SAVOR

By Marci Moreau

If someone asked me to choose a favorite aroma, it would be a toss-up between parsley and sunscreen on a baby, probably because they both remind me of summer. Summer always brings me back to our tiny beach house that was truly a small house that held hundreds of people, and also platters of stuffed peppers, reused ricotta cheese containers filled with homemade tomato sauce, but mostly bunches and bunches of parsley and fresh herbs, wrapped in damp paper towels to keep them from wilting.

I always knew when my grandmother and flock of aunts arrived, early on Saturday mornings. The smell of fresh grassy parsley, spicy basil and flowery rosemary, danced into my bedroom and woke up the house better than any rays of morning sun ever could.

My grandmother loved summer herbs and she used them in everything. She sniped them with scissors, or as she told me, “gently rip them into pieces and sprinkle them just like confetti.” When I asked her, “Sprinkle them where, grandma?” She smiled, and said, “Everywhere.”

My grandmother was not the first one to fall in love with the power of summer herbs. Used as medicine for thousands of years, because of their anti-bacterial, anti-viral, or as I like to say, anti-everything properties, herbs have been recognized by most every culture as a powerful source of healing and to enhance culinary dishes. And in the intense heat of the summer months some of the most powerful herbs grow in abundance and do their best work.

Parsley tops the list, and not only because I am biased, it really is a champion, especially when it comes to chlorophyll and apigenin. Chlorophyll helps to give plants their green color and absorb energy from the sun, and apigenin, a plant compound, or phytochemical, as we say in the nutrition world, are both more than abundant in parsley. The flat, or Italian parsley, has more flavor than its curly counterpart, so it is most often used in food preparation, but when it comes to the ability to detox the liver, promote bone and eye health, and boost immunity, they both deliver huge results.

And it turns out parsley not only smells like heaven but it is pretty much omnipresent in all that it can do. There is new research to suggest the apigenin in parsley may target inflammation and damaged cells in our body and stop the progression of disease. No wonder my grandmother told me to sprinkle this everywhere.

You would think parsley is a hard act to follow but basil, otherwise known as the King of Herbs, with over 60 varieties, definitely holds its own. Sweet basil, with a spirited robust flavor, plays a central role in the culinary scene, seasoning many summer dishes, and thanks to eugenol, an essential oil in basil that you can actually feel on your hands when you “gently rip the leaves,” it also delivers potent health benefits to almost every system in our body. Cardiovascular, respiratory, digestion, and the immune system are all the lucky beneficiaries but the king does not stop there. Also reigning as the herb with the highest level of magnesium, basil decreases our stress levels, improving memory, and enhancing cognitive function, creating a whole lot of good for our bodies and minds.

Personally I do not think you can ever have too much of a good thing but I have heard some people complain chives can overtake a garden. From the impressive Allium family, that also includes garlic, leeks and scallions, chives contain vitamins A, C, K, as well as folate, the B12 vitamin that promotes healthy red blood cells and DNA synthesis. Even better, the flavonoids in chives stimulate the production of glutathione, considered the “master antioxidant” because it does a clean sweep of our body removing toxins anywhere they may hide, and for its ability to make every other antioxidant even more powerful. Considering the impressive power of chives I say we move over and give them as much room as they want in the garden.

All these summer herbs are truly phytonutrient superheroes but I think I know why Simon and Garfunkel sang about sage, rosemary and thyme too. Sage grants us a nutritional profile as strong as its flavor, rosemary has mineral properties as intoxicating as its aroma and thyme bestows us with vast medicinal benefits. All of this makes me want to sing too however since I was not blessed with the gift of vocal expression I will make music in the only way I know how; with food, and share with you my recipe for Powerhouse Pesto, for you to use “Everywhere.”

This pesto sauce is a winning combination of antioxidant ingredients. I cannot say enough about it! Packed with super foods, it is a potent source of vital energy our bodies can use to stimulate healthy processes. It is so versatile it can be used every day. I use it as a sauce for pasta, rice, grains and pizza. It is an amazing base for dressings or marinades and to flavor meats, poultry, seafood and vegetables. It does not matter how you use it, rub it all over you body if you want to, just use it, and eat it often! Your body and mind will thank you! The sauce will keep well refrigerated for a week or freeze up to three months. Makes 4 cups.

First place broccoli, kale, spinach, dandelion greens, parsley, chives, basil, and superpower mirepoix processor adding about 1 cup of olive oil and process until smooth. Add the almonds and a little more olive oil at this point if needed. Add the parm cheese, lemon juice and rind, salt and pepper, and blend a couple of minutes more.

• 1 cup broccoli, chopped • 1 cup lacinato kale leaves (ripped in small bite size pieces) • 1 cup spinach • ½ cup dandelion greens • 1 cup parsley • 1 cup basil • 1/4 cup chives • 1 cup almonds • 1 cup olive oil • ½ cup freshly grated parmigiana reggiano • 3 TBS Superpower Mirepoix • juice and rind of one lemon • salt and pepper to taste