Categories: The Culinary Chase

sorrel with pasta and pork

As a regular reader, you know how much I love our local farmers’ markets.  There’s always something new and interesting.  I have my favorite vendors I like to visit and one, in particular, is Offbeat Farm.  Sarah and Jamie are an energetic and enthusiastic couple and they love what they do – farm on less than one-half acre!  Last Saturday I picked up a bunch of their sorrel.  Jamie’s eyes lit up when I asked him what’s his favorite way to prepare it; on its own, in a salad, blanched where some of his recommendations.  I took a quick nibble from a leaf and because it’s a young crop, the taste was an explosion of a citrusy-tangy-sour mouthfeel.  I grabbed their last bag!

Sorrel’s lemony tang is perfect for the meal I had in mind.  I recently purchased a spaetzle maker and was going to make some spaetzle but it was getting close to supper time and wasn’t feeling quite up to the task (a recipe will follow, I promise).  So, instead, I cooked pasta while I prepared the sorrel and pork.  Dinner was ready in under 20 minutes!

sorrel with pasta and pork
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ lb. minced pork
  • 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 handfuls of sorrel, washed and roughly chopped
  • 2 to 3 handfuls short shaped pasta (farfalle, penne, campanelle, casarecce, cavatelli, egg noodles)
  • shaved Parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler)
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
  2. While pasta is cooking, grab a frying pan and over medium heat add minced pork and fennel seeds. If the pork is lean, you may need to add a bit of olive oil.
  3. When pork is nearly cooked, add garlic. Stir to combine. Add sun-dried tomatoes and sorrel. Combine until sorrel has wilted slightly. By this time the pasta is ready to be added. Toss pasta until well incorporated.
  4. Remove from heat and serve immediately with shaved Parmesan and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3.5.3208

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  Use about 1/4 cup of the pasta water to loosen up the meat if it looks a bit dry.  Sorrel is lovely in soups, sauces, with eggs, fish, and cheese.  Enjoy!

Heather Chase

The Culinary Chase was coined by my husband whilst in a coffee shop in Hong Kong back in 2006. We wanted something that would be a play on my last name and by the time we finished our coffee, the name was born. As long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed cooking. It wasn’t until we moved to Asia that I began to experiment using herbs and spices in my everyday cooking. Not only do they enhance the flavor of food but also heighten it nutritionally. Over the years, I began to change our diet to include more vegetables, pulses, whole grains and less red meat. Don’t get me wrong, we love our meat, just not in super-size portions (too hard for the body to digest). I always use the palm of my hand as a guide to portion control when eating red meat. If the meat is larger than my hand, I save that portion for another day. Also, if the veggies on your plate look colorful (think the colors of the rainbow) – red, green, yellow, orange etc. then you’re most likely getting the right amount of nutrients per meal. I post recipes that I think help maintain a healthy body. I use the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time I make a conscious effort to eat healthy and 20% for when I want french fries with gravy (poutine). Balance is the key and to enjoy life with whatever comes my way. Thanks for visiting!

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Heather Chase

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