Sorrel Pesto

I love the vibrant lemony flavor of fresh sorrel.  It grows well in Southern California.  My plants stay green and thick all year.  The easiest way to use sorrel is in a salad.  Tear up some sorrel, arugula, and lettuce for a bright and spicy salad mix.  A classic sorrel dish is cream of sorrel soup.  However, my favorite sorrel recipe is sorrel pesto.

Sorrel pesto is a cinch to mix up and has myriad uses.  It's wonderful as a sauce for grilled shrimp, salmon, or chicken.  It's a great garnish for boiled, sliced potatoes.  And you can toss it with hot pasta and mild goat cheese to make a delicious and creamy entree or side dish.  I particularly like using orecchiette or shells, but you can use shape you wish.




4 C loosely packed sorrel (about 12-14 medium leaves)
1/2 small shallot
scant 1/4 C toasted walnuts
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t salt, or to taste

1.  Wash the sorrel leaves well.  Remove the stems and chop the leaves coarsely.  Measure 4 C chopped leaves.  Set aside.

2.  In a food processor with the motor running, drop the 1/2 shallot and walnuts into the work bowl through the feed tube.  Process until finely chopped.

3.  Scrape the corners of the work bowl to loosen any nut mixture that's stuck there.  Add the sorrel leaves and process using an on-off technique until chopped.

4.  Then, working quickly with the motor running, add 1/4 C olive oil through the feed tube and process until a green paste forms.  Add a little more oil if desired.

5.  Add salt and process for 1-2 seconds to mix.

If you don't have a food processor, you can make this pesto with a mortar and pestle.  It's just a little more labor, but well worth the effort.

Today's bounty included:

From Weiser Family Farms:  French baker potatoes;

From Jaime Farms:  Radishes, golden beets, green scallions, free-range eggs, hot-house peppers, dill, basil, Tuscan kale, and mint;

From JR Organics:  Sugar snap peas and sorrel;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Red sails lettuce, spinach, strawberries, and mustard.

Enjoy!

Shelley