How to use chervil, known as ‘French parsley’, and 2 delicious recipes

Chervil is the refined cousin of the parsley family. Delicate in looks, flavour and fragrance, the herb – with its feathery leaves – is far less assertive than other plants in its family, which includes celery, carrot and flat-leaf parsley. In Hong Kong, chervil is more expensive than other types of parsley. To store it, wrap the base of the sprigs in a damp paper towel and put the herb in a plastic bag in the fridge, wetting the towel as needed. Like other types of parsley, chervil loses much of its mild aniseed flavour when dried. Chervil is used (with tarragon, chives and parsley) in the French seasoning mixture fines herbes. Tied up with thyme and bay leaf, it makes a bouquet garni, used to flavour soups and stews (the string makes it easier to retrieve the herbs). After making a mushroom soup, ladle it into bowls and drizzle with cream. Pick fresh chervil leaves from the stem and float them on the surface of the soup as a pretty garnish. It is also used to flavour poultry and seafood. Chop the herb and scatter it over the dish just before serving. Warm cannellini beans with shrimp, squid and frisée Ingredients 300 grams (10.6 oz) dried cannellini beans 2 bay leaves 6 whole black peppercorns 1 thyme sprig 2 large garlic cloves, peeled 2 shallots, peeled ½ a medium-sized carrot, chopped into large chunks 110ml (3.7 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, divided 30ml fresh lemon juice 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced The finely grated zest of one lemon Granulated sugar, if needed 12 shrimp, with bodies about 4cm (1.5 inch) long 8-12 small fresh squid 8-12 cherry tomatoes Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Fresh chervil or Italian parsley leaves Frisée (curly endive), as needed Rinse and drain the beans and put them in a bowl with enough water to cover them by about 2cm. Add 30 grams of salt and stir to dissolve. Leave in a cool place for eight to 10 hours. Drain, then put the beans in a pan and add fresh water to cover them by about 2cm. Put the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme sprig in a small cloth bag (the type used to make infusions), fold the top of the bag over to secure the ingredients, and put it in the pan. Add the garlic cloves, shallots and carrot. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain the beans thoroughly and put them in a bowl. Remove and discard the garlic, shallot, carrot and the bag containing the aromatics. While the beans are still hot, add 90ml of olive oil, the lemon juice and minced garlic, then season lightly with salt and stir gently – the beans are fragile. Leave to cool slightly while preparing the other ingredients. Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp. Cut a slit down the back of each shrimp and remove the black vein. Clean the squid by pulling off the heads and tentacles. Trim off and discard the heads. Clean out the bodies and remove the skin, then cut the bodies into 5mm rings. Rinse the tentacles and squid rings. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the shrimp and blanch until they curl and turn pink. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spatula, drain thoroughly and put them in a bowl. Add the squid tentacles and rings to the boiling water and cook for 15 seconds. Drain thoroughly, then put them in the bowl with the shrimp. Drizzle with 20ml of olive oil, season lightly with salt and mix. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Put the frisée on a plate. Add black pepper and the lemon zest to the beans, mix thoroughly, then taste for seasoning. If the beans are too acidic, mix in a little sugar; if dry, add more olive oil and lemon juice. Gently mix in the chervil or parsley leaves. Pile the beans on the plate, add the shrimp, squid and tomatoes, then serve. Hamachi carpaccio with kumquat oil Ingredients 10-12 kumquats, divided 80ml (2.7 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil 300 grams (10.6 oz) sushi-grade hamachi (yellowtail), cut into 5mm-thick slices 1 slightly heaped teaspoon pink peppercorns, roughly crushed Rough-flaked sea salt (such as Maldon or fleur de sel) Fresh chervil or Italian parsley Crush six of the kumquats in a mortar. Put them in a bowl with the extra-virgin olive oil and leave to steep while preparing the remaining ingredients. Divide the hamachi into four portions. Put a sheet of cling film on the work surface and lay out a portion’s worth of the hamachi slices, leaving a little space between each one. Lay them out in a circle so that when pounded the slices will almost cover the serving plate. Cover the slices with another sheet of cling film. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to gently pound the fish so it is very thin; when you finish, the slices should be touching each other. Occasionally, lift the cling film on both sides and smooth it out over the fish. Repeat with the remaining portions. Remove the top sheet of cling film from the fish then lay it, fish-side down, on a serving plate. Lift off the second sheet of cling film. Thinly slice the remaining kumquats and remove the seeds. Arrange the kumquat slices over the fish. Strain the kumquat oil, pressing to extract as much flavour as possible. Drizzle some of the kumquat oil over the fish. Sprinkle with the pink peppercorns and rough-flaked sea salt then garnish with chervil or parsley leaves. The remaining kumquat oil can be stored in the fridge; it is delicious when used in salad dressings. This content first appeared in Post Magazine in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

How to use chervil, known as ‘French parsley’, and 2 delicious recipes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chervil is a close relative of parsley and its subtle aniseed flavour is used in the French fines herbes and bouquet garni herb mixes

Chervil is a close relative of parsley and its subtle aniseed flavour is used in the French fines herbes and bouquet garni herb mixes