Wood Sorrel & Lemon Orzo

For whatever reason I have put off and put off cooking with oxalis, I think because I always assume they will be there but that is simply not the case! Reminder to use foraged plants in their most abundant season and make the most of these harvests whenever possible. Don’t take these short lived delicacies for granted!

We had a warm and damp spring where the wood sorrel (oxalis) was sprawling prolifically through our garden and putting up their pretty white pink flowers, it was a very pretty sight. I let harvesting rather late though when all the leaves were yellowing and getting small and the flowers were completely gone. I did manage to photograph one flower luckily and found a small patch left, the perfect amount for this recipe. Wood sorrel has a tart lemony taste due to their oxalic acid content which makes it delicious in any dishes where you would generally use lemon. I use wood sorrel for lemony hit cooked into a creamy sauce for the orzo and then I topped it with asparagus and tofu. Enjoy my fellow foragers!

Wood Sorrel & Lemon Orzo

Ingredients: Serves 5

2 bunches asparagus, woody ends removed

21/2 lemons, juiced

1 lemon, zest

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil

1 bulb garlic, minced

4 teaspoon lemon pepper, divided

2 cartons oat cream

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 cup wood sorrel

1 packet orzo, cooked

3 blocks tofu, cut into slabs

4 tablespoons “chicken” seasoning

3 teaspoons garlic powder

Directions:

1. In a small pan over a medium heat add a drizzle of olive oil. Saute the asparagus with the juice of half a lemon, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes until bright green and still crunchy. Set aside.
2. In a large pan over a medium high heat add a good drizzle of olive oil. In a medium sized bowl mix together the “chicken” seasoning, garlic powder, 3 teaspoons lemon pepper, and 3 teaspoons salt. Coat the tofu slabs in the seasoning and fry until golden on both sides. Set aside.
3. In a large pan over a medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the garlic for 3 minutes before adding the cream, 1 teaspoon lemon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, the juice of 2 lemons, and the zest of 1 lemon. Simmer for 10 minutes and mix in fresh wood sorrel at the end. Stir cooked orzo into the creamy sauce.
4. To serve top the creamy lemon orzo with crispy tofu fillets, asparagus, and some fresh wood sorrel leaves.

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