Schav, a Sorrel Soup for Summer
Schav is usually green, but I used a lot of red-veined sorrel in this recipe, which made the broth an adorable light pink color.
My grandmother Edna was 100% Polish, and she did not mess around in the kitchen.
She made all kinds of amazing dishes from the homeland, each more delicious than the next. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but one that stands out as her greatest hit is her version of schav, an Eastern European green borscht made with potatoes, onions, sorrel, and sour cream.
Schav, also known as sorrel soup, is a traditional dish in Jewish and Slavic cuisine, particularly popular in Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. The soup is known for its tangy, lemon-y flavor, thanks to the sorrel leaves, which have a naturally tart taste. Schav was typically made in the spring when sorrel grew abundant in gardens and forests. Its bright, refreshing flavor made it a staple in warm-weather meals, often served cold. In the U.S., Jewish immigrants helped popularize schav in places like New York, where jarred versions of the soup became common in grocery stores.
As with many traditional dishes, there are countless takes on how to make it best, but this is how Grandma Svorka did it, and how I do it today, though with fresh sorrel from my garden. My grandma used jarred Manischewitz sorrel from Pathmark, but I know she would agree that this is an upgrade.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Yellow onion
5 potatoes (Yukon Gold)
1 pound sorrel leaves (stems removed)
64 ounces vegetable stock (homemade ideal)
1 Tbsp red wine or aged sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
2 egg yolks
½ cup sour cream + more for serving
Instructions
Step 1
Put olive oil into a large pot or dutch oven and heat. In the meantime, cut onion into small pieces. Add to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Add to the pot with the onions and cook a few minutes more.
Step 3
Remove the large stems from the sorrel and cut the leaves into large strips. Add handfuls at a time into the pot and stir until the leaves wilt slightly.
Step 4
Add vegetable stock, along with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cover and cook until boiling, then turn down heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Remove the soup from the heat.
Step 5
Add vinegar and sugar and stir until dissolved.
Step 6
Put egg yolks into a bowl, along with the sour cream. Spoon some of the soup liquid into the bowl and mix the ingredients together to temper them.
Step 7
Once the soup has cooled slightly, add the tempered mixer and stir until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper as desired and serve at room temperature or cold.
Step 8
Add additional sour cream as you like.