Bring a seasonal taste to meals this spring

Spring has sprung, and  it’s time to think about the season of renewal.

Spring isn’t just about cleaning. It’s a time to look at refreshing all aspects of life — among them, your meals.

This is the perfect time to bring lighter, brighter dishes to the table, especially those that feature spring vegetables.

Many spring vegetables are available in grocery stores, and others will be springing up in gardens soon.

Among them are leafy greens like arugula and lettuces, root veggies such as radishes and carrots, other veggies like spring peas, asparagus and rhubarb and herbs, including chives, watercress and ramps.

Add citrus to meals to give them a brightness.

Pastas with light sauces and sauteed veggies are a spring favorite, as are flavorful salads with fresh produce.

And spring is the right time to break out the grill. Barbecued meals are a harbinger of spring, especially for those people who put their grill away for winter, and other light entrees, such as a homemade pesto pizza with spring veggies, also highlight the flavors of the season.

Don’t forget a spring dessert. Fresh fruits will add a bright finish to your meal, while light versions of traditional desserts such as crumbles will lighten any dinner. Following are recipes for spring dinners from www.foodnetwork.com.

 

 

Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1-1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt

Pepper

1-1/2 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup white wine

1 lemon, juiced

1 cup chicken broth or stock

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked al dente

Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and chicken, season with salt and pepper, then brown chicken five to six minutes, until light golden all over.

Remove chicken from pan, then return skillet to the stove, reduce heat to medium and add remaining extra-virgin olive oil and one tablespoon butter, garlic and shallots. Saute garlic and shallots three minutes. Add flour and cook two minutes. Whisk in wine and cook one minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining butter.

Return chicken to the pan and heat one to two minutes. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. Top with fresh snipped chives.

 

 

Pappardelle With Spring Vegetables

Kosher salt

12 ounces pappardelle pasta

1 cup frozen petite green peas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bunch radishes, halved or quartered if large

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

Pinch red pepper flakes

5 cups baby spinach

1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as parsley and chives

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve one cup cooking water, then put peas in a colander and drain pasta over the peas.

Place empty pot over medium heat and add the butter, swirling to melt. Add radishes, shallot and red pepper flakes and cook two minutes, stirring occasionally, until radishes are slightly softened. Add pasta and peas along with spinach, herbs, lemon juice, 3/4 cup reserved cooking water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, tossing, until the spinach is wilted and pasta is lightly coated, gradually adding more of the reserved cooking water if needed.

Mix ricotta, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Serve over the pasta.

 

 

Shrimp Ramen

8 ounces bacon, chopped

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms

7 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 3-ounce packages instant ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded

12 ounces peeled medium shrimp, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons 1-inch-long pieces fresh chives

Put bacon in a cold medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat six minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Pour off all but three tablespoons bacon fat, then add garlic and cook three minutes, stirring, until golden. Add shiitakes and cook six minutes, stirring, until browned.

Pour in chicken broth, soy sauce and Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Add ramen and boil two minutes, until tender.

Remove broth from the heat and stir in shrimp. Let stand one to two minutes, until shrimp are cooked. Serve topped with chives.

 

 

Parmesan Chicken

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 extra-large eggs

1 tablespoon water

1-1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

Unsalted butter

Olive oil

Baby arugula and mesclun mix for 6, washed and spun dry

For lemon vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pound chicken breasts until 1/4-inch thick using either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine flour, salt and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat eggs with one tablespoon water. On a third plate, combine bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat chicken breasts on both sides with flour mixture, then dip both sides into egg mixture and dredge both sides in bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan and cook two to three chicken breasts over medium-low heat for two to three minutes on each side, until cooked through.

Add more butter and oil and cook the remaining chicken breasts.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Toss salad greens with vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

 

 

Lemon Pasta Pronto

Kosher salt

1 pound orecchiette

8 tablespoons salted butter

3/4 cup pancetta cubes

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 lemons, zested and juiced

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Pecorino

For pangrattato:

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons lemon zest plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for garnish

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta, thyme, garlic and onions and cook two to three minutes, until onions soften. Stir in lemon zest and juice and bring to a simmer. Stir in peas and cream, bring to a simmer and simmer two minutes, until slightly thickened.

Add olive oil to a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add panko, tossing to coat, and then season with salt and pepper. Cook three to four minutes, tossing occasionally, until panko is golden brown. Remove from heat, add lemon zest and thyme and stir everything together.

Stir Pecorino into the lemony sauce. Drain pasta, add it to the sauce and toss. Taste, adjusting the seasoning as needed.

Sprinkle panko mixture over pasta and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve straight from the skillet.

 

 

 

Mustard-and-Herb-Crusted Salmon With Warm Asparagus Salad

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup panko

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems

1 sprig fresh tarragon leaves, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

4 6-ounce skinless center-cut salmon fillets

1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

2 cups shelled English peas or thawed frozen peas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 radishes, thinly sliced

Bring eight cups salted water to a boil in a large covered saute pan. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a mesh strainer on top of the ice.

Pulse panko, parsley, the leaves of one sprig fresh tarragon and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a mini food processor until the herbs are coarsely chopped. Drizzle in one tablespoon oil and pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a plate.

Combine brown sugar, mustard, one tablespoon lemon juice and remaining oil in a small bowl. Brush tops and sides of salmon generously with mustard mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press a salmon fillet, top-side down, into panko mixture. Place, panko-side up, on a baking sheet that’s lined with foil. Repeat with remaining fillets, then bake in a 425-degree oven for eight to 10 minutes, until panko is toasted and the salmon is cooked through.

Put asparagus and peas in the saute pan of boiling water and cook three minutes, until almost crisp-tender. Transfer vegetables to the ice bath with a slotted spoon and let cool one minute.

Heat a second large saute pan over medium-high heat and add butter, swirling it until melted. Drain cooled vegetables and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook three to five minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove from the heat, add radishes, remaining lemon juice and two tablespoons tarragon. Toss to combine, taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve salmon with asparagus salad and a lemon wedge.

 

 

Asparagus Fettuccine Carbonara

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving, optional

3 large egg yolks

1 pound jumbo asparagus

8 ounces fettuccine

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Mix Parmesan, egg yolks, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl, then set aside.

Snap off woody ends of the asparagus stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to shave asparagus into thin wide ribbons. Set aside.

Cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling water according to the package instructions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat seven to eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Drain all but two tablespoons bacon fat from the skillet, add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and cook one minute, stirring, until fragrant. Reduce heat to medium low, add drained pasta and asparagus and toss until well coated and mixed with the bacon.

Whisk 1/4 cup pasta water into the egg mixture, then quickly pour over the pasta and toss to gently cook the eggs and make a creamy sauce. Thin the mixture with more pasta water as needed, one tablespoon at a time. Divide among four bowls and garnish with the parsley and more Parmesan if desired.

 

 

Tarragon Snap Peas

1 pound snap peas

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Cook sugar snap peas in boiling salted water about four minutes, until crisp-tender.

Drain and toss with chopped tarragon, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

 

 

Sheet Pan London Broil With Asparagus Gribiche

For London broil:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 cloves garlic, smashed

Juice of 1 lemon

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds top round London broil steak, 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick

For gribiche:

3 large eggs

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, grated

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons dried chives

1 tablespoon drained capers, roughly chopped

6 cornichons, roughly chopped

For asparagus:

2 pounds pencil-thin asparagus, woody stems removed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For London broil, set a large resealable plastic bag in a medium saucepan and pull the edges of the bag over the sides of the pan. Add olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, lemon juice, one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon pepper to the bag and whisk to combine. Add London broil and seal the bag. Remove the bag from the pan and use your hands to rotate the meat, coating thoroughly in the marinade. Lay bag flat on a cutting board and marinate at room temperature for one hour, flipping the bag after 30 minutes.

For the gribiche, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Use a large spoon to gently add the eggs. Boil 10 minutes. Drain eggs and rinse under cold water. Crack, peel and roughly chop the eggs.

Whisk oil, mustard, vinegar, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley, chives, capers and cornichons. Fold in chopped eggs. Cover and set aside to marinate.

While the gribiche is marinating, position an oven rack about 4 inches from the heating element and preheat the broiler to high. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place in the oven.

Remove steak from the marinade and discard any stuck-on garlic cloves. Pull preheated sheet pan from the oven and place steak in the center. Broil six to 10 minutes, until nicely charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted sideways into the center of the steak registers between 120 and 125 degrees. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Place asparagus on the same sheet pan and toss with olive oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Broil three minutes, until asparagus is vibrantly green and crisp-tender.

Divide asparagus among plates and spoon gribiche over the top. Thinly slice rested steak against the grain and divide among the plates.