How to keep fresh parsley?

Apart from putting it on San Pancracio, parsley is one of the aromatic herbs that we use the most in the kitchen (And if not, let them tell Arguiñano). Green sauce, garlic breadcrumbs, seafood stews, soups ... We give you some tips so that parsley It is kept in a perfect state of freshness so that we can enjoy its particular flavor and cheerful color.

1. Freezing: Parsley, like cut grass that it is, deteriorates if it is kept in the fridge for many days. For this reason, once well washed and drained, we can freeze it. There are three ways to prepare it. One of them is to freeze whole fresh parsley sprigs. In this way, when we defrost it, we crumble it by rubbing it with both hands. The second is to chop or chop it previously. It is better to freeze parsley in individual packages (aluminum foil or freezer bags) of small quantity, since once we defrost it, like any food, it cannot be frozen again. And the last and most surprising, in the form of ice cubes. Fill the holes in the ice bucket halfway with chopped parsley. Cover them with a little cold water and freeze. Add cubes to the stew shortly before setting it aside.

2. Refrigeration: If we want to use it several days in a row, the best method to keep the parsley fresh is to put it in a very wide glass jar, cover it tightly and store it in the fridge. Of course, it is important that the jar is completely dry. Humidity affects the deterioration of parsley, so whenever we use its leaves, it is convenient that we clean the empty twigs or those that begin to be wet or withered.

3. Cooked: When it comes to cooking it, experience tells us that the ideal is to add the parsley as soon as we are going to remove the stew or sauce from the heat. A prolonged cooking makes its flavor disappear, which happens to many other aromatic herbs.

4. In raw: Parsley is very useful to give color and flavor to sauces. To maintain its characteristic aroma and its lively green, it is best to chop it when preparing the recipe. Once immersed in oil or in contact with the humidity of the sauce itself, the parsley will begin to impregnate it with its flavor.

Image: Cucinasenzasenza, Askleamer