it into soup or make chicken salad with it. I can freeze it in lil ice cube trays for out-of-season use when food gets heavy and needs some livening up.
Sorrel probably won’t be at your garden variety grocery store (ha ha). In Houston, I find it regularly at the Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market (Plant it Forward, specifically) and at Central Market (not always). If you aren’t from Houston, check your local farmer’s market or any shop that tends to sell less common produce. If you still can’t find it, hit me up – I’m pretty great at sourcing ingredients.
As with any pesto, you’re welcome to substitute most things. I used pepitas and pistachios here because it’s one of my favorite iterations, but I have made pesto with most nuts and seeds at some point depending on what I have on hand.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
cups
|
- 3 cup sorrel roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cup kale stems removed & roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 ts anchovy paste
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 ts kosher salt or more to taste
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese microplaned or grated
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or shallot oil
- 2 T pistachios toasted
- 2 T pepitas toasted
Ingredients
|
|
- Combine sorrel, kale, garlic, anchovy, lemon zest & juice, salt and cheese in the bowl of a food processor and blend until as smooth as possible.
- With the motor running, stream the olive oil into the processor, allowing the pesto to emulsify and smooth out.
- Add the pistachios and pepitas and blend to desired consistency. Taste, and add more salt if needed.