18 Recipes We Can’t Wait to Cook in April
It's time to fall in love with fresh herbs, spring veggies, and chilled soups
This April, we can’t wait for fresh spring produce. It’s been a rough winter, and a rougher transition, but spring produce is finally at the markets, so we’re turning to chilled soups, garden salads, and savory tarts.
We’re making the most of spring produce with our rhubarb recipes and asparagus recipes. But we’re still hanging onto some richer winter staples, because who can say no to super-cheesy khachapuri? Here’s what we can’t wait to cook in April.
This traditional Georgian cheese and egg bread is best eaten hot. Use a spoon to stir the yolk and butter into the molten cheese, then tear off a piece of fluffy crust to dunk into the cheesy well. Georgians typically make this savory pastry with a mixture of imeruli and sulguni cheese. We find that a blend of low moisture mozzarella and strong, tart feta gets you very close to the traditional version. Get the recipe for Adjaruli Khachapuri »
Making sushi at home can be a challenge fraught with angst. That’s where chirashi comes in. It’s a rice bowl covered in colorful slices of fish, glistening balls of orange roe, and a rainbow of other garnishes from sesame seeds to seaweed promising all the architectural potential we lust for in a well-made sushi platter—but with far less effort. Get the recipe for Chirashi »
Bottled clam juice is just the thing to amplify the clam flavor in this creamy rice dish, while steamed Manila clams and grilled shrimp strewn across the top drive the point home. Get the recipe for Clam Risotto with Grilled Shrimp »
In this simple Japan-meets-California salad, we toss radishes with cilantro and a fragrant rice vinegar and soy sauce vinaigrette before topping them with goat cheese. Get the recipe for Radish and Cilantro Salad with Goat Cheese »
Dill adds a fresh flavor to this Maharashtrian-style dal. You can find Kashmiri chile powder in Indian grocery stores. Get the recipe for Spiced Dal with Peanuts and Dill »
An extra-velvety quiche loaded with blue cheese for creaminess in a nutty spelt and whole wheat crust. Get the recipe for Perfect Blue Cheese Quiche With Whole Grain Crust »
Don’t throw away those premium green tea leaves after you’ve steeped them—save them for this simple salad perfect over steamed rice or folded into eggs. Get the recipe for Japanese Tea Leaf Salad »
In these luscious cookies from cookbook author Leah Koenig, the traditional shredded coconut version gets hit with a double dose of chocolate: cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips. Get the recipe for Double Chocolate Macaroons »
Corkscrew Pasta with Eggplant and Tomato-Basil Pesto (Busiate con Pesto alla Trapanese)
The North African tradition of serving almonds in savory dishes is reflected in the pesto for this dish, in which the nuts are mixed with tomatoes and basil and tossed with busiate, the traditional corkscrew-shaped pasta from Trapani. Get the recipe for Corkscrew Pasta with Eggplant and Tomato-Basil Pesto (Busiate con Pesto alla Trapanese) »
Packed with green lentils, wheat berries, and black-eyed peas, this filling, tangy soup is brightened with handfuls of fresh parsley and mint. Get the recipe for Chilled Yogurt and Chickpea Soup »
This beautifully layered mushroom and cheese tart is brightened with lemon zest and peppery ramps. Get the recipe for Ramp and Mushroom Tart »
Sprouted Chickpea Socca with Herb Salad and Yogurt
These thick, dinner pancakes are filled with cilantro, warm spices, and nutrient rich sprouted chickpeas. Get the recipe for Sprouted Chickpea Socca with Herb Salad and Yogurt »
Soba Salad with Lemon-Miso Vinaigrette
This refreshing salad of soba noodles tossed with winter greens and mixed vegetables is brought together by a tart dressing of miso, ginger juice, and lemon. Get the recipe for Soba Salad with Lemon-Miso Vinaigrette »
Wine-Poached Rhubarb and Poppy Seed Crisp
Rhubarb takes the spotlight in this bright, rose-colored crisp, sweetened with strawberries and topped with a crunchy poppy seed crumble topping, from Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga of Brooklyn’s Ovenly. Get the recipe Wine-Poached Rhubarb and Poppy Seed Crisp »
Sweet macadamia nuts, toasted to deepen their flavor, give a creamy base to this creative chilled gazpacho with asparagus. Get the recipe for Chilled Macadamia Gazpacho with Cured Asparagus »
Packed with grassy, spicy watercress and plenty of cheese, this frittata-like tart works wonders at brunch. Get the recipe for Watercress Ricotta Torte »
In this bright spring pasta dish of morels, asparagus, and cream, dried morels are rehydrated in boiling water that is then used to cook spaghetti, infusing the pasta with an earthy, mushroomy flavor. Get the recipe for Morel and Asparagus Spaghetti »
A very berry bread. Get the recipe for Strawberry Bread »
