Sorrel Soup - with Borscht and Kapusta - forms the holy trinity of Eastern European soups for us -
Dad made all three frequently. Defining here is a good pork stock, sorrell (or spinach leaves),
boiled eggs, potatoes and dill (Peter).

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Sorrel Soup

Also known as "green borscht" (although not in my house) you don't have to use sorrel - spinach or chard leaves work as well. But if using them add the juice of one large lemon (to match sorrel's acidity).

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter or oil
3 medium onions (fried)
4 cloves garlic
Third to a half a pot of stock (see below)
6 eggs - hard boiled
4 medium potatoes
6 carrots
3-5 cups loosely packed chopped sorrel leaves - or spinach or chard leaves.
1-2 cups loosely packed chopped Italian parsley
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper
Dill
Sour cream
Crusty bread and garlic for garlic toast maybe

Method

1. Cut onions kinda small and add to the butter or oil in your soup pot and heat.  After 5 minutes or add the crushed garlic.

2. Put on a medium pot of water for the eggs.  When boiling, add eggs, bring back to boil and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Tip in your stock

4. Cut carrots and potatoes into morsels suitable for a soup spoon or the size of your eater's mouths and add. Heat and gently boil for 8 minutes or so.

5. Use your hand blender and blend up about a quarter of the soup to improve texture and thickness.

Sorrel (or chard) parsley and dill.

6. Add sorrel leaves (or spinach or chard) chopped into pieces around 1/4" x 2".  Wait about 5 minute then add chopped parsley and the eggs cut into eighths.

 7. Now add about 3 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons ground pepper and the lemon juice (if using chard or spinach).  Test for flavor: it should be pleasingly salty and slightly tangy. Add more salt or lemon as needed.

8. Serve with dill, sour cream and garlic bread.

Sorrel in my garden

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Stock: 3 options:

1. Shop-bought (Trader Joe's) beef stock (2 cartons).
2. Four large beef bullion cubes dissolved in water.
3. Traditional pork stock...
   

Traditional pork stock

Two or three smoked pork (ham) hocks boiled gently in half a pot of water for 90 minutes or so.  Remove, strain, place stock in fridge overnight, scoop off fat before using. Cut up meat from pork hocks (if any) and add to soup at the end.

For sorrel soup (and borscht & kapusta) best to use a nice strong pork stock.