Daylight Saving Time has extended our evening light, and we’re brightening things up in the kitchen to match. From an electric-green ramp pesto to a lightning-fast strawberry sorbet, at least one of these vibrant recipes is bound to become a new staple of your spring table.
Recipe: Creamy Spring Turnip Soup With Wilted Radish Greens And Bacon opens in a new tab
What's great about this recipe is its simplicity. Equally at home as a first course or modest main, it relies only on leeks, young turnips, chicken broth, and cream for the base, and radish greens sautéed in bacon fat for the garnish. Naturally, the bacon is allowed to join the party, too.
Recipe: Shaved Asparagus and Mint Salad opens in a new tab
The bright, woodsy flavor of asparagus is sometimes lost once it's cooked; this salad preserves that flavor and the long ribbons give each bite a wholesome crunch. Get out your best vegetable peeler. It does double duty here: first with the asparagus and next with the Parmesan. The hazelnuts echo the richness of the cheese, and mint gives the salad a little zing. We like zing!
Recipe: Sweet Pea Hummus opens in a new tab
A light, delicate spin on traditional hummus, this inviting recipe features spring peas, lemon, fresh herbs and a hint of garlic. You’ll never look at drab, regular hummus the same way again.
Recipe: Wild Ramp Pesto opens in a new tab
Fiery and bright, this pesto surprised us in a couple of ways: it's creamier than we expected it to be, despite a relatively small amount of olive oil and Parmesan, and it has a lovely mild sweetness from the combination of tender ramp bulbs and walnuts. We added a fair amount of salt to heighten the other flavors, and the juice of half a lemon before folding it into spaghetti. We recommend you do the same!
Recipe: Quick Strawberry Sherbet opens in a new tab
Not only is this simple dessert packed with intense strawberry flavor, but it takes all of five minutes to make. We'll admit we were a bit skeptical about the technique, but it works perfectly: you purée briefly frozen berries in the food processor with sugar and lemon, leave the motor running while you pour in a little cold milk, and voila -- you have a lovely, loose sherbet.
In this pie, there are no strawberries to claim rhubarb's glory. Anne Dimock's simple filling formula calls for 1/4 cup of sugar and a tablespoon of flour for every cup of sliced rhubarb, plus a little cinnamon, an unlikely accent that brings out rhubarb's fire.
What new dishes have you added to your spring recipe repertoire this year? Share your comments below!
