Recipe: French Sorrel & Leek Soup

The little-known herb that makes the loveliest and most satisfying spring soup

One of my favorite spring meals from the kitchen garden is French sorrel and leek soup with fresh dill.

Bright, lemony, comforting, and deeply seasonal, French sorrel is surprisingly easy to grow. While it’s often confused with spinach - it’s actually more closely related to buckwheat and rhubarb.

This spring soup is one of my favorite ways to use it - simple ingredients and that unmistakable bright tang from the sorrel itself. It feels both humble and elegant at the same time, like something you might have been served in a small countryside kitchen generations ago.

Sorrel is surprisingly difficult to find in American grocery stores, but wonderfully easy to grow at home, especially in cooler climates. The leaves emerge early, bright green and tender, in early spring. The plant is hardy to zone 3, though it tends to struggle in hot, dry climates with intense sun.

Serve it with crème fraîche, clipped pea sprouts, and a crusty bread slathered with good, cultured butter.