The seder celebrates Pesach as Chag HaAviv, the Holiday of Spring. To commemorate the rebirth and renewal of the land after a cold winter [although I’m not sure what they do in South Africa or Australia], we eat a small amount of greens at the beginning of the seder. Parsley, saved from near death as a garnish, has a bright, zesty, faintly bitter flavor when added at the last minute to recipes.

Here are some recipes that highlight the flavors of parsley, as well as some potato recipes, and a crepe recipe that is limited only by your imagination.

Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter… It’s true that we have parsley all year round, but the brightness of flavor that it adds to dishes can be described as “waking up” the rest of the dish, which is kind of spring-like. Potatoes, used as the vegetable for karpas, is most definitely an Eastern European custom. Poor farmers in the hinterland couldn’t afford a luxury crop like parsley, they needed a sustenance crop, and potatoes were about the only thing left when springtime rolled around. I’m a purist, so I eat parsley; but using potatoes as karpas is a legitimate minhag, so I included some potato dishes as well.”

Colcannon

This classic Irish potato dish is easy to prepare. The only thing you have to remember is to double the recipe!

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Lamb Meatballs with Gremolata

The assertive flavor of the lamb meets the assertive flavors of parsley and garlic. Gremolata is a chopped parsley and garlic condiment that is the traditional accompaniment to osso bucco.

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Pommes Persillade

Potatoes, parsley, garlic, fancy French name. What else do you need for good food?

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Pesach Spring Rolls

For this recipe, you need a little patience to get the crepes right, but it’s easy to learn. I haven’t given amounts for the fillings because again, it depends on how many people you’re having, and how full you stuff the crepes.
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