Thursday, June 21, 2007

Please Pass the Parsley Pesto


I usually omit parsley from recipes because most seem to call for just a smidge, and then I'm left with a big ol' bunch of green that wilts in my crisper before I can use it all.

Lately, however, I've cooked up a bunch of recipes from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook and I've found following her recipes to the letter is worth the effort. She likes her parsley, and I was determined not to let it go to waste. The solution? Parsley pesto.

Seems you can make pesto with just about anything these days--cilantro, sun-dried tomatos, artichokes. The parsley version is earthy and bitter and even more vibrantly green than basil.

I used this recipe from Food&Wine, but you could also just substitute parsley for basil in your favorite version. I tossed mine with yam soba noodles (their sweet, nutty flavor works well with the pesto) and zucchini ribbons. The leftover pesto went in the freezer, awaiting a pizza or maybe some roasted vegetables.

10 comments:

Kalyn Denny said...

Oh yum, yum. I just love parsley. And I just added a section to my recipe archives that inclues Pesto, so I think I feel a pesto post coming on.

Thanks for mentioning the sun-dried tomato pesto too, which I am still just loving even after it's been in the freezer all winter.

Brilynn said...

That sounds wonderful!
I'll be making this when my garden starts popping up huge quantities of parsley.

Jess said...

Parsley is a staple of my veggie bin. Ever since I got in the habit, I've finish off more dishes with chiffonaded parsley than I ever would have imagined. For instance, the other night I made a pasta with roasted cauliflower, leeks, pine nuts and Parmigiano, which would've been a seriously monochromatic dish until parsley fixed that problem.

Anonymous said...

I got loads of parsley in my CSA box this week, and they commented that it is known to aid in digestion, which is why it is used as a garnish...I've been putting it in my salads, but now I have an even better use!

Kara said...

Yum! Ok, a silly question - how do you make those beautiful zuchinni ribbons? I"ve never seen them!

Anonymous said...

Whenever I have a lot of parsley leftover I place it in the food processor and rough chop it or mince it, if desired, then freeze it in a tight lid container. This way I don't waste any parsley and it is convenient to use when making soups and anything else that requires parsley. Usually I buy three bunches of parsley and remove just the leaves.

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Excellent post, I've been practicing at home with parsley and you can do a simple and effective oil that adds another dimension of flavour to many dishes. Also a great way to make use of home-grown parsley.

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