Parsley Recipes
Meatloaf with Porcini & Bacon
Serves 4
Ingredients
70g of white bread
Milk
25g of Dried Porcini Mushrooms
2 Medium-sized Leeks
30g Butter
A handful of Chopped Parsley
400g of Ground Beef
75g Smoked Bacon
2 Cloves of Diced Garlic
Handful of grated parmesan
You will need a loaf tin or terrine approximately 10 x 12cm and a sheet of greaseproof paper.
Method
Set the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6. Tear the bread into rough chunks and place in a dish with enough milk to cover. Leave till the bread is thoroughly saturated with milk. Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover them with warm water.
Slice the leeks in half lengthways and then into small dice. Wash thoroughly in a colander with cold, running water.
Melt the butter in a deep pan, then add the leeks and the chopped parsley. Leave them to soften over a low heat. The leeks should not colour. You can prevent this by placing a disc of greaseproof paper over the leeks, so that they partially steam.
Remove the leeks from the heat, add the beef and the bacon, diced into small pieces. Leave the meat to brown nicely on the underside before stirring. Add the chopped garlic and the mushrooms, drained of their soaking liquid and roughly chopped. Wring out the breadcrumbs and stir into the mixture with plenty of salt and pepper and the grated parmesan.
Push the meat into the lined tin and smooth the top flat. Fold the paper over the top and place the tin in a roasting tin. Pour hot water into the roasting tin, to come halfway up the meatloaf. Place the roasting tin in the oven, and leave for an hour until fully cooked through. Leave to settle for 10 minutes before turning out and carefully slicing.
Parsley Soup Shots
Strictly speaking this is an appetiser but it can be a starter too! Make this ahead of time and chill well.
You will need ...
- some small clear glasses and depending on size this will serve six or more.
Heat 50 grams of butter in a pot on a low heat adding - 1 chopped onion, 2 medium carrots sliced, a head of celery trimmed and sliced, 1 leek sliced and 1 apple diced - sauté for ten minutes till soft and glossy. Now add 200 millimetres of cider and simmer to reduce by half then add 1 tbsp of white rice, 850 ml of chicken stock and salt and pepper - bring to the boil and simmer thereafter for 15 minutes. Now liquidise the soup and sieve it. Add a little back to the blender with 50 grams of flat leaf parsley (leaf and stalks) and stir this back into the soup. Cool the bowl quickly by dipping it into a pan of cold water then chill till needed. If you think it is not a really bright green colour which looks pretty in the glasses then just before serving, liquidise a little again with some bright green parsley leaf till you feel the colour is satisfactory. Pour into shot type clear glasses or something a little larger and place on an attractive small plate. Find or make some chilli flavoured biscuits and decorate with mascarpone and some red edible berries on top such as red currants or red pomegranate berries.
Marinated Lamb and Parsley Kebabs
675g/1½ lb of lamb
1 Onion (grated)
2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* This recipe is also excellent with beef
To garnish - Fine strips of lemon rind and fresh chopped parsley
Cut the meat in to approximately one inch square pieces
Mix the grated onion, parsley, paprika, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning in a large bowl and add the meat. Stir thoroughly so that the meat is coated all over and leave to marinate for two hours. Prepare a barbeque or preheat the grill.
Thread the meat onto metal skewers, allowing about 6 to 8 pieces of meat per skewer
Grill or barbeque for 6 to 8 minutes or until the meat is cooked through, basting occasionally with the marinade. Arrange the kebabs on a serving plate and garnish.
Serving Suggestion - Serve with Moroccan bread and lemon wedges.
Crispy Seaweed Parsley
Chopped parsley preferably curly parsley can be batch fried in hot fat 180oC/350oF for probably 40/60 seconds. Drain well and keep warm and reheat on a flat dish in a hot oven quickly before serving.
