Take a Bow, Part One

Part One: Green is Good.

Lucky me, to stumble on the Bay Bass Band a few years ago at Old First Church. All these years I'd loved the bass, but never questioned its role as the often invisible anchor of an ensemble. Suddenly here was a band of basses, playing music written or adapted just for bass. And the music was great: the first time, I got to hear Francois Rabbath; the second, Ray Brown. But it was more than that. It was finding amazing music in a place you hadn't thought to look. God bless Barry Green.

I thought of that recently as I noticed a fine bunch of Italian parsley lounging on the top shelf of my refrigerator. Sure, I'd used parsley before--in green drinks, in Joyce Goldstein's wonderful Sephardic eggplant salad. Parsley has graced the top of that miso-soba soup we talked about a while back, and many other things, too. But like the bass, it had never been front and center.

Until now.

Parsley Salad:

For the salad:

Small bunch or 1/2 large bunch Italian parsley

For the pesto:

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1-2 garlic scapes, 1 stalk green garlic, or 1 garlic clove
Drizzle walnut oil*
Healthy pinch lemon zest
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly-ground black pepper

For the dressing:

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon walnut oil
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly-ground black pepper

Rinse and dry the parsley. Mince garlic of choice. Pound pesto ingredients using a mortar and pestle, or blend in a food processor, adding enough oil to achieve desired consistency. If you want to be more traditional, use grated Asigao, Parmesan, Romano, or Dry Jack cheese instead of the oil; you could also add toasted walnuts. I just used the parsley au naturel because I wanted it to be the star for a change, to take a bow.

Whisk together oils, lemon juice and zest and seasonings, add parsley and toss, topped with parsley pesto.

*Yes, I know pesto usually has more oil. But remember, this is served on top of a salad with a dressing on it. If if will make you happy to use more oil, be my guest.

Next Time: Red, I said!

©2010, 2014 Laynie Tzena.