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The most common spice in the world is the herb, whose name is parsley. It is an indispensable ingredient in any cuisine - be it American, Oriental, African, European or Russian. It also serves as a wonderful decoration for any dish.
This spice is good in combination with meat, fish and vegetables, both fresh and cooked.
Few people know that parsley does not lose its characteristics during prolonged heat treatment, but only enhances its taste properties.
Undoubtedly, due to its beneficial qualities and spicy taste, it is used in all types of dishes: from first courses to salads and appetizers. That is why it is always necessary to have it at hand. But how to achieve this in the winter?
There are several methods for storing greens in the winter. For example, freezing, salting or growing on a windowsill. But not everyone managed to make room in the freezer or buy a planter for a new green neighbor. And then a complication arises: how else can you save all the useful aspects without spending a lot of space, time and effort?
There is another way out - drying, but now another kind of complexity appears, namely how to dry parsley at home and do it right without losing its useful elements.
There are several methods by which you will always have harvested greens in your kitchen that are suitable for use:
- Natural drying.
- Drying in a microwave oven or an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits.
- Processing in the oven at a low temperature.
The first method is the most preferable, since with its help the minimum is lost. useful substances.
So we offer you detailed description the process of how to dry parsley for the winter at home.
Before drying it, it is necessary to carefully sort out all the washed and dried bunches and clean them from wilted shoots and leaves.
Next, you need to divide the shoots by size and tie them with a regular thread to hang them in any room where air circulates freely. Keep in mind that direct sunlight should not be allowed to hit the greens - it will lose a lot of useful substances and lose its taste! In order to avoid this, you can distribute the bundles into paper bags. Moreover, this method will help to remove excess moisture better and faster. The time during which you need to dry the greens in this way is approximately 3 or 4 days. It depends on the temperature in the room. After all, it can be crushed and stored in a dry container until use.
The most beautiful and fragrant parsley remains when dried in a microwave oven. In order to dry the greens, we need to cut off all the cuttings from a well-washed and dried parsley. Next, put everything in one layer on a dish covered with a paper napkin and cover with another napkin. The time that this process will take you will be about a day (the power should not exceed 450 watts). After that, the spice can be crushed by hand and put into a dry container until use. Do not forget that the lid of the container in which the dried seasoning is stored must be tightly closed - this way the maximum taste and aroma will be preserved.
The process of removing moisture in the oven will take a little longer, however, with this method, the greens may lose their original color and fade. In order to dry it in this way, you will first need to chop it finely and spread it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. First, you need to dry the spice at a temperature not exceeding 40º C for about two hours, and immediately before removing it from the oven, increase it to 80º C for about 10 minutes. Next, it must be pulled out of the oven and left in the fresh air for about 10 minutes.
It is interesting to note that the most aromatic part of parsley is its root. And many also prepare it for the winter to remember the bright summer days.
The root part of the parsley is dried in the same way as the leaf part - in the oven or in an electric dryer. In order to prepare the root for drying, you need to wash it, cut off the tail, peel it like a carrot, and then grate it on a coarse grater. The baking sheet should be covered with baking paper, while lubricating it with nothing is necessary.
Try to distribute it in a thin layer so that it dries faster, and place it in the oven for 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 80-100 degrees. After half an hour, check the readiness - stir it and put it in the oven for a while. The finished root can be chopped, or you can just leave it grated - this way it will give the dish originality.
step by step recipe with photo
We all know perfectly well that it is the greens that give the final and unique taste to the dish! Basil, dill, fennel, cilantro, parsley must be in the treasury of spices of a real chef! However, what to do if it is winter outside the window and spices are sold only in the store? Moreover, it is impossible to guess from the first time what exactly is poured in those packages of seasonings!
In order not to guess and not to use unknown ingredients in cooking for the whole family, stock up on spicy herbs since the summer, drying them in your oven or in a special electric dryer! The most popular seasoning for all first and second courses is dried parsley.
Compound
- 2 large bunches of parsley
How to dry parsley
1. For drying, two large bunches of parsley just fit on one baking sheet. Rinse the greens warm water and cut off the branches, trying to exclude the stems - they may contain bitterness! Although manufacturers often add both greens and stems to packaging seasonings. Chop the greens on the cutting board. Chop it too small or vice versa - leave it larger - it's up to you!
2. Put the chopped parsley into a bowl and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you dry parsley in an electric dryer, then there is no need to chop it, since it can fall from the upper tier to the lower one when it dries - it is better to just cut the branches from the stems and spread them out on tiers.
3. Then spread the cut on parchment paper in a uniform layer. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 890-100C for 30-40 minutes. This time is enough for the greens to dry completely, but the oven door will need to be slightly opened!
4. Remove the dried greens from the oven and let it cool.
5. If you want to get a fine powder, then pour dried parsley leaves into the capacity of a food processor or blender.
step by step recipe with photo
What do you think it is in vegetable seasonings that gives an incomparable summer flavor to cooked dishes? No, not greens at all and not even onions, but parsley root! It is he who, in the dried state, smells so strong that it interrupts all other smells with its alluring aroma, and when mixed with vegetable aromas or aromas of greens, it forms a juicy harmony of taste.
In the fall, during the harvest season, parsley root is quite inexpensive and this is a great way to prepare it for future use, or rather, to dry it.
Ingredients
- 1 large parsley root
Drying parsley root in the oven
1. You can dry the seasoning both in a conventional oven and in an electric dryer - it will work perfectly there and there! From a purchased or dug up parsley root, cut off the tail with greens and peel it like a carrot. Then rinse in water.
2. Grate the vegetable on a coarse grater and a container.
3. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper and place the grated mass of parsley root on it. Try to distribute it on the baking sheet so that its layer is as thin as possible - this way your seasoning will dry out faster. There is no need to grease the paper! Place the baking sheet in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 80-100C.
4. After this time, check the seasoning for dryness - if it is slightly damp, then give it a little more time to dry.
In summer, few people think about the fact that in winter parsley will cost, though not worth its weight in gold, but much more.
Well, those who care about the safety of parsley for the future, most often dry it. Indeed, in winter, this fragrant and healthy spicy greens will not only enrich any dish with vitamins, but also improve its taste.
How to prepare parsley for drying
For drying, parsley with tender leaves and non-roughened stems is suitable.
If greens are bought on the market, they should not be wilted, yellowed, with rotten stems.
Parsley that has stood in water is not suitable for drying (many sellers do this to give the greens a marketable appearance). Such greens are highly saturated with water and therefore will not dry well.
If parsley grows in your own garden, then it is harvested in dry weather, as such parsley will be easier to dry.
Parsley stalks are sorted out, wilted and yellowed leaves are removed. Slightly cut off the lower part of the branches.
The greens are thoroughly washed in cold water: first in a bowl and then under running water.
Spread the parsley on a cotton towel so that it dries well from the water. To speed up the process, the greens on top are blotted with a paper towel.
How to dry parsley in bunches
Dried parsley sprigs are connected in several pieces and make small loose “bouquets”, tying them with a thread or intercepting with an elastic band. They are hung upside down by a stretched rope in a draft, but avoiding direct sunlight.
Although greens dry faster in the sun and some often use this, it is better not to use this method. Firstly, Sun rays destroy chlorophyll, and from this the dried leaves become yellowish. And secondly, due to drying in the sun, they disappear essential oils for which this greenery is valued.
Parsley dries in the fresh air from two to seven days. It all depends on weather conditions, room temperature, and air humidity.
When the leaves are completely dry and break easily when pressed, drying can be completed.
The bundles are removed from the rope and threshed, that is, they are freed from the stems.
Then the leaves are crushed. For better preservation of raw materials, they can be additionally dried by spreading out on a baking sheet or tray.
Dry parsley is poured into a glass jar with a lid and cleaned in a dry, dark, cool place.
The shelf life of parsley is 1 year.
How to dry parsley in the oven
If weather conditions do not allow air drying parsley, it can be dried in the oven.
To dry parsley faster, it is best to dry it without stems. Therefore, all the leaves are cut off from the prepared parsley. The baking sheet is covered with parchment. A thin layer of greens is laid out on it.
The greens are placed in an oven heated to 45-50 °, and dried with the door ajar so that the greens do not get steamed.
The parsley is periodically stirred to dry evenly.
Drying time can take up to several hours, but it is impossible to speed up the process so that the raw material does not burn and turn brown.
Parsley can also be dried chopped.
To do this, parsley is chopped together with thin stems, laid out in one layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment, and put in the oven. Dry also at a temperature of 45-50 °.
Well-dried raw materials crumble easily.
The color of properly dried parsley is green. The smell is spicy, the taste with a slight bitterness.
Recipe for the occasion::
Chopped parsley is stored in glass jars with a screw cap to keep the flavor from escaping. Store in a dry, well-ventilated area.
How to dry root parsley
Along with parsley, root parsley can also be dried.
It is dug up in the same way as carrots.
Parsley is a well-known culinary herb used in various dishes. It improves the taste of dishes and gives them a special flavor.
Parsley contains: iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, folic acid and vitamins: A, C, PP, B1, B2. Drying and freezing are common ways to preserve nutrients. The easiest and most practical way is drying. In addition, dried herbs do not take up much space.
There are two ways to dry parsley: in the fresh air or with the help of equipment: electric dryers, ovens, microwaves and convection ovens. Each hostess chooses the drying method that is more convenient for her.
The longest drying method is air drying. Depending on the weather and how the herb is cut (finely or coarsely), dry parsley can take anywhere from 5 days to two weeks to cook. When using the technique, the drying time is significantly reduced and can take from 20 minutes to two hours.
It is more convenient for me to dry parsley in the oven, so I suggest you consider this option for harvesting greens.
Let's prepare the main ingredient of the recipe - parsley. It is better to cut it in dry weather.
We sort out cut greens, removing yellowed or sluggish twigs. We shorten the stem and wash the parsley well in cool water. Then shake off excess moisture, lay out a thin layer on paper towels and let dry. To speed up the drying process, parsley can be blotted with a towel.
Separate the leaves from the stem and grind them to dry faster. If desired, you can chop the stems of the plant, but I do not do this.
We cover the baking sheet with baking paper and distribute the chopped greens on it with a thin layer.
We place the baking sheet in the oven, preheated to 40-50 degrees. We leave the oven door slightly open so that the parsley does not steam. We dry the greens for one and a half to two hours (focus on your oven), stirring the contents of the baking sheet from time to time. My parsley dried out in 2 hours.
The readiness of parsley is very easy to determine by touch. To do this, we take a little greenery from the baking sheet in our hand and squeeze it, the quality dried parsley will crumble.
dried parsley ready, pour it into a glass jar, close it with a tight lid and put it away for storage in a dry, dark place.
