Parsley

The traditional Egyptian breakfast of dried fava beans is also the national dish, eaten at all times of the day, in the fields, in village mud-houses, and in the cities. Restaurants serve it as a mezze, and it is sold in the streets. Vendors put the beans in large, round, narrow-necked vessels, which they bury through the night in the dying embers of the public baths. Ful medames is pre-Ottoman and pre-Islamic. It is probably as old as the Pharaohs. According to an Arab saying: “Beans have satisfied even the Pharaohs.” Egyptians gleefully tell you that the little brown beans have been found in pharaonic tombs and have been made to germinate. There are fields of them, and promotional explanations on fake papyrus by the Ministry of Agriculture. Of course, they could have been put there by tomb robbers. There are many types of dried fava beans—small, middle-sized, and large, all of which can be used—and there are very good-quality canned ones. Most expatriates are happy with canned ones, which they improve on with flavorings and trimmings. These need to be turned into a pan with their juice and cooked for 15 minutes.

Good-quality ingredients brought together with a minimum of fuss: That kitchen philosophy is inventively illustrated by this dish. Tender, delicate crab usually shows up amid other tender, delicate things, but when teamed with a rustic, chewy homemade semolina pasta (the real star of the show), it develops a certain swagger. Spring onions, fresh chile, and a bit of lemon juice add even more verve.

This salsa verde, which balances a meal full of spiced dishes, would also complement anything from grilled steak to steamed vegetables.

Gremolata is usually made with parsley, garlic, and lemon peel. Here, shallot replaces garlic, and tarragon and orange peel are added.

A comfort food menu just wouldn't be complete without something fried. In this addictive appetizer, slices of cooked artichoke are mixed into a beer batter and then dropped into bubbling oil.

A generous drizzle of parsley-oregano oil brings a wave of herbal freshness to slender stalks of simply cooked Broccolini.

Anna Di Bene, Oltranti's grandmother, never let anything go to waste in her kitchen in Lucca, Italy. Whenever she cooked chicken, she saved the livers for this delicious antipasto. Spicy red-pepper flakes and salty capers cut through the richness of the topping.

This garlicky, simple seafood dish was once served in a coccio (a traditional clay pot).

Hake, like cod, is mild in flavor yet meaty in texture. Here, it embraces the crunch of sautéed hazelnuts, whose richness is offset by fresh parsley and briny capers.

When removing the skillet from the oven, beware of the hot handle!

Few can resist this soup-stew of tender cannellini beans, silken pork shoulder, tomatoes, and herbs. We give the cherry tomatoes a little extra love in the oven to boost their flavor before we stir them into the beans. Rosemary is a natural in this dish, but it’s the generous amount of parsley added at the end that’s the real revelation. The herb adds a zesty top note to the beans. Simple side dishes—garlic bread, a green salad—complete the picture.

You might run across purslane, with its glossy, plump leaves, at a farmers market—and you might even find it growing in the cracks of your sidewalk or in your yard. Luckily, this incredibly nutritious and juicy green is a weed, which means it pops up wild nearly everywhere. Lots of chopped parsley and a simple vinaigrette flatter its herbal, lemony crunch.

For such a rich fish, tuna is a good team player—it takes well to all kinds of seasoning. Here, I give it some tang by marinating it with lemon juice and zest, onions, capers, rosemary, and the most surprising ingredient: some of the juice from the caper jar. Have fun playing around with the herbs in the salad; just make sure not to toss them with the dressing until you're ready to serve—tender leaves wilt quickly.

Dressing up jarred eggplant and canned tuna results in an incredibly lusty lunch. An easy tomato and mint salad spooned on top adds just the right touch of fresh acidity.

Be well this fall: Have one bowl and you'll spoon up nearly three quarters of your daily requirement for vitamin C.

Evocative of cassoulet but so much easier, this bean soup manages to be both rugged and elegant. No part of the confit duck legs goes to waste: The bones add savor to the beans, the meat goes into the soup, and the crisped skin makes a delectable garnish. Flambéing the Armagnac before adding it to the pot takes the edge off the alcohol while leaving behind the deep flavor of the barrel.

In this unusual side dish from Spring restaurant, often under appreciated parsley gets the creamed-spinach treatment—and a little help from aromatic orange zest, mint, and fresh ginger.

Use a mix of the best wild mushrooms available. They elevate the stuffing from simple to sensational.

This classic stuffing (or any of the stuffings here) is also good made with six cups of cubed cornbread in place of six cups of the pain rustique.

Three varieties of basil combine to make a powerfully fragrant and versatile topping for pasta, chicken, or fish.