Syros Maidanosalata (Μαϊντανοσαλάτα Σύρου)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •large mortar and pestle, 18-20cm, or food processor with pulse setting
• •salad spinner or clean kitchen towel for drying parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the parsley

   Trim away only the tough lower parsley stems. Keep the tender stems, because they carry flavor. Wash the parsley in two changes of cold water, then spin it dry and spread it on a clean towel for 10 minutes. The leaves should feel dry to the touch before they go into the mortar or processor.

2. 2

   Soak the bread

   Tear the stale bread into a bowl and cover it with cold water for 5 minutes. Lift it out and squeeze hard over the sink until it feels damp and pliable, not dripping. This is the step that decides the texture: damp bread catches the oil and vinegar and gives the spread its body; wet bread makes it loose, and dry bread leaves it rough.

   Use stale bread, not fresh soft bread. Fresh bread turns gummy before it can bind the parsley and oil.
3. 3

   Pound the base

   In a large mortar, pound the garlic with the salt until it becomes a paste. Add the onion and capers and pound again until juicy and broken down. Add the parsley by the handful, pounding each addition before the next goes in. If you're using a food processor, pulse in short bursts and scrape often. Stop while it still looks like a coarse green spread, not parsley juice.

4. 4

   Work in oil

   Add the squeezed bread, vinegar, lemon juice, and black pepper. Pound or pulse until the bread disappears into the parsley. Drizzle in the 120ml olive oil slowly, working the mixture the whole time, until it turns glossy and thick enough to sit on a spoon. Taste for salt and vinegar. It should be sharp, green, and awake.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Spoon the maidanosalata into a shallow bowl and make a small well in the top. Cover and rest it for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator so the garlic settles into the herbs. Before serving, bring it back toward cool room temperature and finish with a tablespoon of olive oil. Serve with salt fish, grilled sardines, boiled potatoes, rusks, or a loaf of good bread.

Chef Tips

• •Use flat-leaf parsley if you can. Curly parsley tastes duller and traps water in its leaves. Tender stems are welcome, woody stems are not. If the bunch smells tired, make another dip today. Parsley is the dish here.
• •A food processor is allowed. Use the pulse button and stop often to scrape the bowl. Let it run too long and you'll get a thin green sauce instead of the rough spread Syros means.
• •The garlic grows stronger as it sits, so don't double it unless your salt fish is very stubborn. Two good cloves are enough for the first day and plenty by the second.
• •This is a fasting-table dish, nistisimo, with no dairy, egg, or fish in the spread itself. Put it beside boiled potatoes, beans, or bread for Lent, and beside salt cod when the calendar allows.

Advance Preparation

• •Wash and dry the parsley up to 1 day ahead. Wrap it in a clean towel and refrigerate it so it stays crisp and dry.
• •Make the maidanosalata up to 24 hours ahead. Press a thin spoonful of olive oil over the surface, cover, and refrigerate.
• •For a picnic, pack it chilled and add the final olive oil just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)