Parsley (Persil)

The "Queen" Cookery Books. No.10. Veg... · S. Beaty-Pownall · 1902

Source: The "Queen" Cookery Books. No.10. Vegerable
Status: success · extracted 4 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (1)

Parsley (Persil) ↝ Parsley, raw [Not included in a food category]

Instructions (14)

This is used chiefly as a garnish, either fresh or fried.
It is also a component part of the well known bouquet, or bunch of herbs so frequently mentioned in cookery recipes.
The stalks of the parsley are fully better for the bouquet than the leaves, which can in this way be reserved for garnishing purposes.
For use raw, pick the heads off neatly into little bunches (removing any hard coarse stalks), wash them gently, dry them in a very clean cloth, and use.
To keep parsley fresh and crisp for table, the stalks only should be placed in water, for if the leaves are allowed to steep, they decay very quickly, and acquire a most unpleasant smell and flavour.

fried

This, if well cooked, should be as green as when first plucked.
Choose the freshest and greenest pieces, wash them carefully, dry them gently in a clean cloth, or by twirling them in a them, then remove any stray leaves, and place them ready in a frying basket, and plunge them into the fat of the stove, leaving the basket, however, in the fat; let the latter cool for three minutes or so, then drop in the parsley, and heat the fat very gradually, till the parsley is crisp, which it will be in about a minute; then lift the sprigs out and drain them well on kitchen paper.
It is better to have the fat rather too cool than too hot, for in the latter case the parsley would burn and discolour, whereas in the former it simply means cooking it a little longer.
Be very careful when throwing the parsley into the hot fat to keep your head turned away whilst doing it, as the cold sprays often make the fat spurt up.

to blanch

Pick the parsley into little sprays, and put these into cold salted water; just bring this up to the boil, then strain off the leaves, rinse them well in cold water and use.

to mince

The parsley should always be well washed and very thoroughly dried in a clean cloth; it must then be picked free of all stalks, the leaves being pressed together with the fingers, and shred across and across as finely as possible.
Now collect this mince in the corner of a cloth, fold it over very tightly, put it under the running tap, and rub and rinse it in water till the water becomes quite green, then wring it dry again and use.
The little extra trouble this entails is fully repaid by the appearance of the parsley, which will be as fine and dry as dust, and of a vivid green tint.

juice

Pick the fresh green leaves, pound them well in a mortar, and squeeze off all the juice possible into a jar; stand this in the bain-marie, or in another pan full of boiling water, and leave it till the juice is warm, and then use.

Original Text · last edited 4 days ago

Parsley (Persil).—This is used chiefly as a garnish, either fresh or fried. It is also a component part of the well known bouquet, or bunch of herbs so frequently mentioned in cookery recipes. A point not sufficiently realised by the average cook is that the stalks of the parsley are fully better for the bouquet than the leaves, which can in this way be reserved for garnishing purposes. For use raw, pick the heads off neatly into little bunches (removing any hard coarse stalks), wash them gently, dry them in a very clean cloth, and use. Remember that to keep parsley fresh and crisp for table, the stalks only should be placed in water, for if the leaves are allowed to steep, they decay very quickly, and acquire a most unpleasant smell and flavour.

— fried.—This, if well cooked, should be as green as when first plucked. Choose the freshest and greenest pieces, wash them carefully, dry them gently in a clean cloth, or by twirling them in a them, then remove any stray leaves, and place them ready in a frying basket, and plunge them into the fat of the stove, leaving the basket, however, in the fat; let the latter cool for three minutes or so, then drop in the parsley, and heat the fat very gradually, till the parsley is crisp, which it will be in about a minute; then lift the sprigs out and drain them well on kitchen paper. It is better to have the fat rather too cool than too hot, for in the latter case the parsley would burn and discolour, whereas in the former it simply means cooking it a little longer. Be very careful when throwing the parsley into the hot fat to keep your head turned away whilst doing it, as the cold sprays often make the fat spurt up.

Parsley, to blanch.—Pick the parsley into little sprays, and put these into cold salted water; just bring this up to the boil, then strain off the leaves, rinse them well in cold water and use.

— to mince.—The parsley should always be well washed and very thoroughly dried in a clean cloth; it must then be picked free of all stalks, the leaves being pressed together with the fingers, and shred across and across as finely as possible. Now collect this mince in the corner of a cloth, fold it over very tightly, put it under the running tap, and rub and rinse it in water till the water becomes quite green, then wring it dry again and use. The little extra trouble this entails is fully repaid by the appearance of the parsley, which will be as fine and dry as dust, and of a vivid green tint.

— juice.—Pick the fresh green leaves, pound them well in a mortar, and squeeze off all the juice possible into a jar; stand this in the bain-marie, or in another pan full of boiling water, and leave it till the juice is warm, and then use.

Notes

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