10 Parsley Recipes

Every summer I plant an herb garden, usually in small pots that sit right outside my kitchen door.  I typically grow basil, thyme, dill, chives, oregano and parsley. This year I ended up with two pots of parsley and they have really taken off. I have found myself with more parsley than I know what to do with. In an effort to maximize this year's crop, I offer the following 10 recipes for parsley.

1. Tabbouleh salad - This traditional Lebanese dish is made with bulgur, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and lots of fresh herbs with parsley playing a starring role. Bulgur is dried cracked wheat made from the groats of any number of different wheat species. It is a whole grain, which means it is full of fiber and very good for you. It has a nutty, earthy flavor which is excellent when combined with fresh herbs, veggies and lemon vinaigrette. Most packages of bulgur will have a recipe for tabbouleh salad, but in case you can't fine one, here is a simple preparation. Put one cup of dry bulgar and one teaspoon of salt in a bowl and pour over one cup of boiling water. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for at least half an hour until all the water is absorbed. Mix together 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of good olive oil. While the bulgur is still warm, pour the dressing over it and mix it in, Cover it and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. The dressing will soak into the bulgur and make it delicious.

tabbouleh salad

When the bulgur is chilled and the dressing is absorbed, add the rest of the ingredients: 1 cup of chopped parsley, one cup of chopped mint, one cucumber (peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces), two medium tomatoes (poke some of the seeds out so your salad isn't too watery and cut them into small pieces), two or three chopped green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and put it back in the fridge for an hour.

2. Chimichurri sauce - This thick, green sauce is an Argentinian invention designed to go with grilled meat. The main ingredient is parsley and it is enhanced by red wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, shallot and olive oil. You can also add fresh oregano or cilantro if you desire, but its fine with just parsley. Basically, a cup of finely chopped parsley is moistened with 1/3 cup of oil, 1/4 cup of vinegar and seasoned with a minced clove of garlic, a small chopped shallot, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. You can even puree it in the food processor of you want a smooth sauce. I like mine chunky. Its best after it sits in the fridge for a couple of days, which allows the garlic to mellow and the flavors to come together. It can be used as a marinade or just spooned over grilled beef, chicken, pork or lamb. It is also delicious served over grilled mushrooms and veggies.

3. Herb cream cheese - This is one of my favorite things to have in the fridge. Its good on crackers, toast and bagels. In the food processor, mix a block of cream cheese and a small log of goat cheese with your favorite chopped herbs, a little lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Parsley is perfect in here, as are thyme and chives.

homemade matzo balls

4. Matzo balls - To me, matzo balls just don't taste right without fresh parsley in them. I also like fresh dill, but dill takes a back seat to parsley in a matzo ball. I also use giant handfuls of parsley when I make chicken soup. Homemade chicken broth is not a necessity if you're craving matzo balls. Canned chicken broth will do in a pinch. Follow the directions on the package of matzo meal or matzo ball mix and add about half a cup of chopped parsley. When you make matzo balls, make sure you beat the eggs very well before you add the matzo meal and boil them covered in salted water. Once they are boiled you can add them to your soup. Trust me, your balls will be fluffy and perfect if you follow these tips.

5. Herb rice - Lemon and parsley go very well together and when they team up with rice, you have a versatile and yummy side dish. Put a cup of raw rice in a pot over medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter. Stir it together and toast the rice in the melted butter. Add a teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, 3/4 cup of chicken broth, a handful of finely chopped parsley and cook covered over low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. I like to turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for about 10 minutes before I serve. Fluff your rice with a fork.

6. Herb salad - We eat a lot of salads in the summer and they can get kind of boring.  Adding fresh parsley leaves to a salad really brightens it up. In this application, do not chop your parsley. Pinch the leaves from the stems and drop them right into your salad. Its a lovely surprise when you get that herbaceous flavor from a well placed parsley leaf.

7.  Shrimp and parsley - Parsley goes particularly well with seafood and shellfish. For a pound of shrimp, you'll need about half a cup of parsley. In a medium skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oil over medium high heat. When the butter is sizzling, throw in one minced garlic clove. When the garlic is just starting to turn brown, toss in your cleaned shrimp and saute them just until they are no longer translucent. Shrimp can overcook very easily so keep an eye on them and take them off the heat as soon as they look done. Then stir in the chopped parsley and squeeze in a little lemon juice. This is a great little appetizer with a glass of white wine.

ravioli with parsley pesto

8.  Pesto - Yes, traditional pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic and grated Parmesan cheese, but you might not realize that you can substitute any herb or nut that you like. Find your favorite pesto recipe and follow it just for the proportions, but try using parsley instead of basil and try using walnuts instead of pine nuts.

9. Stuffing - What is a holiday turkey dinner without stuffing?  In my opinion, its not a holiday dinner unless there is a bowl of stuffing on the table. My mother preferred bread stuffing and we always had a stash of end pieces and stale bread in the freezer waiting for her next holiday meal. This is another recipe that just doesn't taste right to me without parsley.  I can't share a recipe with you because I make stuffing using my senses, not measuring cups, but here is the basic rundown. Saute chopped onion, garlic and celery with a little paprika in a large skillet over medium heat until they are soft. Don't throw out the celery leaves, they are excellent in this recipe. Take your stale bread and pour just enough broth over it to moisten, but not to make it mushy. Add the moistened bread to the pan and saute it with the vegetables. Add a generous amount of chopped parsley. You can either stuff this inside the turkey or roast it in a pan in the oven until it is golden brown on top. Make sure you have plenty of gravy because this bread stuffing is best when its anointed with gravy.

10. Roast chicken - Want to add amazing flavor to a plain roast chicken? Stick a couple whole garlic cloves and a handful of fresh parsley inside the cavity before you roast it.  The parsley will break down in the oven and flavor the chicken from the inside.

Parsley is a pretty ubiquitous herb and there are hundreds of things you can do with it.  These are just a few ideas on how you can make it shine.

Chicken Soup

It’s no secret that good, old fashioned chicken soup makes you feel better when you're under the weather. Those "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books confirmed what we Jews have known instinctively all our life, that chicken soup is the elixir of life. This knowledge is part of our collective unconscious. It might be the single greatest culinary contribution of all time made by the Jewish culture. If it wasn't such a waste of excellent food, I'd consider bathing in chicken soup.

A friend of mine once experienced pretty extraordinary results from eating my chicken soup and she thinks I should bottle the stuff and sell it as a dietary supplement. Not only did it help her recover from a severe ear and sinus infection, but it vastly improved her state of mind.  All the research agrees that chicken soup seems to surpass other home remedies in helping to heal a variety of maladies, most notably symptoms of colds and flu.  Chicken soup inhibits white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response, which causes sore throats and the production of mucus. It turns out that chicken also contains an amino acid called cysteine that is released in the soup making process. This amino acid helps thin congestion in the lungs, aiding in the healing process.

However, it also turns out that all the other ingredients in chicken soup add to the powerful healing qualities of this most ubiquitous cure-all. Onions and garlic contain sulfur compounds that have anti-inflammatory effects. Parsnips, which are an excellent ingredient in chicken stock, are a good source of vitamin C and vitamin E, which boost the immune system. Carrots, a standard ingredient in chicken soup, are known far and wide as the best source of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, helping to fight off infections. Imagine vitamin A is the body armor for white blood cells as they go to war against bacteria and viruses. Celery, also a standard chicken soup ingredient, is high in magnesium and iron that acts as food for our blood cells. Celery also helps relax our muscles and is good for all lung conditions, including asthma and bronchitis. Parsley could be called a miracle herb because it has volatile oils and flavonoids that qualify it as a "chemo protective" food, which means it can neutralize particular types of carcinogens, like benzo pyrenes from cigarette and charcoal grill smoke. Even sea salt and pepper have healing qualities. No wonder my friend was miraculously cured when she ate my chicken soup! Who knew?

CHICKEN SOUP
6 lbs of chicken/smoked turkey on the bone
1 large yellow onion
2 carrots
4 ribs celery (with leaves)
1 parsnip
5 or 6 garlic cloves
1 handful each of fresh parsley and dill (about 15 sprigs of parsley and 3 sprigs of dill)
20 peppercorns
Salt to taste
1 can chicken broth

I have made oceans of chicken soup over the years. It might be the very first dish I learned how to cook properly. I have tried hundreds of variations and here is my tried and true method for making the best chicken soup, a soup that promises to cure what ails you. I like to use a whole chicken and a smoked turkey wing or leg for my broth. Smoked turkey is bursting with flavor and it makes the soup rich and delicious. You need to have chicken on the bone as the bones are what flavor the soup, give it the body it needs and add tons of nutrients. You'll need about 6 lbs. of chicken and smoked turkey to make a good pot of soup, which is a 4 or 5 lb chicken and one smoked turkey wing or leg. For the veggies, this is a great way to use up odds and ends in your fridge. If you have some old carrots or celery, they are perfect for soup. Since they will boil for two hours, the veggies are giving up all their flavor to the soup and will not really be good for eating once they are cooked to death. Also, make sure you use fresh herbs. Dried herbs won't stand up to the long cooking time and will kill the fresh flavor of the finished soup

I never peel any of the veggies when making chicken soup. The celery leaves have great flavor and most of the time I just cut the tops of a whole bunch of celery and use that in the soup. The yellow onion skin adds to the deep golden color of the soup and since you won't be eating the veggies anyway, no need to peel them. Cut your veggies into large chunks, get the biggest pot you have, put a little vegetable oil in the bottom and turn the heat to medium high. Drop all the veggie in and let them cook in the bottom of the pot until they begin to brown.  Turn them over a few times as they take on some color in the pot. Then add the chicken and turkey. I like to take the skin off my chicken as it adds more fat than necessary.  Brown the chicken with the vegetables briefly, then toss in the pepper corns and a couple of bunches of parsley and dill. Finally, its time to add the liquid and this is where you may accuse me of cheating. I use one can of chicken broth just to get a jump start on the flavor. Believe it or not, this one can of broth along with the water will add enough flavor so you don't have to cook your soup away to nothing. If you just use water, chances are your soup will be a little weak and you'll have to keep boiling it down until you get a good strong flavor. Add the can of broth and add enough water just so it comes just over the top of the soup ingredients. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover the pot and let the whole thing simmer for an hour. After an hour, remove the meat from the chicken, return the bones to the pot, leave the cover off and cook for another hour.  Strain the broth through a fine strainer and now you've got excellent homemade chicken stock. By this time, the vegetables will be mush and will have imparted all their deliciousness to the broth, so just toss them. I usually add fresh carrot slices for my final soup preparation. Once your stock is strained, add salt and adjust the seasoning as you like it. If you find it’s a little weak, boil it down until you get the strength you like. You can either use the chicken meat in your final soup or make chicken salad out if it. You can freeze the stock or just add noodles, veggies or even make matzo balls for a truly traditional dinner.

Once I had an ingrown toenail and I tried soaking my foot in chicken soup. Would you believe it worked? Okay, I lied; I would never defile the elixir of life by sticking my dirty foot in it. But something tells me this soup could heal even the most unlikely ailments.