Receta Pearly's Sorrel Recipe
I hope you all are
having a wonderful holiday season so far. It is cold and snowing here in
New Jersey (I moved here seven months ago) and all I want to do is stay indoors
and enjoy the scenery from my window. I figured I would take this time to
do a little gift wrapping, baking, and blogging since it has been quite a
while. Last year around this time I was prepping for my trip to Trinidad.
I spent New Year's Eve there with my husband and his family. Besides
loving the fact that I was going to be in a warm climate for the holiday, I
just couldn't wait to indulge in all the wonderful foods that Trinis make
during this time of year!
The first thing I
recall from arriving home from the airport, was being greeted with cold glasses
of sorrel and ginger beer- two beverages commonly served during Christmas time
in the Caribbean. I didn't know how to tell Pearly (my eighty-three year
old grandmother-in-law) that I wasn't a big fan of sorrel, so I just gladly
accepted the glass and sat down to relax. I took a few sips and to my
surprise, there was no bitter or extremely tart and syrupy taste that I usually
associate with sorrel. During the following two weeks there, I found
myself drinking a little more each day until I finally had to ask for the recipe.
Along with her recipe, she gave me some dried sorrel flowers she had left
over which I kept for use this holiday season.
What is sorrel?
In varying
Caribbean countries, sorrel is the name given to the drink made from the sepals
of theroselle plant which
is a member of the hibiscus family. In plain terms, the sepal is the part
of the flower that holds the flower petals together before blooming.
Source: Google ImagesWhen the flower
begins to mature, the sepals become quite fleshy and bright red in color.
This is when "sorrel flowers" become recognizable. To
make sorrel drink, the sepals are removed from its ovary, which most call the
seed, and then boiled with water and various spices to extract color and
flavor. The sepals can also be dried once the ovary is removed for preservation
and use at a later time. Sorrel is made throughout many countries in the
Caribbean and although the process is the same, each has their own variation
with additions of different flavorings and spices.
Sorrel sepal
Source: Google Images
There are many different ways to flavor this
drink. The few ingredients I've found absolutely necessary to make this
drink are cinnamon, clove, and sugar. The addition of other spices and
flavoring agents such as orange peel, bay leaves, lemon rind, all spice, and
ginger all depend on your taste preference and sometimes your country of
origin. I've noticed with Jamaican sorrel, ginger seems to be a must, but
is excluded in the Trinidadian version.
This is how Pearly makes her sorrel now, but my husband did recall memories of
her younger days when she used fresh sorrel sepals. He mentioned how she
would sit in front of her television and carefully cut the ovary out of the
sepals to make this drink during Christmas time. She is much older now
and uses the dried flowers instead. I have noticed the fresh sepals yield
a brighter and more neon colored drink, whereas the dried sepals tend to give
off a darker pigment. Overall, this drink is quite simple to make if you
are using dried sepals; how you choose to flavor it is all up to you.
Sorrel is served over ice and it tends to thin out as the ice melts,
allowing the true taste to really come through. Pearly adds sugar to this
drink after it has steeped since some prefer this tart, while others enjoy it a
little sweeter.
Gather up your spices. Pearly uses
cinnamon bark, but cinnamon sticks are commonly used as well.
Add 2 1/2 cups dried sorrel flowers to a deep pot with 20 cups
of water and all the spices. Give it a stir and allow to boil on low for
30 minutes. Side note: When this mixture started to boil, it reminded me
of a mulled wine I used to drink when I lived near the finger lakes in western
NY. We used to go wine tasting all the time and in the winter months I
remember going to Atwater
Vineyards and savoring a glass of a warm spiced wine, it was
quite delicious and had this aromatic intensity to it, similar to sorrel
when it is warm. Anyway, back to the recipe.
The flowers will be reconstituted and very soft after 30
minutes. Turn heat off, cover pot and allow to steep 1-2 days or just
overnight.
The next day, strain mixture and discard sepals and spices.
Add sugar to entire pot at this point or per glass.
Serve over ice and enjoy!
Makes approximately
- 1.5 gallons
- · 2 1/2 cups dried sorrel flowers (16 1/2 ounces)
- · 1-2 pieces cinnamon bark or cinnamon stick
- · 4-inch piece orange peel
- · 2-3 small bay leaves or 1 large leaf
- · Brown or white granulated sugar to taste
Directions:
1. Add all ingredients, except sugar, to a deep pot. Boil
uncovered for 30 minutes until sorrel flowers are very soft.
2. Let steep 1-2 days or overnight, covered.
3.The next day- strain and squeeze sorrel flowers, then
discard.
4. Sugar may be added to entire pot at this point or per glass to
suit your taste. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add desired amount of
rum. Pour over ice when ready to serve.
5. Bottle remainder and store in a cool dry place. No need to
refrigerate.
· Pearly typically uses a cheesecloth to strain and squeeze
the flowers after steeping. I didn't have one on hand, so a strainer
works fine here.
· This beverage needs a lot of sugar, start with 1 1/2 cups
and adjust from there. I used brown sugar which takes some time to melt.
The pot may be heated on low to help sugar dissolve then removed from
heat.
· If you feel it is too tart or syrupy for you, add more
filtered water and sugar. Remember you will be serving this over ice as well
which would dilute the flavor as you drink.
· Bottle remainder of beverage. Glass bottles are a
great choice since they are non-reactive and sorrel tends to stain anything it
comes in contact with.
· Pearly stored her bottles in the cupboard, in a cool dark
place, she never refrigerated it, but you may choose to if you like.