Skābeņu zupa, the one dish I am most proud of.

Sorrels. That is what is mentioned in the post title. Now, this is one of my most favorite dishes in the world. Mainly because it brings back nostalgic memories. You see, when I was little, my grandparents used to make this wonderful food of the gods. Whenever we would decide that it was time for the soup I was on sorrel picking duty. Now, sorrels are something that was not planted in our garden. They grew wild and in a lot of places. Between long grass and moss. Everywhere. Sometimes it would be hard finding enough at first. Other times you would have to pick a lot. That happened when the sorrels were still small. If they are big(today I got them in medium size) it is much easier but the taste is not so potent anymore.

Also, sorrels are like rhubarbs. After a certain time, they become too acidic for the human body. Generally, it is 23rd of June when you should stop consuming them. The time of midsummer. So, sorrel soup is most definitely a seasonal food. Do not miss the time to pick them! Also. The taste. Hmm. It is in the same category as rhubarbs. Sour. A little bit similar to sour loops(not much, though). You can eat sorrels just like that, straight from the field. Or, you can put them in food. I guess you could explain it like this. Sorrel is the spinach of Latvia. I think Germans will understand(you use a lot of spinach). Technically, sorrel can go in any dish but I grew up having it in a soup that my grandma and grandpa made.

It is an easy one to make as the taste of sorrels takes over everything. There is no need to be at the stove for hours. The broth is bound to be good if you use enough sorrels. Also, I did not buy my sorrels in store. I picked them. By sheer luck, I found a meadow by a river path that is full of the sorrel leaves. They grow in clusters and are distinctively different from other plants(even though people sometimes do make mistakes picking them). You can eat the leaves as well as the stalk that is more acidic. Most people do not put the stalks in their food. But I do. I love the sour taste.

Also, stay clear of sorrel, and plants in general, that grow by the roadside. The cars put a lot of s*it in plants there. And if it is a pedestrian walking area, make sure that it is not popular amongst pet owners. A remote area or a nice meadow is the best. You can also plant some in your garden. In the grass area. It doesn't mess up the view and is the perfect snack for kids. I would know. I had a lot of these in my childhood.

Next order of business. The soup. I made a huge pot as my boyfriend eats like an animal and I love this dish. But otherwise, I think it would be enough for six to eight portions if you use my recipe. Maybe ten. It takes around an hour and a half to make but you will not be tied to the kitchen most of the time.

Ingredients

around 400 g of fresh(or jarred) sorrels
3 l of water
6 large potatoes
5 to 6 eggs
1 small cup of pearl barley (for thickness)
smoked meat according to your preferences( Here, in Germany, they do not smoke their meat properly so I bought fresh pork with bone)
2 onions
salt, pepper, dill, leek, ramson, and some veggie broth mix if you want to add an extra punch to the dish

Sour cream for when the soup is in a dish

Now, it is important to wash your sorrels and make sure there is no additional grass in the mix. That will not taste good! :D

If you would like, remove the stalks from the leaves. I did not but I did not have many stalks

After you wash your leaves, put them to dry

Pour water into a pot and put it to boil, add the meat. If it is fresh meat, throw it in for a couple of minutes and then take out when it is slightly ready. If it has bone attached, take the meat out when it is slightly ready, cut off the bone and throw it(the bone) back in the pot. If it is smoked meat(preferably ribs), throw it in and leave until the soup is ready.

These are sorrels. I had some leftover ones so I froze them. Then I remembered that I should show them to you. The best way to distinguish them is by their ''feet''. Those two green little things on the bottom of the leaves. Also, the veins in the sorrel leaves are never distinctive. If they are, you have picked the wrong leaves.

Now, peel and cut the onions into small pieces. Add them to the pot

Peel your potatoes, cut them into bite-size cubes and throw them in the pot

Add the small cup of pearl barley in the mix

Take the eggs and put them in another pot. Boil until hard (10 to 12 minutes) then take off the stove and leave until the soup is almost ready

Take the sorrel and start cutting it into small pieces, add to the pot gradually. You cut a bunch, you add it. Take the next one, and repeat.

The sorrels will become brownish-green in the pot. That is normal. That is what happens with green things that are put in hot water.

Reduce the heat to minimum and boil until the potatoes are ready.

Check once in a while as well as add the spices that you think should be in the pot.

And, five minutes before switching the stove off, add meat cut into small cubes and the eggs that you boiled(also cut into small pieces)

And voilà. That's all folks! I hope you enjoyed this amazing, not so well known recipe. It was so lucky for me to find some sorrel as not many people here actually know about it. I hope you get to make the soup! And, if we humans ever run out of food, sorrel is the answer. Go to a meadow and be ready to make some life-preserving-substance!

I know it does not look amazing but, boy, it tastes divine!

I hadn't made a food post for a while. That is what I wanted to do. Plus, I am very proud of the Latvian sorrel soup. It is the best and nobody should be kept from its glory!

Have the best day! Today, tomorrow, and forever.
Linda