Early spring fresh food!
Here in Portland, parsley grows like a weed in my yard, and it’s one of the few things that grows in February and March. But it turns out parsley’s way more than a garnish. Instead of using parsley in little sprinkles, try recipes that involve a cup or two of parsley – delicious! This recipe is Italian.
But anchovies? I don’t like anchovies!
Everybody says that, but in this recipe you don’t taste the anchovies the same way you do on pizza. (Though I confess I actually like anchovies on pizza too). Anchovies are super good for you, so give it a try. But you could substitute canned tuna if you really have to.
My food processor – click to buy!
How to make parsley boniet:
Pick or buy two bunches of fresh Italian parsley (the flat not the curly kind). It should fill a large bowl. Pull off the leaves, and throw away the stems. Add 1 2 ounce can of anchovy fillets, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste (about half of one of those small cans), 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and 1/2 cup of olive oil, and chop it all together in the food processor. You’ll probably have to do two or three batches, unless you have a bigger food processor than I do.
This dip tastes terrific, but I have to say it’s not as beautiful as it might be. I don’t know what you could do about that.
Serve right away, with crackers or on sliced toasted French bread. You can make this ahead and refrigerate it for a few hours and it will be even better.
Vegetarian or vegan
To make a vegan version, just leave out the anchovies and use more parsley, and add some capers. You could also add some cooked chickpeas, mashed.
Can I keep this for later?
Yes – this dip is actually better the next day, after it sits in the refrigerator and the flavors blend more. But if you’re going to keep it, use a little less garlic, because the garlic flavor will become stronger. You can keep it for about a week in the fridge.