Parsley
A chef handed me a plate of crawfish etouffee. I took one bite and said to him, "You know, as crazy as this sounds, the magic ingredient here is the parsley on top."
"Fresh parsley, chopped and added at the last minute," he agreed. "In the restaurant, we call that The Blessing. Nothing goes out without a little bit of fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley or chopped green onions or both over the top."
This is one of the most underrated touches in all of cooking. Parsley has a mild taste, but it adds something very agreeable to a dish. There's a mild acidity (ounce for ounce, parsley actually has more vitamin C than oranges do), as well as a fresh, crisp, green flavor.
People who say they can't figure out the function of parsley are probably being subjected (or are subjecting themselves) to curly-leaf parsley, which is good only for deep-frying. (Fried parsley? Recipe coming up!)
Parsley is much more than a garnish. The classic recipe for oysters Rockefeller--the one that doesn't use spinach--employs parsley by the bunch. So does the lenten Creole soup-stew, gumbo z'herbes. On Middle Eastern menus, quite a few dishes use quite a lot of parsley. Notably, a tabbouleh salad has more parsley than anything else, along with lemon juice, tomatoes, and cracked wheat. Very refreshing.
If you have to cook with dried herbs, or if you have a dish that leans toward gloppiness (like crawfish etouffee), or if you have some leftovers you'd like to enjoy again. . . try some fresh parsley. It brings the flavor and texture right up without altering the flavor of the dish deeply.
Finally, there is the matter that parsley refreshes the breath. That's a minor point, but it has been used to explain the parsley sprig that comes on many plates (or used to.)
A few fine points:
1. Chop parsley finely, using a sharp chef's knife on a cutting board. A food processor beats it up too much.
2. Always pick the leaves off the parsley stems before cutting. I know it's tedious, but the leaves have a better flavor than the stems. Save the stems, though--they're a great addition to the stock pot.
3. As much as you might be tempted to get the jump on your prep work, never chop parsley long in advance. They quickly lose a lot of their fresh charm if they sit out for more than an hour. Forget freezing.
4. Finally, know what you're buying. Two other members of the parsley family might confuse you. Cilantro is now almost universally available in supermarkets, and usually displayed right next to the flat-leaf ("Italian") parsley. The leaves look different, but not dramatically. To be certain you've picked up what you want, just pick a leaf, break it, and smell it. The salsa-like aroma of cilantro is unmistakable. The other parsley variant is much less common, and more's the pity: chervil, whose leaves are quite small but still parsley like, has a subtle anise aroma and flavor.
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