Okay, okay, I know that is is actually now the 10th of September, but the link to this weeks boxes is here! It’s a busy week, what with the Royal Adelaide Show and getting the youngest daughter and her horse in shape for their three demonstration Polocrosse matches at 6pm on the 9th, 10th and 11th of September in the Grand Arena! Not that I would ever dream of using my blog as a platform for shameless promotion of a home-gown Australian horse sport. Perish the thought!
I noticed that there was a question about parsley on the Food Connect Facebook page, so I figured that it is worth having a look at it this week.
Parsley comes in two different types, curly leaf or flat leaf – flat leaf is sometimes referred to as Continental or Italian parsley. Apparently, curly leafed parsley has been favoured by some as the flat leaf variety resembles hemlock – not generally a desirable addition to the meal! Parsley is easily grown in just about any space and will reseed itself fairly regularly, thus creating a never-ending supply. Parsley is a great companion plant and is often used for companion plantings with basil and tomatoes.
Parsley is an attractive garnish for dishes and, finely chopped, is sprinkled over just about everything, but there are a couple of dishes where it seriously comes into it’s own.
Most of us are familiar with Tabouleh as it seems to be sold in just about every supermarket salad bar in the country. However, if this is your only experience of Tabouleh, then you are really missing out. Home made Tabouleh is a wonderful dish and easy to prepare. It uses cracked wheat, also known as Bulgur – which is wheat that has been boiled, dried, then ground.
TABOULEH
1/2 cup bulgur
juice of 1 lemon
4 tomatoes, diced
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 cups flat leafed parsley, chopped by hand
2/3 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Soak the bulgur in cold water for about 10 minutes, then rinse and press out excess water. Mix in a bowl with the lemon juice and tomatoes and leave for 15-20 minutes. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
Done!
The Italians use parsley in a blend called a gremolata which is truly divine and can really take a dish up to the next level. Gremolata is a mix of finely chopped garlic, lemon zest and chopped flat leaf parsley. It is traditionally served sprinkled as a topping on Osso Bucco, but is also great with seafood and other dishes, too.
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I have had parsley non stop since planting – it never abates even in the cold – it is wonderful to snip freshly into anything savoury !!
Love a good Tabouleh & my little tub of parsley has got a real bolt on with a little spring sunshine, its so nice to see spring here.
I love fresh parsley in scrambled eggs and since I told a friend about it, she just had to grow her own tub of parsley for this reason alone.
if you’ve a gluten intolerance, try tabouleh made with quinoa. Delicious, especially if you pour the lemon juice on when it’s warm.
Thanks for reminding me about quinoa in tabouleh, Nesta. It is on my list of things to write about in the future!
Judy, parsley compliments so many dishes, doesn’t it!