Persillade is classic of French cuisine that ranges from ridiculously simple to fairly simple. At its most basic it is a cup of flat leaf parsley and a minced garlic clove, chopped and combined. It can be thrown into a dish right at the end to warm it and bring out the aroma of the garlic and parsley, or it can be stirred into soups. Some are made with olive oil (the south of France) or butter (the north). Garlic versus shallots, some have lemon zest added, or juice. You can find them with other herbs as well. This version is simple and is combined with blanched turnip tops to sauce the turnips.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch turnips, cleaned, topped and tailed, tops reserved, cut into ½ inch wedges if large. If very small, cut in half 1 tablespoon chopped shallot ½ cup (heaping) packed Italian parsley, chopped coarsely Salt and pepper to taste ¼ teaspoon orange zest, no white part, minced (from an un-waxed organic orange) 1 teaspoon orange juice Olive oil as needed 1 tablespoon butterMETHOD:
Bring a pot of water to a boil large enough to hold all the turnips or the greens, whichever pile is larger.
Trim the greens of thick stems and chop the greens coarsely, then wash. Prepare an ice bath for the greens. When that is ready, immerse the greens into the boiling water just to wilt them. As soon as they wilt and turn bright green, remove with a slotted spoon and immerse them in the ice water. As soon as they cool, put them into a colander and allow to drain.
Blanch the cut turnips. Submerge them in the boiling water just until they are becoming tender. The tip of a sharp knife should just be able to pierce the side of the turnip. Drain the turnips, then turn into a bowl. Drizzle with just enough oil to coat them. Toss to coat evenly.
Return the pan to the heat and lower heat to medium. Barely film with oil, when hot, add the butter. As soon as it stops foaming, add the turnips and toss to coat with the butter. Cook gently to color them golden, turning as needed. Try to make sure the flat sides are fully in contact with the pan bottom.
While the turnips cook, roll the greens in a towel and remove moisture. Chop fine.
Put the shallot, zest, and parsley to a food processor along with 2 tablespoons oil. Pulse to break down. Scrape down the sides. Add the orange juice and the turnip greens. Process 15 seconds. Add oil as needed to get the greens moving and breaking down. Process 15 seconds. Add enough oil so the greens and herbs will form a thick sauce like a runny pesto. Process enough so the herbs and greens are quite small, but do not liquefy or process so long the mass heats up. If it gets too hot it will become quite bitter and metallic tasting. The flavor should be forthright, earthy, and vibrantly green, with a little perfume and sweetness from the orange.
When the turnips are colored golden on both sides and just cooked through, add some of the greens/parsley sauce and toss to distribute.
Serve hot, adding more sauce as needed.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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