Parsley is definitely the most widely used herb around the world. But too many cooks use it automatically day after day, finding it useful but not always inspiring. It is often used as a finishing touch to food, as the worst kind of decoration, with no link to the dish lying beneath its chopped leaves. This is an unkind fate for a herb with an interesting, aromatic flavour, which is an integral ingredient in many delicious international dishes
Parsley is native to the Mediterranean, but soon spread to the rest of Europe and gradually to most parts of the world. Parsley is a merger of the Old English petersilie and the Old French peresil, both derived from medieval Latin. This herb was once associated with death and in Ancient Greece it was used to decorate tombs. The Ancient Romans had a different idea. They not only ate parsley in vast quantities but they made it into garlands for their guests, to discourage drunkenness and also to deter unpleasantly strong smells.
COOKING
Every year I grow flatleaf, curly and par-cel parsley, but occasionally I also try Hamburg parsley, which is grown for its root and, unlike other parsley, is not a leaf crop at all. The best parsley for taste is flatleaf parsley, which is used in vast quantities in Middle Eastern and Asian recipes. That is why huge bunches of flatleaf parsley are on sale at Indian shops and in areas of most cities where there are a lot of Turkish, Lebanese, Algerian, Moroccan or Tunisian restaurants. Italian and Greek recipes include a lot of flatleaf parsley, too.
I use it in sauces like Sauce Verte, Salsa Verdi, Chimichurri Sauce and my favourite for serving with Osso Buco – Gremolata. They are all described on pages 142–3. Parsley is excellent in sauces served with fish and seafood. Many Middle Eastern recipes demand flatleaf parsley chopped finely with mint, like the Tabbouleh recipe on page 60. It is a relief to me that I have it growing in the herb garden throughout the year.
Curly parsley is often served chopped finely on potatoes and other vegetables, but when I have a lot, I make Classic Pesto (see page 35) and onion and parsley soup. Another herb I grow is called par-cel or leaf celery. It looks like large, tough parsley and can grow to 30cm/12in tall. The taste is a mix of celery and parsley and I always use it in cooked dishes because of its slight toughness.
GROWING
Growing parsley is said to be difficult and there are lots of myths, including the belief that you would get the best crops if you planted on Good Friday and that if you had success with parsley in your garden you were probably a witch, or at least a bossy wife.
I ignore all of this and make three sowings a year. I plant seeds inside in late winter to give me a head start on plants grown in the garden. When they germinate, which takes some time, I pot them on and soon plant them outside in the herb garden about 13cm/5in apart. It is possible to put three seedlings into one pot and then grow them together as one bushy plant. I also sow seeds directly into the ground in spring and then later in early summer, for plants that will grow through the winter.
Parsley likes to be planted deep into moist, fertile soil. It is happy in pots and window boxes if you keep it well watered. You can also use it, as I do, as an edging to beds of herbs or flowers. It is a hardy biennial, which survives bad frosts. In late spring parsley can bolt if it gets too dry. It will help to remove flowering stems and water the plants well. This will extend the period when you will have harvestable leaves.
Once parsley flowers become seed heads, the plants are coming to the end of their useful life and there will be few leaves available. But you will have new plants growing inside if you follow my plan of sowing three times a year; parsley that should be ready to put out in the garden. Parsley thrives in a sunny, moist position, although it does tolerate light summer shade.