SORREL SOUP WITH POACHED EGG

Sorrel soup is a springtime classic in Latvia. Sorrel is a harbinger of spring, amongst the first greens to harvest after a tiresome winter. Most of broad leaf sorrel (Rumex acetosa) I have seen thrives almost abandoned, nearly wild along the other weeds. Its French relative buckler leaf sorrel (Rumex scutatus) is too mild for a soup. No wonder the sorrel in local markets is sold by weight and it is cheap. Traditionally sorrel soup is made from smoked pork stock adding sorrel leaves, potatoes, pearl barley and garnished with a hard boiled egg and a dash of sour cream. I prefer oxtail stock which develops a strong flavour but does not overpower the soup with a smokiness. I like the sorrel tartness to dominate the soup. Its lemony tang delicately cuts the soft set white and runny yolk of poached egg. You can also add some other early spring greens - wild garlic (ramps), nettle or chicken weed to the soup.

First make a rich, slow cooked oxtail stock enriched with onion, garlic, carrot, parsley root, celery root or stalk, parsnip, fennel, different peppercorns, sage, thyme, dill and parsley stalks, bay leaves, juniper berries, orange peel and  mace.

1,5 l oxtail stock
300 g broad leaf sorrel (two hefty bunches)
150 g pearl (hulless) barley
2-3 waxy potatoes
eggs for poaching
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and soak the pearl barley for a few hours to overnight before cooking. Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Cut the sorrel leaves into chiffonade (thin slices or shreds) having removed any thick stems. Bring the stock to the boil, add soaked pearl barley, reduce the heat and simmer until it's nearly ready (al dente), add potatoes and continue simmering till they are nearly cooked. Stir in the sorrel leaves. Correct seasoning. When the sorrel is mostly wilted (it takes a few seconds!), poach the eggs in the soup. Serve immediately.