Hello Spring! In my garden that means the parsley is up as well as the cilantro and oregano.
Parsley is a biennial. It lasts two years, shrinks back in the winter, and returns the next spring, lush, green and ready to make seeds for the next round. Start it from seed once and it will re-seed itself.
Cilantro is an annual that comes up early and loves cool weather. As soon as the heat turns on it will “bolt” — stop making leaves, send up a stalk, and put all its energy into making seeds. Cilantro seeds are the spice coriander, making it a two-for-one package. Start cilantro from garden seed or organic coriander in late winter.
Oregano is a perennial, meaning it lives forever. My oregano bed is twenty years old! Oregano is very, very easy to grow. Start with a plant from the garden store or a rooted cutting from a friend or neighbor. It grows well in a pot. Oregano hibernates all winter. I cut the dry stalks back to the ground. By mid-April it’s back and flourishes all through summer and fall, when I cut and dry it for concentrated seasoning power.
These herbs are easy to grow in pots and carry a big nutritional bang. Parsley is a nutritional powerhouse, rich in antioxidants that strengthen bones, fight macular degeneration, reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer. A single tablespoon of parsley provides seventy percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K, the important bone-strength nutrient.
If you don’t have these herbs in your garden, you can find them at the Prescott Farmers Market. Ask your farmer. Then try these light, bright, raw green sauces from Italy, Morocco and Argentina. They’re all parsley-based and similar, yet distinctive. I can’t make up my mind which one I like best, so I tested all three on my husband. They come together the same way, thrown into a food processor or blender and buzzed.
For Italian Salsa Verde use 1½ cups packed flat-leaf parsley, 3 peeled garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons capers, 5 anchovy fillets, 5 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and ½ cup each extra-virgin olive oil and water.
For Moroccan Chermoula use 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and ½ cup packed flat-leaf parsley. Add 4 peeled garlic cloves, 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste.
For Argentinian Chimichurri use one large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, ½ cup of vegetable or olive oil, 4 peeled cloves garlic, 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon each of cumin and kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon each of red-pepper flakes and black pepper.
All recipes make about two cups. For each, put everything into a food processor or blender and buzz till smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Rinse out your equipment between mixes.
These sauces keep well in the refrigerator and are great in soups, on eggs, potatoes, pasta or vegetables. They are delicious as a marinade or sauce for meat, chicken or fish, as a dip, salad dressing or spread on sandwiches.
I made them all last night and taste-tested them on Mushroom-Pecan Fried Rice with Sliced Oranges and Tomatoes. For this simple dish you’ll need 2-3 cups of cold rice. Coarsely chop one pound of brown mushrooms and ½ cup pecans or walnuts. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a wide skillet and slowly sauté the mushrooms and nuts, stirring constantly till the mushrooms are wilted and the nuts are toasted. Add the rice along with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir until mixed and the rice is heated through. Crack in one or two eggs and continue to stir over medium heat till the eggs set. Remove from heat, taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve with sliced tomatoes, peeled, sliced oranges, and of course all three sauces to savor and compare.
Chef Molly Beverly is Prescott's leading creative food activist and teacher. Photos by Gary Beverly.
