Chervil

Chervil
Chervil Bush

[Gourmet's parsley, Garden Chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium]

This plant, native to the Caucasus, was spread through Europe during the Roman Empire and today is used there mostly in France. The leaves have a more delicate flavor than parsley and with a hint of liquorice. Today it is commonly called for in gourmet magazines recipes to help you feel inadequate because you can't get it. To be fair, chervil is a standard component of the French fines herbs mix used in more delicately flavored dishes. I imagine it can be had at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, but nothing will get me to drive to Santa Monica at dawn on Saturday to do battle with desparate chefs from all those fancy West Side restaurants.

On the other hand, chervil can almost always be found put up in 26 oz jars of brine at markets serving an Armenian community (see photo below).

There is another variety which, as with parsley, is grown for its roots rather than leaves. This is commonly used in France to flavor soups and pretty much nowhere else. Photo by Rasbak distributed under GNU Free Documentation License.

Pickled Chervil Buying & Storage: Chervil is most called for in recipes from France and Armenia. Most recipes call for fresh chervil which is all but impossible to find in Los Angeles, so your chances in Cleveland are probably pretty slim. I have read that chervil is now a commercial crop in California, but that must be in the Sybaritic North since chervil doesn't like heat or dryness - and we're really not so much into French cuisine down here.

Clearly the Armenians are willing to use brine pickled chervil because most of the markets serving that community have it in 26 oz jars. I know it's being bought because I've seen it sold out a number of times. I'm not sure how they use it, but the photo specimens and all the rest in the jar I just ate as pickle snacks - quite good.

Fresh chervil can be stored similarly to parsley. If a bit wilted cut off the stem bottoms and stand in water with a pinch of citric acid in it to refresh, wrap lightly and refrigerate. Pickled chervil can be refrigerated tightly sealed in a jar with its original brine for two weeks.

Cooking: For pickled chervil, soak in room temperature water for about a half hour to leach out the salt and citric acid. Fresh use like any other herb.

Subst: Use the short inside leafy stems of Celery with just a little fresh parsly and just a touch of fresh taragon. Not quite the same but it'll serve. For chervel roots use parsley roots (not parsnips) - again not the same but serviceable.