Spring is on its way, and with it new seasonal recipes to fit the floral mood. We looked to Pinterest to see what you were anxious to try, and compiled this list of veggie-fueled dishes to help you cure that spring fever. If you’re thinking about gardening this spring, plant some green garlic or cherry tomatoes to throw into these dishes. Or you can use pesto to get into the spirit of Spring. Lots of pesto. Here are the spring recipes you pinned the most.
Shaved Fennel with Pecorino (January 2016)
The perfect salad to serve along side a heavy meat dish. Get the recipe for Shaved Fennel with Pecorino »
Spring Vegetable Barigoule
This lightened-up this Provençal classic showcases spring’s snappy asparagus and sweet peas. Get the recipe for Barigoule of Spring Vegetables »
Fresh Peas With Lettuce and Green Garlic
This side dish from Andrea Reusing’s Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes (Clarkson Potter, 2011) is the essence of summer: emerald green vegetables cooked together briefly, until their flavors just meld. Get the recipe for Fresh Peas With Lettuce and Green Garlic »
Gujarati Spring Vegetables
Though it is typically made with root vegetables, come spring, Heena Patel likes to put a bright seasonal spin on the southern Gujarati vegetable dish undhiyu.Get the recipe for Gujarati Spring Vegetables »
Ramp and Wild Greens Pesto
Fermentation revivalist Sandor Katz makes this punchy pesto to capture the essence of spring. Chickweed, a spicy herb, is his green of choice to pair with ramps, to which he adds mild herbs and sunflower seeds, but you can replace chickweed with watercress, arugula, or any other peppery green. The same goes for the ramps—this pesto works just as well with spring onions or garlic. It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, and Katz uses it throughout the day: on grits or eggs for breakfast, slathered on sandwiches for lunch, and tossed with potatoes or pasta for dinner. Get the recipe for Ramp and Wild Greens Pesto »
Lorighittas with Shrimp, Mussels & Orange
Made by looping a slender strand of dough around two fingers, then carefully twisting the pieces into what looks like a thin rope, lorighittas take time and, ideally, multiple makers. Let the pieces dry slightly before boiling to preserve their shape, resting them on a surface heavily dusted with semolina to help prevent sticking and warping when lifted. Leave the heads on the shrimp for a deeper, sweeter seafood flavor, and finish the pasta in a combination of fresh orange juice and the juices from the cooked mussels. Get the recipe for Lorighittas with Shrimp, Mussels & Orange »
Fresh Pasta Sheets with Pesto
Mandilli di seta, “silk handkerchiefs” in Italian, are large sheets of fresh pasta, flat and glossy like lasagna sheets but rolled out even more thinly. In this elegant, rustic version, inspired by Da Laura restaurant in San Fruttuoso, the pasta is lightly coated with pesto and draped in layers atop the plate. Get the recipe for Fresh Pasta Sheets with Pesto »
Cherry Tomato Tarte Tatin
Juicy cherry or grape tomatoes are coated in a light caramel to make the “topping” for this tart, but the whole thing is baked upside down in a skillet. Do most of the steps to prepare it in advance—make the zucchini paste and defrost the puff pastry a few hours or up to two days ahead—but be sure to serve the tart just after baking, turning it out from the pan in front of guests. It tastes best while the caramel is still runny and the warm, topmost layer of dough has a custardy consistency. Get the recipe for Cherry Tomato Tarte Tatin »
Charcoal-grilled eggplants are a common Greek meze dish. There are many variations, but Kostas Feidantsis and Dimitris Koparanis of Dr. Benefits prefer this simple version. Use the dark purple fat eggplants, not the long ones. If no charcoal grill is available, roasting the eggplants is the next best thing. Get the recipe for Greek Grilled Eggplant Spread (Melitzanosalata) »
Broiled oysters with Spinach and Brown Butter Hollandaise
Instead of using clarified butter in his hollandaise, as is traditional, Global Village chef Martin Bealin browns butter, rendering it nutty in flavor. Choose briny—not creamy—oysters (ask your fishmonger), and be sure to make the mignonette: The salinity of the oysters in combination with the pungent shallots and vinegar are a welcome contrast to the richness of the hollandaise. Get the recipe for Broiled oysters with Spinach and Brown Butter Hollandaise »
Olive-Oil Poached Green Almonds with Dill
Green almonds are a rare spring treat; simmering them in olive oil, orange juice, and aromatics mitigates their slightly bitter exterior, making them an irresistible cocktail party snack. Get the recipe for Olive-Oil Poached Green Almonds with Dill »
“We have always had a big potatoes-and-gravy culture in Denmark,” says Danish chef Niclas Grønhøj Møller. “Once you get into summer and new potatoes start coming into season, white gravies—usually milk thickened and flavored with herbs like parsley—come back in style instead of heavier brown gravies.” His fresh spin on the combination uses a bright, high-acid beurre blanc in place of a cream-based gravy, and features lightly crunchy pickled potatoes infused with chamomile, a flower that grows wild even in the city. Get the recipe for Chamomile-Pickled New Potatoes with Beurre Blanc »