There is an incredibly warm and cozy spot in my heart where the parsley goes. Parsley doesn’t usually get you riled up the same way that basil, thyme, and oregano do, but, if you ask me, it is absolutely its own kind of wonderful. What’s different about these recipes is that the parsley here serves as the green, the herb, the main event, the everything. It’s not a decoration or an herbal sprinkle or a garnish, it’s just the parsley, and it’s definitely meant to be eaten this way. No competition, no second fiddle.

The first time I ever ate parsley the way nature intended, it came from the kitchen garden of our old friends Jerry and Sue. Jerry, a family practitioner from Southeast Ohio, considered parsley to be one of the four basic food groups, and he grew an enormous quantity every year. With the addition of generous amounts of fresh pressed garlic and olive oil, Sue would mix together the curly and flat-leaf parsley varieties and turn them into a salad all their own. That simple parsley salad was one of the things to which I most looked forward whenever an invitation arrived to join them for dinner. So elegant, so different, so wonderful, and so filled with love. I could easily eat a whole bowlful. To this day, I think of Jerry and Sue whenever I eat parsley.

Then there’s the parsley salad that our friend, Oded, prepared regularly and effortlessly. Flat leaf only, by the way. After many years of searching, I have finally located a recipe that provides me with more specifics than I could ever get out of Oded. This parsley salad, too, is different and spectacular.

2 large bunches of Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stems removed and chopped coarsely
3/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt, more to taste
Several tablespoons cold water, as needed

Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice and salt in a mixing bowl until smooth. The lemon juice will thicken the tahini in a concerning way, but adding a tablespoon or two of water afterward will thin the dressing just right. You want the dressing to be just shy of runny, but still on the thicker side. Add the chopped parsley, toss well to coat the leaves. Serve right away, and enjoy!