Underappreciated Ingredients

[shain]

17 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Parsley is one herb I'd happily never encounter again. It is, in my opinion, overused to tart up otherwise drab dishes. I never buy it or use it.

 

Have you tried it sprinkled over corn? 🤣 

Sorry, had to...

[liuzhou]

1 minute ago, shain said:

 

Have you tried it sprinkled over corn? 🤣 

Sorry, had to...

 

The only thing I sprinkle over corn is kerosene before applying a flame.

[Maison Rustique]

OK, apparently I need to post my parsley salad recipe when I get upstairs to my files.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

11 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

OK, apparently I need to post my parsley salad recipe when I get upstairs to my files.

You gotta have parsley salad with marrow bones!

[liuzhou]

10 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

You gotta have parsley salad with marrow bones!

 

Yes. That I agree with. It's not the parsley per se I object to; just the overuse.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

4 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Yes. That I agree with. It's not the parsley per se I object to; just the overuse.

Parsley has a bum rap.    It's not just a pretty face but a specifically flavored and textured herb.   it is a backbone of many dressings and sauces such as gribiche and green goddess.    IIn too many kitchens it is the go-to for a "throw on top of any plate that needs color".

[donk79]

19 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Yes. That I agree with. It's not the parsley per se I object to; just the overuse.

I think this is what formed the impression I used to have of parsely.  It seemed that it (usually dried) was sprinkled on top of everything, just to add color.  This was probably reinforced by the fact that the parsely flakes were probably 15 years old.  I seem to remember describing parsely flakes to someone as "food sprinkles," just there to make something supposedly pretty, but truthfully worthless!

 

It might have been my daughter that I told this.  😔. Oh well!

[Maison Rustique]

A little search shows that I posted the parsley salad recipe that I love in this thread. 

[heidih]

I have to back track on my dissing of curly parsley as I recall, back in the day, when iceberg was the salad "green" in many restaurants -  I'd often eat my garnish and offer to relieve a fellow diner of theirs. - just to get a hit of green. Ate it like Bugs Bunny. 

[ElsieD]

I prefer curly parsley to flat parsley, maybe because that's what I grew up with.  I love it minced, with carrots.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

How about mincing the carrot tops too? Nice flavor. Actually a lot of vegetable tops are underutilized, like beet greens, but you only get them if you buy from farmers markets. And if they're not fresh--ick.

[heidih]

7 minutes ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:

How about mincing the carrot tops too? Nice flavor. Actually a lot of vegetable tops are underutilized, like beet greens, but you only get them if you buy from farmers markets. And if they're not fresh--ick.

 

My Japanese farm stand used to give the beet greens to me for free. Very fresh. Usually harvested day before or that morning. Farm adjacent to stand. Stoopid people asking to have them twisted off and discarded. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

HINT: If your beet greens get lost in the back of your fridge veg drawer, refresh them in a bowl of cold water.     Shake water off and saute/braise them ss usual.    like new.  

[heidih]

10 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

HINT: If your beet greens get lost in the back of your fridge veg drawer, refresh them in a bowl of cold water.     Shake water off and saute/braise them ss usual.    like new.  

 

Always a good tip. but if they are damp and in plastic bag - slime factors in - unpleasant.

[Katie Meadow]

Funny how this thread became about overuse of parsley, when it started as a discussion of UNDERutilized ingredients. I'm not wild about parsley, but where would tabbouleh, zhoug, chermoula and chimichurri be without it? And I can't think of a good sub for parsley on the seder plate although there are other bitter herbs.

 

As for underused or often neglected, I suggest the following:

 

Verjuice. Lovage (hard to come by!), celeriac (yum, remoulade), mustard greens (sometimes a good alternative to the ever-present kale.) Think pickled mustard greens or pasta with mustard greens and pine nuts or walnuts. Oh, it certainly doesn't qualify as underused in my book, but chard is better than kale in just about anything. I wouldn't eat either of them raw, in a salad, though. Fennel, both raw and cooked. Kohlrabi, raw sliced paper thin and salted, or tossed into a stir-fry or a contribution to slaw. 

 

I'm sure I could think of more if I tried.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

@Katie Meadow it's interesting that many of the vegetables you mention are kitchen staples for us, but are indeed not the norm when many/most people grab. veg at the market. 

 

I would love a thread on recipes dependent on or improved by verjus.   

[heidih]

15 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Funny how this thread became about overuse of parsley, when it started as a discussion of UNDERutilized ingredients. I'm not wild about parsley, but where would tabbouleh, zhoug, chermoula and chimichurri be without it? And I can't think of a good sub for parsley on the seder plate although there are other bitter herbs.

 

As for underused or often neglected, I suggest the following:

 

Verjuice. Lovage (hard to come by!), celeriac (yum, remoulade), mustard greens (sometimes a good alternative to the ever-present kale.) Think pickled mustard greens or pasta with mustard greens and pine nuts or walnuts. Oh, it certainly doesn't qualify as underused in my book, but chard is better than kale in just about anything. I wouldn't eat either of them raw, in a salad, though. Fennel, both raw and cooked. Kohlrabi, raw sliced paper thin and salted, or tossed into a stir-fry or a contribution to slaw. 

 

I'm sure I could think of more if I tried.

 

Interesting. I try to sell lovage and grow it for sale in gallon pots but people just don't know it. I tell them to pick a leaf and rub it to get tat celery scent. Here mustard greens are standard. Fond memory of a young man with his list from grammy to make gumbo z'herbes  trying to find  the greens - he did - at our farmers market

[haresfur]

Cinnamon in savory dishes. Just a bit in a paprikash and see if your friends can identify the flavour.

 

Also Vegemite: umami secret weapon. 

[Maison Rustique]

16 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Funny how this thread became about overuse of parsley, when it started as a discussion of UNDERutilized ingredients. I'm not wild about parsley, but where would tabbouleh, zhoug, chermoula and chimichurri be without it? And I can't think of a good sub for parsley on the seder plate although there are other bitter herbs.

 

As for underused or often neglected, I suggest the following:

 

Verjuice. Lovage (hard to come by!), celeriac (yum, remoulade), mustard greens (sometimes a good alternative to the ever-present kale.) Think pickled mustard greens or pasta with mustard greens and pine nuts or walnuts. Oh, it certainly doesn't qualify as underused in my book, but chard is better than kale in just about anything. I wouldn't eat either of them raw, in a salad, though. Fennel, both raw and cooked. Kohlrabi, raw sliced paper thin and salted, or tossed into a stir-fry or a contribution to slaw. 

 

I'm sure I could think of more if I tried.

 

I have lovage growing in my herb cradle, but the insects seem to enjoy it more than I do. I have not used it once. I guess I'm just not sure how it is best enjoyed.

[chromedome]

8 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

 

I have lovage growing in my herb cradle, but the insects seem to enjoy it more than I do. I have not used it once. I guess I'm just not sure how it is best enjoyed.

What I've always told people in my cooking classes is that "lovage is to celery as anchovies are to fish and parmesan to cheese."

Think of it as a source of high-impact celery-like flavor, which you can use without the textural impact (and prep) of celery or in scenarios where celery's moisture would be unwelcome.

 

I typically use it fresh in soups or (finely minced) in green or bound salads. Dried can go into anything that requires a celery flavor, including dry rubs.

[weinoo]

17 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

celeriac (yum, remoulade),

 

I use this stuff quite frequently, to make just that!

 

[heidih]

Lovage we marketed as "Bloody Mary plant". The stems are hollow so the idea is to use them as your straw. Kinda like when I did a give-away of Naked Lady bulbs. The male guests got whiplash walking by and seeing my sign.

[KennethT]

I've always heard Lovage being called the "potato salad herb" as it's the predominant flavor in potato salad..

[heidih]

That makes culinary sense for potato salad. Also more convenient to snip fresh leaves than buy a watery whole head 

[lemniscate]

I would say celery leaves, but now that I realize I have never had lovage that I can recall, I'm on the hunt.

 

I do love celery leaves in salads and soups.

 

I love beet greens too.