Parsley fields forever
After a two-month absence, I returned home in October to find the vegetable garden overgrown with enormous prickly weeds and a veritable forest of flat-leaf parsley. I vaguely remembered planting the parsley seedlings in autumn, but it was still a shock to see they had turned into leggy, leafy plants that were well over a metre tall and nearly as wide.
It was extremely satisfying to dispatch the prickly weeds, but finding ways to use the parsley has been much more fun.
If you have a lot of parsley, or have a friend who does, these recipes are for you. accompaniment to something heavy or rich.
It does need to be eaten soon after making, but you can steep the onion in advance and store in the fridge for a couple of hours if that makes life easier. If you don’t fancy capers, scatter crumbled feta over the salad just before eating.
1 large red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced teaspoon salt teaspoon sugar
32tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 large carrot, peeled
2 tablespoons capers
2 loosely packed cups (or generous handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, washed and dried
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Put the red onion, salt, sugar, and red vinegar in a bowl and stir well. Cover and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
While you’re waiting for the onion to soften, shave the carrot into ribbons using a speed peeler or a mandolin.
Add these and the capers to the onion and toss well, then add the parsley and toss again. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss gently, then serve immediately.
Makes about ⁄ cup Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: nil
I can grow parsley like there’s no tomorrow but I can’t grow basil to save myself, so making basil pesto at home is a costly exercise (and that’s before you consider the pine nut factor). This parsley version makes an excellent substitute, with pumpkin seeds standing in for pine nuts, and capers a dairy-free alternative to parmesan.
cup pumpkin seeds
3 packed cups flat-leaf parsley, leaves only 1 clove garlic, peeled teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon capers cup extra virgin olive oil
Set a small frying pan over medium heat and add the pumpkin seeds. Cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the pumpkin seeds are toasted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Put the parsley, garlic, salt, and capers in a food processor or blender and whizz until finely chopped. Add the cooled pumpkin seeds and whiz again. Keep the motor running and drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
Scrape into a clean lidded jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Use this as you would any pesto – stir through pasta for an emergency dinner, spread on fish fillets before baking in the oven, or add to a cheese toasted sandwich.