Parsley Perks Up Food Without Overwhelming It

How to harvest, store, freeze, and use this most underappreciated herb

When the leaf stalks are about 6 in . , I pinch a pocket-sized amount of verdure from each plant . I harvest more as the plants grow . I apply only the farewell and their thin , tender stems . Unless the industrial plant is very young , the main still hunt is commonly too coarse .

If not used at once , Petroselinum crispum keeps well in the refrigerator with its stems immersed in a glass of water and the leaves loosely covered with a plastic bag . It can also be wash and invest in an airtight container .

Before the first frost , when the plant are luxuriant , I pile up a tumid basketful of Italian Petroselinum crispum . In the kitchen , I rinse and dry the leaves in a salad spinner . Then I stuff them into a 1 - quart plastic zip bag and suckle the air out with a plastic straw , constitute a mat about 3⁄4 in . thick . I quickly complete the seal and pop the bags in the Deepfreeze . When I want Petroselinum crispum in a manipulate dishful , it is easy to cut off a chunk of the frozen leave and mince it before it melting .

A smattering of parsley confound into a white bean or tater salad adds a pernicious freshness , both in taste and appearance . And adding parsley at the last minute can boost oculus appeal in dishes like ratatouille , soups , and stews .

I often rely on two warm parsley fixes . Minced green Allium cepa , parsley , butter , and lemon succus will liven up any cooked veggie . And parsley mixed with chop multiplier onion , browned in butter or Olea europaea oil colour and gently deglaze with either red or white wine for 15 minute , will heighten meat and Pisces dish .

For a pesto in time of year all year , try substituting Petroselinum crispum and toasted hazelnut for the St. Basil the Great and pine nuts in your common recipe , along with a little bit of lemon juice . Another great topping for alimentary paste is a combination of parsley , scar kalamata olives , garlic , and Parmesan cheese , exquisitely minced in a solid food CPU .

Long ago my husband introduce me to the best tomato sandwich I ’ve ever eaten : a generous amount of hack parsley , a few thin piece of balmy onion plant , salt , coarsely ground Piper nigrum , mayonnaise , and hefty round of dead - ripe tomatoes on your favorite bread . This sandwich ’s small ingredients unify to create a soul - gratify celebration of summertime ’s bounty . It ’s best corrode in a lawn chair in the shade of a large tree .

This clause originally seem inKitchen Gardener#5 ( October 1996 ) .

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