best parsley recipes
Serves 8
30g fine bulgur wheat
600g firm ripe tomatoes, diced into small cubes
50g spring onions, trimmed and very thinly sliced
400g flat-leaf parsley, most of the stalk discarded, very finely chopped
70g mint, leaves only, very finely chopped
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice/Lebanese seven-spice mix
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
150ml extra virgin olive oil
4 gem lettuce, washed and quartered
1 Rinse the bulgur in several changes of cold water. Drain well and put in a bowl. Stir it with a fork every now and then to help fluff it up.
2 Drain the diced tomatoes, then put in a bowl. A word of warning: do not chop the herbs with a mezzaluna. This will only bruise them. Instead, use a razor-sharp knife, gather as much as you can handle in a bunch and slice them very thin to end up with nice, crisp thin strips. Add the spring onion and herbs. Sprinkle the bulgur all over. Season with the cinnamon, allspice and pepper. Add salt to taste, then lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately with the quartered gem lettuce.
English pesto
This simple pesto has been our lunchbox saviour of late – try it in a packed lunch. You can use this variation in sandwiches, salad dressings, soups and pasta.
Sophie Missing and Caroline Craig (Square Peg)
Makes one small jar
2 tbsp pine nuts
4 tbsp finely grated Berkswell or parmesan cheese
2 handfuls fresh parsley
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Toast the pine nuts until golden, then put in a jug or bowl with the rest of the ingredients and blitz with a hand blender until smooth.