Polish Sorrel Soup

Saturday was market day and Toronto is definitely a great place to visit the markets.  One of my favourites is the Evergreen Brickworks Farmer's Market.  It's more than just a market - it's an experience and it's impossible to leave there without feeling enriched somehow.  The vendors are all first class, extremely friendly and great educators.  It's not possible to go to the market without struggling over which slow food vendor you want to satisfy your taste buds with.  This should only be my worst first world problem.  On the trip to the market my friends and I talked at great length about the amazing breakfast crepes and how long the lineups were but so worth the wait.  Frankly, there isn't a vendor there who isn't worth the wait - seriously

When we were in Poland it was always pretty easy to find unique soups with a bit of a sour twist to them.  I had no idea what the main ingredient was but found out it was sorrel.  I found a recipe for this interesting  Polish Sorrel Soup  from Barbara Rolek, Eastern European Food Expert.  Barbara is my "go to" person for all things Eastern European.  But, let me tell you - this is not a grocery store item one finds easily.  I had all but given up when, as I walked through the market....voila .... sorrel!!! I'm sure the vendor thought I had really lost it; who gets so crazy over finding sorrel.  For those who aren't familiar with this ingredient I looked it up on Wikepedia:

 "Sorrel soup is a soup made from water or broth, sorrel leaves, and salt.^[1][2] Varieties of the same soup include spinach, garden orache, chard, nettle, and occasionally dandelion, goutweed or ramsons, together with or instead of sorrel.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} It is known in Ashkenazi Jewish, Belarusian,^[4]Latvian,^[6] Lithuanian, Polish, Russian,^[1][2] and Ukrainian^[3][5] cuisines. Its other English names, spelled variously schavel, shchav, shav, or shtshav, are from the Proto-Slavic ščаvь for sorrel. Due to its commonness as a soup in Eastern European cuisines, it is often called green borscht, as a cousin of the standard, reddish-purple beetroot borscht.^[1][4][3][5] In Russia, where shchi (along with or rather than borscht) has been the staple soup, sorrel soup is also called green shchi.^[7][8] In some cookbooks it is called simply green soup.^[2]

Sorrel soup usually includes further ingredients such as egg yolks or whole eggs (hard boiled or scrambled), potatoes, carrots, parsley root, and rice.^[1][2][9] A variety of Ukrainian green borscht also includes beetroot.^[8] In Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian cuisines, sorrel soup may be prepared using any kind of broth instead of water.^[1][2] It is usually garnished with smetana (an Eastern European variety of sour cream).^[1][2] It can also be akosher food. It may be served either hot or chilled.

Sorrel soup is characterized by its sour taste due to oxalic acid (called "sorrel acid" in Slavic languages) present in sorrel. The "sorrel-sour" taste may disappear when sour cream is added, as the oxalic acid reacts with calcium and casein."

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large peeled and sliced carrot
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 peeled and cubed medium potatoes
• 1 chicken or vegetable boullion cube
• 1/2 pound fresh sorrel, washed, stemmed as for spinach and chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh dill or parsley
• 2 hard-cooked eggs cut into quarters

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

• Total Time: 65 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings Polish Sorrel Soup

PREPARATION

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, place 6 cups cold water, carrots and parsley. Bring to a boil and add bay leaf, potatoes and boullion cube. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter and sauté sorrel for 10 minutes. Transfer to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Remove bay leaf. Fork blend sour cream with flour and temper with a few ladles of hot soup. Transfer tempered sour cream to soup, stir well and simmer until thickened and just under the boiling point. Adjust seasonings.

1. Portion soup into heated bowls and garnish with chopped dill or parsley and egg quarters.

We finished all the shopping and it was time for our crepes - delicious as always and really quite filling.  I have a friend who is at the market every week.  He's an Italian from Venezuela who has this passion for all things Spanish.  If that didn't confuse you, he's now planning to go to Morocco and expand his offerings with Moroccan flavours.  Jose Arado who is the owner and main chef at Pimenton   is a total joy to be around and has a forever smile on his face and a big hug waiting for you when you come his way.  I hadn't seen him in a while and was very excited to treat me to one of his creations.  Don't forget, I'm full from the crepe but Jose's enthusiasm is spell binding and there's no way to say no.  He brought me this dish of organic greens with Spanish chorizo sausage topped with a soft cooked egg over the top and a home made hot sauce that was entirely "to die for".   Of course I ate it knowing full well I was going to be full beyond belief.

If you didn't click on Jose's site above make sure you do and watch the you tube video. You'll see an array of Jose's creations, his presence at the market and get infected by the amazing Spanish music and his love of food.  Enjoy!!

Pimenton

A chef is a most interesting breed indeed.  You simply engage a chef in a conversation and you get an outpouring of passion that's unmistakable.  This shot of Chef Jose Arato has passion written all over it - it's unmistakable.  Chef Jose is the driving force of Pimenton (the name is Spanish paprika), a gourmet and specialty Spanish and Mediterranean food store.  Also offered are classes in one of Jose's specialties - Spanish Paella.


I'd been wanting to take this class for quite a while and finally all the stars were aligned and I attended a class in the Art of Making Spanish Paella.  This dish is not so intuitive; there's a process to making an incredible paella.  


I expected to learn something.  That was my only expectation.  What I got was a full package.  When I arrived, I was greeted by a very warm and hospitable man in a green and red chef's garb.  At first I thought - Oh..it's Santa Clause, but then I figured out that the colours are a theme of the colours of peppers.    Jose (as he's preferred to be called; as opposed to Chef) had a full table of appetizers ready for us;

We learned about the different sizes of paella pans; the configuration and the importance of having even heat when cooking your paella.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped coarsely
Pinch saffron, infused
4 chicken breasts cut up
2 squid, cleaned, cut into rings
16 small clams, soaked to remove sand
16 shrimp, shelled and deveined
Spanish Oil as needed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
Sofrito * see recipe below
3 cups Bomba rice
6 1/2 cup Chicken or Fish broth, hot
1 tablespoon salt (or more as needed)
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 lemon
2 sweet roasted red peppers
2 dozen mussels, steamed
Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. Place 1/2 cup of stock in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, and add the saffron and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside. This step is only necessary if your saffron is not dried enough.

2. In a mortar and pestle or small food processor, mash the garlic, parsley and some course salt to a paste. Set aside

3. Heat 6 tablespoons of oil in a paella pan and add the shrimp. Cook briefly and then add the clams and squid. Remove from paella pan. Add more oil if necessary, as dry paella can result if there isn't enough oil. Add the onions, pepper and when these are soft but not brown. It’s time to add the sofrito, and the garlic/parsley & saffron mixtures. Add enough stock to come up the rivets of the paella pan. Bring to a boil. Squeeze the lemon and season the paella at this point.

I asked about the rice used for paella and was quickly met with the answer "Bomba rice is the ONLY rice for good paella".  The reason - this rice, grown without pesticides absorbs 30% more of the broth while having a lower starch content.

Just before adding the rice, chef seasoned the paella with a goodly amount of salt.  It's what makes the flavour pop.  This is probably the one area we didn't agree on.  The amount of sodium can be a killer and my preference would be to use a whole lot less salt.  I found the flavour as rich before the addition of salt.

Add the rice in one line and then stir to mix with the stock. Allow to boil hard for 8 minutes.

Boil overs are part of cooking, right?  Jose seems totally unaffected and takes it all in good humour.

4. After 8 minutes, add the green beans, peas and nestle the shrimp on top. DO NOT STIR, as this releases the starch in the rice. Continue cooking at a high roll for another 2-3 minutes or until the rice is no longer soupy but enough liquid remains to continue to cook the rice. Now, turn the heat to low. Place the mussels on the top of the rice and arrange strips of roasted red peppers on top of paella. If your paella bottom does not fit properly on the stove burner, continue cooking in a pre-heated 350F oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven when the rice still looks a bit wet. Cover with foil and let the paella rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley and serve from paella pan.

Sofrito (an aromatic tomato based sauce that forms the base of many Spanish dishes)

1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
Olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil; add the chopped onion and garlic. Fry gently until fragrant, about 6 minutes.

2. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and salt. Cook at medium heat until some of the liquids has evaporated. Blend with a hand blender. Freezes well.

The sofrito base, along with the infused saffron and lemon take this dish to a whole new level of taste.

How Gorgeous is This???

   

and lets not forget about this delicious gluten free almond cake.  The dessert was for sure above and beyond but absolutely appreciated.  Chef Jose began his culinary journey as a pastry chef and he certainly keeps himself in shape.  This was the second pastry I've tasted from Pimenton.  So good and I wouldn't think about picking up one of his cakes or pies, particularly for those with special food needs.

When not running Pimenton, you can find Jose cooking at Evergreen Brick Works Farmer's Market , catering large and small events and participating in community events.  You can see the joy of feeding people on his face.  This has to be a labour of love; why else would you get up at the crack of dawn, cook and bake in the shop all day, teach a class at night until 10 or 11 p.m. and then cater  and attend events on weekends.  Only a labour of love could motivate one to work so many hours and still keep that warmth and humour alive.

If you're in the Toronto area and are looking for fine specialty foods, a good caterer or a really fun Paella cooking class - give Chef Jose a call.  You'll walk away having learned something new and feeling like you got your money's worth.

Paella

The incredible flavours of paella (pa-ey-a) never cease to amaze me. The number of times I've had paella that didn't measure up also never ceases to amaze me. The real trick in taking this from ho-hum to incredible is the correct layering of flavour. Ok, so I'm not sure if even I'm doing it properly but the paella I make has always made me happier than anything I've tried in a restaurant.

Paella takes time to make. If all you have is an hour to get dinner on the table - don't even go there. Take your time, pour a glass of the region's wine - enjoy the process...did I say pour some more wine?


2-3 tblsp olive oil
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (I used frozen)
1 pkg of hot Italian sausage
2 boneless chicken breasts cut in chunks
2-3 chicken legs (optional)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion diced
1 1/2 cup long grained rice (uncooked)
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. tumeric
pinch of saffron
4 cups tomatoes (I used 2 cans 1-diced and 1-whole tomatoes)
3 cups chicken broth (home made or low sodium)
1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

I usually add mussels to the paella but couldn't find any this time at the market.

Process:



1. Soak saffron threads in 2-3 tblsp of water.



2. In a heavy saute pan heat 1 tblsp olive oil to medium-high heat and add shrimp cooking until just pink on both sides (not more than 5 minutes) Transfer to a bowl until you're ready to use them again.





3. Add another tblsp of oil and add sausage to pain cooking until the sausage is golden brown. Remove sausage to a dish/bowl until ready to use again.



4. Add chicken pieces and saute to get the pink out.
5. Add diced onion until translucent - approximately 5-6 minutes.
6. Add rice and garlic stirring to coat rice with onions.
7. Combine paprika, turmeric, strained saffron juice, tomatoes and chicken broth and mix, bringing up the bits on the bottom of the pan to incorporate to the mix.



8. Return sausage to the pan and mix everything together.
9. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed most of the moisture. Check every now and again to make sure the rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more chicken broth if necessary.
10. About 5 minutes before serving time, add the shrimp and peas to the pan. Stir.




11. Adjust seasonings, serve and garnish. Total heaven.