I thought of calling this post, “Parsley is for Wimps,” which may be a bit too harsh. Parsley is ubiquitous, especially with TV chefs. It is also on the plates in many restaurants, especially if the food is mostly beige. So, if it is really useful on TV and in restaurants, does that mean it is important to our cooking at home? The answer is, as they say, complicated.
Have you ever used parsley in a recipe? Have you left it out and not noticed the difference? And what was the flavor you were not missing? Some describe it as “bright and slightly bitter.” Others describe it as an “herbal” flavor. Okay, I don’t exactly know what that means either since many herbs have very distinctive, unparsley-like flavors.
Parsley is great color contrast for some food, the visual impact being easier to experience than the flavor. If we want to have that bright and slightly bitter flavor with a significant nutritional bonus, there are many green vegetables that are better than parsley and provide distinctive variations of brightness and bitterness to match the particular foods with which they are paired.
Take a classic white clam sauce. Add a half a head of escarole for two people and a whole head of escarole for four. For a tuna pasta recipe, add half a bunch of broccoli rabe. Add sauteed Swiss chard or Russian kale to your mac and cheese. Try adding a sauteed bitter green to your meatballs or meatloaf. Any version of fried rice can benefit from chopped leafy greens. Or sprinkle your rice dish with crispy kale (chop kale, toss with olive oil, and bake in the oven until crisp but not burnt/blackened). Pulled pork and garlicky sauteed greens are great in an enchilada or sandwich.
There are many more possibilities. And, it never hurts to sprinkle some chopped parsley on top at the end….hey, its pretty.