Sorrel

Sorrel is a rich green acidic-tasting salad herb or green vegetable that looks and behaves rather like a cross between a dock and a smallish pointed-leaved type of spinach.

It grows abundantly in the wild in Ireland, and the tender young leaves are coming up everywhere in sun-dappled woodland and verges at this time of year (spring).

You can forage for wild sorrel, of course, or you might even find it on sale from good greengrocers, specialist organic suppliers or farmers' markets. However, when you see sorrel for sale it is much more likely to be the cultivated variety, which you could also grow yourself; seeds are available from garden centres and this is a good time to sow them.

It is a perennial and comes up each spring; it can be harvested at any time when the leaves are growing strongly then you cut it back when it flowers, before it goes to seed.

Sorrel is highly-prized by chefs for its refreshing acidic tang. It can be cooked in virtually all the ways suitable for spinach or lettuce and at this time of year, when the leaves are tender, they can be used raw in salads, or chopped into egg sandwiches or fillings - the classic dish 'green eggs' is made by mashing the yolks hard-boiled eggs with a purée of sorrel cooked gently in butter and cream cheese, seasoning and piling the mixture back into the egg whites before serving with a crisp green salad; like spinach, it has an affiliation with nutmeg which is often used when seasoning sorrel.

It can be used as a filling for omelettes, goes well with fish or poultry (in stuffings or sauces) and also makes a lovely spring soup, perhaps with other green leaves like lettuce, spinach and watercress - or other wild leaves like young dandelions or nettles.

Thanks to its acidity and lemony tang, it works especially well with oily fish such as trout and salmon – making it a perfect ingredient for a mixed leaf garnish to serve with smoked salmon, for example.