Parsley is so a vegetable

Recently, Mama Squirrel and I decided to create a new dish. Nice fresh figs from the farmers market and a pork loin were going to become fig-stuffed pork with a fig balsamic drizzle. I won’t go into detail, but this was probably the single worst thing we have ever made. Before we actually tasted the disaster, we had to get a photo for the blog. There was a problem with the plating though. We had gotten lazy and not cooked any green veggies. We made some nice boiled potatoes. (Thank goodness something was edible.) On the plate though, the colors just didn’t “pop”. First we tried sprinkling a little dried parsley on the potatoes. That might have done the trick, but dried parsley doesn’t color up well even on steamy potatoes. Our next effort was to add a sprig of cilantro to the plate. One little zing of green and our meat and potatoes was suddenly healthy (if not tasty).

So the other day I am ready to get out of the office. I called up Mama, but she had yet another free business-related lunch planned. I was craving meat, so Mama suggested a blast from the past, Steak and Ale. Actually, the highlight of the past for me was the Loft and my first sample of prime rib, but I digress. I decided on a NY strip and garlic mashed potatoes. The steak was fair, and it’s hard to mess up mashed potatoes. The highlight, however, was the sprinkling of fresh parsley on the steak. This was a healthy meal. Food pyramid here I come. I’m getting my green vegetables. Sure, I had the obligatory salad bar, but the drenching of bleu cheese probably canceled out any gain there. It was the parsley that saved the day.

It is clear to me now. Parsley is the king of vegetables. Any dish can be saved (well, any good dish) and made healthy by a liberal dosing of parsley. Those misunderstood sprigs from my childhood were there to supplement fluoridation and to fight communism. I salute you parsley, king of vegetables and hero to us all.