Parsley has always taken a back seat to basil, thyme and rosemary. Parsley is a workhorse and certainly holds its own with other popular herbs for flavor and pungency. So why has it been mainly relegated to garnish? Garlic-loving chefs are probably to blame. From the Middle Ages on they pegged parsley as a first-class after-meal breath freshener.
It’s time that parsley came out of the closet to claim its rightful place in the pantheon of herbs. Mediterranean cuisines, where parsley is native, have long known of the power of parsley. This bold, spunky, nutrient-dense herb should be regarded as a full scale green leafy vegetable not just an innocuous green sprig tossed on top of a dish.
The name parsley derives from two Greek words: “petro” and “selinon” meaning rock celery, apt because parsley is related to celery and has a similar earthy, pungent flavor. There are two types of leafy parsley, curly and flat leaf. In the U.S. curly parsley is most common. It includes a number of cultivars that vary from dark green and thick-leaved, to a heat-tolerant parsley with mild, fresh flavor and bunching growth habit, to a long-stemmed and an extra curly variety.
Flat-leaf or Italian parsley is more flavorful and pungent than curly. Taste the two side by side. You’ll notice a marked difference. Flat leaf parsley is essential for Italian, French and Greek food. Cultivars range from large, flat leaves to varieties with sturdy stems and a strong flavor to a dark green, fast-growing type.
German cooks use Hamburg parsley, also known as German parsley, for its large white root. You may roast, sauté or simmer it in soup or stew for a fresh parsley flavor.
With a couple of their key flavor-building techniques, Italian cooks reveal tasteful parsley use. “Battuto” is a raw, chopped aromatic vegetable mixture and “soffritto,” a sautéed battuto. Onion and parsley were the original components of battuto, with optional garlic, celery, and carrot. A battuto of some sort forms the base of most Italian pasta sauces, risotto, broths, soups, sauces and meat or vegetable dishes. Pesto and gremolada (made with parsley and garlic) are forms of raw or “crudo battuto.”
Parsley brightens and deepens the flavor and nutrients not only of stocks, soups, stews and sauce, but also of salads. A Mediterranean parsley salad can be a delightful change from the trusty lettuce salad. Create a spring-fresh parsley salad for your next picnic or potluck. You’ll not only be secretly freshening your friends’ breath, you’ll be helping take parsley out of its garnishing doldrums to the starring role it deserves.
Parsley-Walnut Salad
Great way to use a bumper crop of parsley. A perfect side with grilled lamb burgers. A cousin to Middle-Eastern tabouli.
Yields 4 to 6 servings
About 8 C. loosely packed Italian parsley picked leaves and tender stems
3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 t. lemon zest
6 T. olive oil
4 T. roasted, chopped walnuts
Place parsley in a salad bowl. Whisk together lemon juice, zest and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss parsley with dressing. Rest salad 30 minutes before serving so that parsley softens and flavors meld. Toss with walnuts before serving.
Classic Gremolada
To preserve its fresh flavor, Italian cooks stir gremolada, a chopped and dry or lightly moist raw mixture, into soup or stew at the last minute, sprinkle it over hot vegetables or hot pizza, or stir it into olive oil. Notice the balance of pungent herb, sparkling citrus, garlic and oil or nuts. Classic gremolada traditionally goes over osso buco (braised veal).
Yields about 1/4 C.
1/4 C. trimmed and minced Italian parsley
1-1/2 t. peeled and minced garlic
2 to 3 t. minced lemon zest, preferably organic
Optional: olive oil, toasted walnuts, fresh lemon juice or walnut oil
Finely chop each ingredient by hand and mix together or pulse-grind ingredients in food processor until chunky-smooth. Stir in optional ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice or nut oil into gremolada before tossing on vegetables. Season with salt and ground pepper. To improvise: Prepare a sage, fennel, celery leaf, or wild leek gremolada. Toss gremolada with finely shaved fennel, sliced ripe tomatoes or stir into vinaigrette.
Italian Green Sauce (Salsa Verde)
This sauce has a flexible list of ingredients, but is essentially a thick, fresh herb vinaigrette. Serve salsa verde with grilled lamb, chicken, or pork, steamed green beans, boiled potatoes, or with Italian bollito misto (mixed boil). Parsley, capers, anchovies, vinegar and olive oil are constants in this delicious green sauce.
Yields about 1-1/3 cups, 6 to 8 servings
2 C. packed Italian parsley (tough stems removed)
1/2 C. packed mint leaves
1/2 C. packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 C. drained capers
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1/2 C. cubed day old country-style bread or cooked and cooled white rice
1 lg. clove garlic, peeled
3 to 4 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
Pulse-chop parsley, mint, basil, capers, anchovies, bread or rice and garlic with 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar in bowl of food processor until almost smooth. With machine running, drizzle in oil. Add more vinegar to taste.
Season sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set sauce aside 1 hour to develop flavor. Before serving, taste sauce and season again with salt or more vinegar.
French Persillade (per-see-yad)
Consisting of equal parts finely minced flat leaf parsley and garlic (seasoned with salt and pepper), persillade goes onto hot food toward the end of cooking to maintain a fresh, vibrant flavor. Italian cooks use a similar combo called gremolada with lemon zest. Spanish cooks call it a picada and sometimes add bread or nuts.
French Fines Herbes (feen erbs)
Sprinkle on hot dishes at the end of cooking, or cook mixture slightly. Good in vinaigrette, on omelets, eggs, in soup or delicate tasting dishes. No chervil? Double the tarragon.
Yields about 1/4 cup
2 T. trimmed and minced Italian parsley
2 t. trimmed and finely sliced chives
2 t. trimmed and minced chervil
2 t. minced tarragon leaves
Mix together and use immediately.
Maitre d’Hotel Compound Butter
Compound butters, cold butter-infused fat, softened butters mashed or puréed with herbs, spices, aromatics, or fruit and a small amount of citrus (for malleability), are a popular French seasoning technique. Compound butters may top grilled, sautéed or roasted food in place of a sauce. This herb butter goes well on top of a grilled steak or chop.
Yields 1 cup
1/2 lb. room temperature unsalted butter
4 T. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t. sea salt
A few grinds fresh pepper
Mash together butter, Italian parsley, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. Make logs on parchment paper and roll. Freeze compound butters wrapped tightly up to 3 months and refrigerate up to 1 week. Slice off coins as needed.
Lebanese Tabbouleh
This traditional recipe is a Mediterranean appetizer made with bulgur, parsley, mint and diced vegetables. You may substitute or add diced, peeled and seeded cucumbers, substitute cooked quinoa, add cooked chickpeas or some crumbled feta cheese. It’s best to wash produce the night before and wrap in towels in a ziplock bag.
Yields 4 to 6 servings
1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. lemon juice, more as needed
1/2 t. salt, more to taste
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
1/4 C. extra-fine or fine #1 bulgur wheat
3 bu. washed, dried fresh curly parsley finely chopped (about 3 packed cups)
2 firm tomatoes finely chopped
2 green onions finely chopped
¼ C. packed finely sliced fresh mint leaves
In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in bulgur. Soak bulgar in dressing until plump and most of the moisture is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prep remaining ingredients. Stack parsley, tomatoes, green onions and mint in one side of the bowl with the bulgur, but don’t mix. When bulgur has absorbed most of the dressing, fold everything together until well combined. Taste and season with more salt, pepper or fresh lemon juice as needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Parsley and Romaine Salad
Use parsley as a tasty partner to green salad or alone as the salad. Leave the leaves whole or slice them finely. You can dress with a vinaigrette or with a simple combination of 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Yields 4 servings
1 C. tightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 heart romaine lettuce
1 T. toasted pine nuts
4 thin slices toasted baguette, rubbed with a cut clove of garlic and cut in small cubes
Dressing: 1 T. lemon juice whisked together with 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Bunch parsley into a ball and set on a cutting board. Slice finely with a chef’s knife. Repeat until all of the parsley is sliced; transfer to a salad bowl. Stack romaine leaves and cut crosswise into thin strips. Add to salad bowl. Toss in pine nuts and baguette croutons. Just before serving, toss with the dressing. You may prepare salad and refrigerate several hours before tossing with nuts, croutons and dressing.