Top 5 Spring Vegetables
I love spring! The garden bursts back into life after its winter rest, and the green grocers are full of some of my favourite Ingredients. It’s the easiest time of year for quick simple dishes as these spring vegetables require very little fuss. Here are five of the reasons spring just might be my favourite season and delicious easy recipes to make with them.
Zucchini
Spring is all about flowers, and there’s none prettier than zucchini’s gorgeous golden and green petals. I love the flowers and the tender young fruit tossed through pasta and deep-fried in crisp batter. They’re a star in ratatouille and zucchini soup is one of my favourites, especially with a Middle Eastern touch.
Herbs & Lettuce
Even a lazy gardener like me can pop punnets of lettuce and herbs in pots for interesting salads. Versatile curly endive is one of the hardiest and great in salads and frittatas. I toss chervil, tarragon, mint, parsley and dill through salads and add sprigs of peppery watercress to everything from soups to sandwiches!
Asparagus
Asparagus is my favourite veggie as it requires no preparation beyond a quick trim of the stalk. I love it drizzled with olive oil and topped with shavings of parmesan in an antipasti. Partnered with goat’s cheese for risotto or drizzled with citrusy hollandaise, it epitomises spring for me.
Artichokes
They take a little time to prepare, but fresh artichokes are well worth it. I especially love them filled with seasoned breadcrumbs and the ritual of scraping them through my teeth, petal by petal. Finely shaved raw in a salad is easier, or cheat and blitz preserved ones with cannellini beans into a delicious dip.
Strawberries
My favourite fruit for fast and fabulous desserts are at their best from mid-spring. Sandwich strawberries between crisp palmiers with a little crème fraîche, fold them through whipped cream for an indulgent Eton mess or strawberries Romanoff, create a healthy breakfast parfait or add that other great spring treat, passionfruit, for a classic pavlova!
