Pass the Parsley, Please

I’m sick of stodge. I’m tired of stew, mashed potatoes and what food writers like to call “elemental” soups. I’m ready to eat something fresh.

And so I turn to parsley, an old friend that tastes like everything that’s fresh and green in the world.

Once, parsley was the only fresh herb I could find in winter, and it was always curly parsley. Recipes would say that “Italian parsley, if you can find it,” was better, but I never could find it. (And I’m still not sure whether it’s better or just different.) Now, of course, we get Italian flat-leaf parsley year-round, as we do fresh dill, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, cilantro and even basil.

But the availability of other herbs is no reason to ignore parsley. It is, after all, part of the classic French seasoning mixtures: bouquet garni and fines herbes. Chopped with garlic, parsley provides the freshness in Provencale persillade; add lemon zest and it gives Italian gremolata.

Unfortunately, parsley doesn’t seem to have much culinary sex appeal. Pick up a cookbook and look in the index. Is there anything listed under “parsley”? I bet not. It’s in the recipes but as an afterthought, a visual and gustatory pick-me-up for dull fish fillets and steamed potatoes.

Here are some recipes that will wake your late-winter palate. The soup, a thick, jade broth that provides a lot of comfort for very few calories, is served at JoJo, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant in New York City.

The frittata is a classic Italian dish. It makes a nice light supper with a green salad, bread and a spoonful of marinara sauce sparked with hot red pepper flakes.

I’ve been taught to keep parsley in a glass, with the stems stuck in water, like flowers in a vase. Put a plastic bag over the leafy tops and you create a miniature greenhouse that keeps the herb fresh and green for two full weeks.

JOJO’S PARSLEY SOUP

1 small onion, sliced

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 small leek, white part only, sliced

1 teaspoon butter

1 quart water

2 bunches parsley

2 teaspoons salt

Sat, pepper

Saute onion, parsnips and leek in butter in heavy pot. After 5 minutes, add water and parsley stems and cook until parsnip slices are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth. Blanch parsley leaves in rapidly boiling salted water 1 minute. Remove to ice water bath to stop cooking. Puree in blender or processor with parsnip broth and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

80 calories; 1,222 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.97 grams fiber.

PARSLEY FRITTATA

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups parsley leaves, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Lightly beat eggs with parsley, cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Heat oil in oven-proof skillet and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and cook gently 1 minute. Add egg mixture. Lower heat and cook slowly, stirring often, until eggs have formed small curds and frittata is firm except for top, about 10 minutes. Place pan under hot broiler or in 400-degree oven to brown top lightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 2 minutes. Place plate over top and invert frittata. Cool to room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

264 calories; 356 mg sodium; 430 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 0.31 gram fiber.