No. 700 — Green Parsley
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 700 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
(a) Remove spoiled leaves and stems, rinse off dust in cold water, and keep the parsley in fresh clean water until needed; otherwise it wilts. Drain before use.
(b) For broth, chop finely, put in the soup tureen and pour boiling broth over it.
(c) Garnish dishes with bunches of parsley. For example, place parsley in the mouth and by the tail of a whole boiled fish.
(d) Scatter whole parsley leaves over fried pike-perch in batter.
(e) Arrange small fried fish around a dish, place a mound of potatoes in the center and sprinkle with parsley.
(f) Garnish herrings, cooked crayfish, mayonnaise dishes, aspics and other preparations.
(g) On an elongated platter, alternate small cooked fish so that some point their heads one way and the others the opposite way, with their tails meeting in the middle. Tuck bunches of parsley beneath the heads at either side. Do the same when presenting a piece of cooked salmon, sturgeon, beluga and similar fish.
(h) Scatter fried parsley over small pastries served with soup. Lightly mix three handfuls of parsley leaves with one spoonful of hot melted butter, spread on a frying pan and dry in the oven without burning. Alternatively heat a glass of deep-frying fat until steaming, lower parsley sprigs into it and after several minutes transfer them to absorbent paper on a sieve.
(i) Another method: wash three handfuls of whole parsley leaves, squeeze dry in a napkin, fry in hot fat for two minutes while stirring, then dry briefly in the oven before scattering over pastries.
(j) Parsley should also be dried for winter; see Part II, No. 3983.