I got the idea to soak trimmed artichokes in parsley water from Chef José Andrés. I recently bought his book "Made in Spain". Chef Andrés is from the Andalusia region of Spain and resides in Washington D.C. where he has several successful restaurants. He has trained under Ferran Adrià (whom I met last month—have I failed to mention this several times?) and is very active in television appearances. I bought his book because many of the recipes reflect a Mediterranean-based diet. I tend to teach this type of diet, and in my own home kitchen, I usually prepare foods associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet. For a basic look at this diet, check out the link: http://www.oldwayspt.org/med_pyramid.html
In Chef Andrés’s book, he suggests using parsley in water to keep artichokes from oxidizing. I immediately had to go test this concept because I’m such a geek.
Food Science Moment:
I trimmed one baby artichoke and put it immediately into prepared lemon water the way I’d always done. Then I quickly trimmed a second artichoke and immediately placed it in parsley water. I had gently broken some of the parley stems before placing them the water to help expose the parsley cellular tissues to the water.
I waited and checked the chokes every 10 minutes until 40 minutes passed. The pictures show the artichokes after 40 minutes. Towards the end of the time, the parsley treated choke did begin to oxidize a bit on some edges, but overall I was pleased to verify the recommendation by Chef Andrés. So if you’re in a pinch to save your artichokes with no lemons in sight, pinch some parsley.
So why does this work? I currently don’t have my food science books with me in Paris, so I relied on the internet, yet could find no references or research on this topic. Although some animal studies show parsley consumption
increases antioxidant capacity in the blood (now I’m wondering if my cat will eat parsley?) Anyway, I instead reviewed the antioxidant capacity of parsley and found that the percentage of vitamins that act as antioxidants and also certain flavonoids were high. Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds (think colorful fruits and vegetables, red wine and tea as common examples) that have high antioxidant activities.Antioxidant Density:
For two tablespoons (about 7.5 grams) of fresh parsley, vitamin K has 125mcg compared to the recommended daily value (RDV) of 80mcg. The RDV basically is the sufficient level of nutrient to meet the needs of a typical healthy person. Vitamin C has 10% of the RDV and vitamin A has 13%.
Parsley Recipe: I recommend using Italian parsley in general for cooking and eating. It is prettier (personal bias), less bitter and more fragrant and stronger scented so it holds up better in cooking.
One of my simple quick toppings for fish and certain meats is a Gremolata. I borrow from a traditional Italian approach of using Italian parsley, lemon zest and garlic. In my versions I’ve done the following:
- chopped parsley, lemon zest, chopped garlic, olive oil and sea salt
- All the above plus panko bread crumbs for a crunchy version
- Now consider any of the following substitutions: orange zest for lemon or both, adding toasted pine nuts or fried shallots adding green olives
I don’t know exact ratios since I make these based on taste, but to sprinkle on two fish filets, I’m guessing about 3 tablespoons chopped of parsley, 1 small garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of fine lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. The last time I used a gremolata, I grilled green asparagus with an olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar marinade and served the spears topped with a sunny-side up egg with a crunchy gremolata sprinkled over it—very Italian and great summer food.
For a link to Chef Andrés book see: http://www.josemadeinspain.com/recipes.htm
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