What’s your favorite underrated ingredient?

January 16, 2025 by
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Just as cooks have a favorite spice that flies under the radar, they also have a favorite ingredient that gets overlooked by others. For me, it’s parsley. While it is frequently relegated to being a sad, wilted sprig of garnish in midrate restaurants, parsley possess a get-along-with-everyone flavor that warrants at least co-starring status and can even shine as the main attraction. I think parsley is an unsung hero in the kitchen that is often just a mere afterthought.

Kuku sabzi from The Cook You Want to Be by Andy Baraghani

Parsley frequently co-stars as part of a mixed herb ensemble in dishes like kuku sabzi (Persian herb frittata/omelet), in sauces like chimichurri and zhoug, and paired with mint in tabbouleh. However, it can handle a solo role as well. It is usually the only herb in gremolata and is frequently flying by itself in tarator. Basil may get all the glory in pesto, but substitute parsley in the sauce and you’ll have a dish with a different kind of zing. In fact, you can swap parsley for most soft herbs like mint and cilantro/coriander with great success. It has a fresh, vibrant flavor that can bring zest into a dreary winter day.

Another benefit of parsley is that it is rarely a controversial ingredient. Unlike cilantro, which can be divisive, parsley is rarely despised. I’ve heard plenty of people say they hate cilantro (one even briefly ran a website called ihatecilantro.com), but I can’t recall anyone dissing parsley. It’s easier to grow than either basil or cilantro – almost as easy as mint and much less invasive. It pairs well with an astonishing variety of flavors and is at home in almost any cuisine. Parsley is readily found at almost any supermarket and is affordable. Although Italian parsley is often considered superior, I think curly parsley is wonderful and in some dishes more attractive. In fact, I will wager that most people couldn’t tell the difference between the two in most dishes flavor-wise.

While it is unusual to see parsley in a dessert, the herb is so versatile that even dessert is not a bridge too far. Yotam Ottolenghi uses it in Pineapple and herb sorbet with candied fennel, it stars in Brooks Headley’s Parsley gelato, it is paired with watermelon in Watermelon & parsley pops and co-stars with lemon in Parsley-lemonade ice pops. I like parsley so much I sometimes snack on it while preparing dinner. What’s your favorite underrated ingredient?

Category: Antipasto

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5 Comments

  • Ganga108  on  January 17, 2025

    Parsley is definitely a favourite – I grow it in the veg garden and when I have excess I keep it in ziplock bags in the freezer. It goes into smoothies and will crumble nicely for dishes and toppings.

    But the herb that flummoxes people is sweet bay leaves (laurel). Fresh leaves are so gorgeous, and I also dry a container full for those times I don’t want to go outside to pick. I always use more than stated – 2 – 4 or more depending on the recipe and size of leaves.

    Bay can also be used in desserts, as Ottolenghi has taught us.

  • mjes  on  January 17, 2025

    Kohlrabi and rutabaga are childhood favorites that are constantly in use in salads and stews respectively. Or sliced thinly, they work nicely in stir-fries even if one can’t claim they are traditional. Or toss them in rice bowls or soups. I personally am not fond of them as purees in contrast to my sister. Anywhere but bread and desserts, there seems to be a way to incorporate them.

  • lean1  on  January 17, 2025

    I love fennel. Roasted, braised, with or without cheese and thinly sliced in a fresh salad.

  • KarenGlad  on  January 17, 2025

    Yes …Fennel !!
    I haven’t used it in a dessert yet but I put it in everything I can. I use it as often as I do onions or garlic …raw in salads and slaws, delicious roasted as a side. I’m still surprised at how often I’m asked at the grocers – what is that and how do you use it?

  • LeilaD  on  January 17, 2025

    I don’t know if any of my favorites are really underrated, per se. My favorite flavor profile that will have me perking up on any recipe I see is garlic+lemon: fish, bread, pasta, salad, veggies, meat, anything. I’m kind of easy that way.

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