Compound Butter - Parsley is only the beginning

This week I went outside flashlight in hand to harvest the last of our parsley for the season.  Parsley is one of those herbs that goes with just about every dish.  I like to whip it up with some butter and store it in the freezer to add a bit of freshness to baked salmon,  vegetables, risotto and stews.  The thing I like most about compound butter is that there is a lot of room for creativity.  Just about anything blends in well with butter and the ratio of butter to herb is up to your taste preference.  I take about a tablespoon of the mixture and wrap in waxed paper storing the parcels in a plastic bag in the freezer. 

Compound Butter

Compound Butter

Ingredients:

4 T salted butter

1/2 c packed fresh parsley

Remove stems from parsley and rough chop.  Add butter and parsley to food processor or in my case a spice blender and process to desired consistency.  Wrap in waxed paper and store in freezer.  Garlic, shallots, lemon and other herbs work well as flavor enhancers to this parsley butter base.

Parsley Butter