6160 A Diary of the Urban Gardener and Cook

If there's one thing you can count on in St. Louis, is that you just can't count on the weather.  Two back to back years of absolutely awful winters, and then this year - mild, for the most part, with a solid week now in January of fifty degree temperatures.  So... far from the customary shift into cold weather comfort foods, I find myself longing for salads.  In Europe, this little dish is served as small side to rich flavored meat dishes.  Whether sitting alongside a thick juicy pork chop or a sizzling herb encrusted ribeye, a rustic parsley side salad is a wonderful accompaniment.

You will need:

One bunch of Italian Parsley

Half a shallot

One teaspoon of minced garlic

One lemon

Shaved Parmesan

Olive oil

Fleur de Sel

Course Black Pepper

Roughly tear the parsley and place in a small bowl.  Thinly slice a half shallot and add to the parsley, along with the teaspoon of minced garlic.  Zest a fresh lemon atop the parsley, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a separate bowl to form the dressing.  Add olive oil, fleur de sel, and course black pepper to the lemon juice, then stir lightly.  Top the parsley salad with shaved parmesan, then dress the salad with the lemon dressing.  Place alongside any intensely flavored meat entree and enjoy.