Pam Corbin
LATIN NAME
Curly parsley: Petroselinum crispum. Flat-leaf parsley: Petroselinum crispum var.neopolitanum
ALSO KNOWN AS
Flat-leaf parsley: French or Italian parsley
SEASONALITY
All year round
MORE RECIPES
Chicken broth with parsley and celery seed spaetzle; Cauliflower clafoutis with ham and parsley; Quinoa with cumin-roasted roots and parsley; Crispy lentil and roasted squash salad with salsa verde; Spaghetti with whelks, garlic and parsley; Grilled langoustine with lemon and parsley butter; Grilled squid with chilli, parsley and garlic; Roast brill with air-dried ham and parsley sauce; Sautéed brains with parsley and caper sauce; Saffron speltotto with black pudding and parsley
Parsley is an indispensable ingredient. It is the most commonly used of all culinary herbs, its versatile, grassy flavour integral to many of the great kitchen classics worldwide. We tend to take this gentle, aromatic leaf for granted, rarely giving it the kudos it deserves.
Parsley basically divides into two camps – curly-leaf and flat-leaf (pictured next). Curly parsley grows in softly rounded clumps of bright green, ruffled leaves and is a stalwart of the English kitchen garden. The crisp, springy leaves are drier and slightly more bitter than the flat-leaf variety, but their robust flavour is perfect for a traditional parsley sauce. They are also fabulous fried to serve with fish: snap off the stalks and break the leaves into sprigs. Melt 50–75g butter in a small frying pan until it sizzles, then drop in the parsley sprigs and fry for no more than a minute until crisp. Serve straight away.
With its springy texture, curly-leaf parsley makes the ideal bed for roasting a whole flatfish too: sole, brill or plaice. Place the fish, skin side uppermost, on a bed of the curly leaves, season with salt and pepper, dot with butter (or drizzle with oil) and roast at 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6 for about 10 minutes per 500g. The parsley will flavour the fish while wilting down in the buttery juices – make sure you serve it all up.
Flat-leaf parsley has larger leaves, which are finer in texture and – of course – flat! In fact, it is similar in appearance to coriander, though it smells quite different. Native to the Mediterranean, flat-leaf is generally considered to have a better flavour than curly-leaf, but I think it is the lushness of the tender leaves (making it more like a vegetable) that gives it superiority. Flat-leaf parsley is a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines where it is chopped and tossed in quantity into traditional tabbouleh, couscous and pasta dishes.
It certainly pays to be generous with this herb, not least because parsley’s flavour is fresh and mild. But parsley also happens to be good for you, providing plenty of Vitamins C, B1, B2, carotene and iron. Raw, it makes a great addition to wholesome juices and smoothies. And flat-leaf parsley, lightly steamed, is delicious served as a vegetable – allow roughly 50g per person.
A member of the Umbelliferacae family (along with dill, lovage and carrots), parsley shares the fresh, savoury, celery-like qualities of its relatives. With its well-rounded but subtle flavour, this herb is as much about seasoning and balancing other ingredients as it is about contributing a distinctive taste of its own. It is the perfect way to finish dishes that would otherwise seem a little too rich, sweet, creamy or earthy. And the stalks are packed with fine flavour and perfect to use in meat, fish and veg stocks.
Fresh parsley is a core ingredient in many green salsas, sauces and seasonings. For example, it is one of the definitive herbs in the fines herbes mix – along with chervil, tarragon and chives – that elevates a simple omelette.
The French also chop parsley with raw garlic and turn it into persillade. This is lovely with small new potatoes – hot or cold – or mixed with oil and rubbed into chicken, fish or lamb chops prior to cooking.
The Italians use a little less garlic and add lemon zest for their fresh and zesty gremolata – which is fantastic scattered over long-cooked and earthy dishes to brighten their flavours. A capery, garlicky, sharp Italian salsa verde – so very good with plain-cooked meats, pulses and fish – would be nothing without parsley. And parsley sauce, an old-time favourite with boiled ham or poached fish, is simply made by adding lots of the chopped fresh herb to a smooth béchamel.
One of the simplest ways to enjoy parsley’s subtle seasoning charms is in beurre Mâitre d’hôtel (parsley butter), which adds a gorgeous extra flavour to simply boiled, freshly dug new potatoes, as well as seared steak, grilled fish, vegetables, pulses – or anything you put it on. You can even spread it on crusty fresh bread. To make it, add 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, a good squeeze of lemon juice, a little sea salt and black pepper to 100g softened unsalted butter. Blend together and shape into a roll. Wrap in greaseproof paper, keep in the fridge and use as required.
The only real skill in all these recipes is in the chopping. Make sure your parsley is clean and dry, then strip the leaves from the main stem. Roll these tightly into a cigar shape and roughly shred them, using a heavy chef’s knife. Then, holding the handle of the knife in one hand and the tip with the other, chop away with a see-sawing motion, traversing across the leaves until the parsley is chopped to the required size.
Growing your own parsley is the best way to have access to a plentiful supply of the freshest and tastiest leaves. Parsley can be slow to germinate but soaking the seeds in warm water for 12–24 hours before sowing helps get them off to a good start. Nevertheless, depending on warmth, it will still take 3–6 weeks for the bright green seedlings to appear.
Parsley prefers a sunny site with a rich moist soil, and must be kept well watered in dry weather. If the plants start to turn yellow, cut them back to allow fresh growth to come through – and it will. Although usually treated as an annual, parsley is a biennial and a good outdoor clump should allow you to snip a few sprigs throughout the winter. Second best to home-grown is the pot-grown or cut parsley that’s always available in supermarkets and most farm shops. So there is no excuse not to have parsley to hand – a kitchen without it is bereft indeed.
This big, vibrant bake is simple to make and incredibly parsleyish. You can use either flat-leaf or curly parsley – just be generous with it. Serves 6–8 as a side dish
1kg large floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper
50–75g parsley leaves (stalks reserved)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, very roughly chopped
300ml double cream
Sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
Peel the potatoes, halve if very large and place them in a large pan with the parsley stalks. Cover with water, add a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to partially cook. Drain, reserving 200ml of the cooking liquid, and allow the potatoes to steam-dry in a colander. Discard the parsley stalks.
Once cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes into 1cm rounds. Lay them in a large, shallow baking dish, in as close to a single layer as possible, mingling in the sliced onion and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
Pour the reserved potato cooking water into a jug blender, add the parsley leaves and garlic and pulse until you have a fairly fine, vibrant green purée. Add the cream with some seasoning and pulse briefly to mix.
Pour the creamy parsley sauce over the potatoes and press everything down so it forms a fairly even layer. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and tender and the cream is thick and bubbling.
Leave to settle for a few minutes then serve the bake on its own, with some grated hard cheese on top if you like and salad leaves on the side, or as a side dish to roast chicken or grilled fish.
