Sparsely seen wonder green

Fresh parsley deserves a starring role

Flat-leaf parsley

Photo by Kelly Brant
Flat-leaf parsley Photo by Kelly Brant

There are two kinds of cooks in this country, the reductionist in me argues: the parsley pushers and the parsley-ambivalent.

I was led to that generalization through an exchange I had with a friend last year, one of many in which he called asking for cooking advice. On this occasion, I don’t recall what he was preparing or what the dilemma of the moment was, but I do remember asking whether he had parsley in the house, thinking I was onto an easy solution.

His response: “I don’t really buy parsley. I mean, what’s the point?”

Well-intentioned food writers have been trying for decades to rescue parsley from the American cook’s indifference. One of the earliest attempts was in 1952, when The New York Times printed a piece championing parsley’s unsung virtues with the headline, “May Opens Season of Parsley Abundance - Herb Has Many Uses Besides as Garnish.”

Despite the media cheerleading, the message doesn’t seem to stick. Or perhaps our shifting appreciation for it is, like parsley itself, too low-key.

Elsewhere in the world, parsley is in no need of marketing. It is not just appreciated but ubiquitous in the Middle East, perhaps best illustrated by tabbouleh. In its traditional Lebanese form, the parsley, not the cracked wheat, forms the backbone of the salad.

In France, parsley starts dishes and finishes them. It is an essential component of the aromatic foundation that is a bouquet garni, and it defines persillade, the mixture of finely minced garlic and parsley that’s used to add a bloom of flavor at the end of cooking. With garlic and lemon it is gremolata, Italy’s answer to persillade. Add onion, capers, anchovies and olive oil and it’s salsa verde, an Italian condiment so versatile and compelling it would do any cook good to stock a batch in the refrigerator at all times.

Parsley once stood taller in the American kitchen. Thomas Jefferson grew curly and flat-leaf varieties at Monticello, and cooks of his era were wise to the prudence of using parsley in cooking, and with a generous hand. For specifics I contacted Omnivore Books in San Francisco, where owner Celia Sack curates a few shelves’ worth of early-American cookbooks. Assistant Kate King e-mailed me to say that a number of those early cookery books called for parsley extensively in soups and stews - by the handful in a recipe for pigeon soup from The Practical Housewife, printed in 1860; as part of an aromatic base for Mary Randolph’s Mock Turtle Soup of Calf’s Head in The Virginia Housewife (1824).

Contemporary cookbooks, particularly those with leanings toward Europe and the Mediterranean, foster a broader view. But their message competes with a more ingrained attitude: Parsley is pretty, not to be taken seriously. Which is curious, because parsley is a workhorse.

In Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal: Cooking With Economy and Grace (Scribner, 2012), the author urges readers to buy parsley whenever possible because, she notes, “Everything needs parsley.” Recently, she told me: “Think about when parsley is great. It’s great when it’s used copiously, and it’s great when it’s used in conjunction with garlic. Parsley kind of needs a little buddy to reach its full potential.”

So buy parsley often, and cook with it frequently; it is too agreeable an herb to wait for a recipe’s permission to use it. If you want more than a hint of liveliness, use more parsley. It is difficult to overdo it. Scrambled eggs, new potatoes and grainy salads all agree.

Parsley is splendid as a garnish, and it is a functional one. Depending on the dish, liberal applications of parsley to something already on the plate can be invigorating, particularly with dishes that threaten monotony after one too many bites. What might seem excessive garnish at the outset can materialize in lilting, restorative breaths.

For cooking, flat-leaf varieties are a little more versatile than the curly kind; their flavor is deeper and sweeter, the leaves generally more tender. Curly parsley can be lovely in a salad, fried or roasted whole, or, it goes without saying, as a garnish. But it must be in top form. Past its prime, curly parsley begins to taste unpleasantly grassy and takes on a plastic texture that won’t win anyone over.

Regardless of the variety, when you’re shopping for parsley, always look for deep green leaves and healthy stems. (The leaves may be more or less robust, depending upon the variety, but they should always be tender.) Parsley that has begun to yellow will be insipid. There’s no use for it anywhere, even in stocks and broths.

Parsley and Butter Lettuce With Grapefruit-Shallot Dressing 1 pound tender lettuce such

as bibb or butterhead,

separated into leaves ½ cup packed flat-leaf parsley

leaves 2 tablespoons minced shallot 2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit

juice OR lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt, or more as

needed 3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin

olive oil◊teaspoon ground black

pepper 4 ounces manchego or

garrotxa or other Spanish

cheese, optional

Rinse the lettuce and parsley in a large bowl of cold water.

Drain, dry and place in a mixing bowl.

Combine the shallot, grapefruit juice and salt in a small bowl; let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the oil;

season with pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing over the lettuce and parsley. Gently toss the salad, making sure the greens are evenly coated. Taste a leaf for salt and pepper, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Divide among individual plates. Break the cheese into chunks or use a vegetable peeler to shave strips of cheese over each portion.

Makes 6 servings.

This is especially nice on a baguette, but toasted or grilled bread works well. Alternately, you may omit the bread and serve the omelets folded over or rolled up around dollops of ricotta, with the parsley salad spooned over the top.

The recipe doubles easily.Parsley, Olive, Egg and Ricotta Sandwiches 4 eggs ¼ teaspoon fine salt ¼ cup packed, finely chopped

flat-leaf parsley 4 slices bread from a crusty,

country-style loaf OR half a

baguette, halved crosswise,

then lengthwise, for a total

of 4 pieces 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

use, plus more for brushing

the bread ¼ cup sliced flat-leaf parsley ¼ cup pitted, chopped green

olives 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice ¼ cup whole-milk ricotta

cheese Ground black pepper

Crack 2 eggs each into two bowls, and use a fork to beat well. Divide the salt and the finely chopped parsley evenly between the bowls.

Brush each side of the sliced bread with a little oil; toast until just barely golden.

Meanwhile, heat an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil and swirl to coat the surface.

Once the oil is hot, pour in half of the egg-parsley mixture (one bowl’s worth), which should begin to bubble immediately. Tilt the skillet as needed so the eggs cook in an even, thin layer; use a spatula to gently lift the outer edges of the egg so any uncooked parts can flow underneath. Once the egg has set, use a wide spatula to gently flip it over. Cook for just a few seconds, until set on the second side.

Alternately, eggs cooked in a broiler-safe skillet may be slipped under a broiler for a few seconds to set.

Transfer to a plate; repeat with the remaining teaspoon of oil and the remaining egg mixture.

Just before serving, combine the sliced parsley with the olives, squeeze over 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, drizzle with the remaining oil and toss to combine.

To assemble: Cut the egg into pieces or strips that will approximately cover the bread slices in two layers. Spread the ricotta on the bottom piece of bread for each sandwich and top equally with the egg pieces or strips. Spoon the parsleyolive salad equally over each portion of the egg. Sprinkle a few grinds of black pepper over the salad, if desired, then top each sandwich with its remaining slice of bread.

Makes 2 servings.

Pasta With Chickpeas, Celery and Parsley 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for

the cooking water 1 ½ cups celery pieces, cut on

the diagonal ¼ -inch wide

(first cut vertically if the ribs

are especially wide) 8 ounces dried pasta,

preferably penne or another

short, tubular shape ¼ cup PLUS 4 teaspoons

extra-virgin olive oil 1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed,

then chopped 2 dried red chile peppers,

such as arbol, pequin or

cayenne, seeded and broken

into small pieces 1 ½ cups cooked or canned

chickpeas, rinsed if using

canned ¼ cup packed, coarsely

chopped parsley Ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt, then add the celery; cook/blanch for 1 or 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to transfer the celery to a colander, and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Drain.

Once the water in the pot returns to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.

When the pasta is about 5 minutes from being al dente, heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add the garlic (to taste) and dried peppers; cook, stirring every minute or so, until the garlic is almost golden and the peppers are starting to brown.

Stir in the blanched celery and cook 2 to 3 minutes; it should be tender yet retain a little resistance. Stir in the chickpeas, season with the 1 teaspoon of salt and with black pepper to taste, and warm through.

Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of its cooking water. Add the pasta, the parsley and a few tablespoons of the cooking water to the pan, stirring to incorporate the ingredients and dislodge any bits of garlic or peppers stuck to the bottom of the pan. If the mixture seems dry, add more of the reserved cooking water.

Ladle the mixture into individual wide, shallow bowls.

Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil over each portion. Serve immediately, offering grinds of black pepper at the table.

Makes 4 servings.

More ways to go green

Here are ways to use up what’s left of a bunch of parsley:

Pesto. Replace the basil in your favorite pesto recipe with the same amount of parsley, and use walnuts instead of pine nuts.

Gremolata. Combine 3 tablespoons minced parsley, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 or 2 minced cloves of garlic. Scatter over just-roasted potatoes, steamed sugar snap peas, roasted beets or meats off the grill or out of the roasting pan.

Sandwich filling. Add whole leaves in place of greens, or layer open-faced with radishes or cucumbers and ricotta or cream cheese.

Compound butter. Work finely chopped parsley into softened butter; rub underneath the skin of a chicken, tuck into a baked potato or smear on a baguette, then top with radishes or thinly sliced raw asparagus.

Roasted vegetables. Add whole leaves to already roasting vegetables during the last minutes of cooking.

Parsley hummus. Add parsley, finely minced, to already prepared hummus, or add straight to the food processor if starting from scratch.

Parsley yogurt. Combine finely chopped parsley, a minced clove of garlic and a pinch of salt with plain yogurt; serve with poached eggs, braised greens, roasted vegetables or grain based salads.

  • Emily Horton

Food, Pages 31 on 05/15/2013

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