PARSLEY

I know what you might be thinking… “Parsley??  That droopy bit of curly green stuff they put on my plate at restaurants for no apparent reason?”  And to that I say, “Hell No!”  I’m here to talk about the crisp, fragrant, tasty herb that is amazing as a featured ingredient in the simplest of delicious dishes.

There are three types of parsley: curly, flat leaf (Italian) and parsnip rooted (Hamburg).  Disregard the last one – no disrespect, but I have never seen it anywhere and my research reveals that, well, I’m not really sure what the hell you’re supposed to do with the stuff.  The only thing I can say is that it is a root, kind of like a parsnip, may be used in Europe to flavor stews and possibly mashes well with potato.  As for curly parsley, I have used it in a pinch in place of flat leaf parsley, but in my opinion, it is inferior in flavor and less desirable in texture than flat leaf.  So, I’m going to focus on flat leaf here when it comes to culinary uses.  But, just so you know… yes, you can actually eat that droopy curly thing on your plate. 

Parsley is a funky little herb.  It is native to the Mediterranean region.  Because of its breath-freshening quality, ancient Romans used it at orgies to cover up the smell of alcohol on their breath and to aid in digestion.  I’m not sure what they were eating at those orgies, but, well, it has been documented, so there you have it!  In ancient Greece, parsley was considered a sacred herb and was used to adorn victorious athletes AND graves. It was also sprinkled on the bodies of the dead to keep the smell of death at bay.

As with most herbs, parsley’s use in medicine goes back many centuries.  Most commonly, parsley has been used as a digestive aid, but it was also used to fight plague, asthma, dropsy and jaundice.  Parsley is chock full of vitamins.  Amazingly, it has more Vitamin C per volume than an orange, it’s off the charts in Vitamin K, and is also a good source of Vitamin A and heart-healthy folic acid.  The hidden secret of parsley is in its volatile oils.  Research has shown that parsley’s volatile oils inhibit the formation of tumors, particularly in the lungs.

The thing about parsley is that it is somewhat of a pain to cultivate.  If you enjoy a horticultural challenge, soak the seeds in warm water overnight before planting in moist soil, then water, water, water and be patient.  There is an old legend that says that parsley goes to the devil seven times before it grows and that is probably because the seeds take weeks to germinate.  There is also a superstition that it is bad luck to move the plants, but that’s likely because parsley is difficult to transplant and should just be left well enough alone.  Parsley does not sow to seed until its second year, so plant it every year and you’ll always have a batch to harvest and seeds to plant.  On the other hand, if you are horticulturally challenged, go ahead and buy fresh, green, crisp parsley and store it wrapped in a paper towel inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to about a week.  Additionally, my mother-in-law trims the stems and places the sprigs in a glass of water in the fridge, which I have found to extend the life by a few days.  At any rate, don’t waste your money on dried parsley.  In my opinion, it lacks flavor and serves no purpose - unless you are drying the fresh herbs yourself and using it to make a tea.

I have already established that parsley can be used as a garnish and to aid in digestion, which is perhaps one of the reasons why restaurants started putting the curly stuff on our plates in the first place.  But, parsley is also an excellent additive to many recipes.  Try mixing a bit of chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley to homemade macaroni and cheese (before baking), mashed potatoes (before whipping), meatloaf mixture (before baking), jasmine rice (fold in after the rice is cooked but still warm) and potato salad (best if made in advance and refrigerated overnight).

Following are two of my very easy, tasty recipes that are quick enough to make from scratch on busy weeknights which feature parsley:

Ground Beef Stroganoff

2 cups uncooked egg noodles

1 T. flour

1 t. paprika

1 t. kosher salt

1 small onion, chopped

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 – 16 oz. carton sliced fresh white or baby bella mushrooms

3 or 4 cloves fresh minced garlic

1/2 c. beef broth

1/2 c. reduced fat sour cream

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Ground fresh pepper to taste

Cook the noodles according to package directions.  Meanwhile, mix together the flour, paprika and salt in a small container and set aside.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray liberally with cooking spray.  Saute onion to soften for about 3 minutes.  Crumble in ground beef and brown until no longer pink.  Mix in the mushrooms, garlic and flour mixture.  Reduce heat to medium and stir in the broth.  Cook until the mushrooms are softened, but not soggy.  Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and parsley and season with pepper to taste.  Stir the cooked noodles into the ground beef mixture and serve immediately.

And for all of you low-ingredient, 1-pot lovers…

Garlicky Corkscrew Pasta with Prosciutto

6 oz. uncooked corkscrew pasta

Fresh garlic cloves, minced (3 cloves if you like a little garlic, 5 or 6 big ones if you LOVE it)

Extra virgin olive oil

1/3 to 1/2 c. fresh, chopped parsley

4 or 5 slices prosciutto, thinly sliced

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan-Romano cheese

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions, but before you drain, reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.  Add the minced garlic to the pasta water to soak.  In the same pot that you cooked the pasta in, just cover the bottom of the pot with olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic mixture and sauté for several minutes until the garlic is softened, but not browned.  Mix in the parsley and stir constantly for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, gently toss in cooked pasta, prosciutto, cheese and pepper.  Drizzle with a bit more olive oil if needed.  Serve immediately.

I hope I have convinced you that there is a lot more to parsley than just as a garnish on your plate.  Go ahead, eat it!