Parsley: The Fail-Safe Herb

Vegetable dishes seem even fresher and livelier when sprinkled with fresh herbs. Most fresh herbs are expensive and highly perishable once cut; parsley is the big exception--and it is often overlooked.

Don’t take parsley for granted just because it is hardy, always in the market and inexpensive. It is an appealing fail-safe herb, always on my refrigerator shelf and consistently useful for enhancing flavors and adding visual freshness to many a savory dish or salad. More than that, if time is a problem you can mince it on the weekend; parsley will hold up extraordinarily well throughout the week.

Here’s how:

* Start with parsley that’s fresh and crisp.

* Wash the parsley, letting it air-dry completely on paper towels on the kitchen counter (the drying is the key to it lasting several days). Use your hands to twist off the curly tops, saving the thick stems for soups or stocks. Remove any remaining thick stems from the parsley leaves (a kitchen shears does this quickly) because the stems will be far coarser than the leaves when chopped.

* Put the air-dried parsley leaves into a dry food processor work bowl fitted with a metal blade. Process until minced. Contrary to other guidelines for effective processor mincing, a large quantity of parsley (in fact, a full work bowl) can be minced as perfectly as a small amount.

* Store in a plastic food bag, kept airtight with a twist-tie. Sprinkle on varied savory dishes throughout the week.