15 Ingredients We've Been Waiting To Cook All Winter Slideshow
Early spring is the best time for artichokes. Seek out specimens with tightly bunched leaves and avoid ones with purple tips, a sign of aging.
Asparagus
There are countless ways to use asparagus, and we won't bore you by attempting to list them all here. Suffice it to say that spring just wouldn't be spring without asparagus. Fun fact: According to Barbara Ann Kipfer, author of The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference, it is considered acceptable to eat asparagus with your hands as long as the pieces aren't too large or covered with sauce.
Dandelion Greens
Come spring, dandelion greens start popping up everywhere like, well, weeds. If you've never had them before, they're fairly bitter, and go well with bold flavors. Pair them with ingredients like gorgonzola and pickled onions on grilled pizza, and toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and anchovies in pasta.
If you really want to taste the essence of their flavor, though, blanch them briefly to cut down their bitterness, then sauté them. Dress simply with an extra-virgin olive oil that's big on fruitiness and mellow on bitterness and pepper, such as an early-harvest Aglandau from Provence, France.
Fava Beans
This ancient bean is highly coveted at farmers' markets for its unique flavor. Use them on crostini, toss them into salads and pasta, and serve them simply dressed with a delicate, vegetal extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice to highlight their clean flavor.
Once shelled, they will oxidize fairly quickly and turn from bright green to pale yellow, so use within one day of shelling. In the pod, they will store in the refrigerator for one week.
Fiddlehead Ferns
This controversial vegetable has a distinctive nutty flavor that is best highlighted in egg and pasta dishes, or simply blanched and sautéed. To read more about the controversy, click here to see Fiddlehead Ferns: Friend or Foe?
Fresh Peas
In supermarkets and at farmers' markets across the country, you'll find two main types of fresh peas: edible pod peas, such as sugar snap peas and snow peas, which can be eaten in their entirety, and the English pea, also known as the garden pea, which must be shelled to be eaten.
Both are delicious, but the ones we've been waiting for all winter long are English peas. Get them from the farmers' market since they'll be fresher, sweeter, and less starchy than the ones in the store. If you've never had them before, you're definitely in for a surprise, because they're a far cry from those frozen peas you've been eating all winter. Shelling may seem like a lot of work, but once you've got a rhythm going, it's not too bad, and it's well worth the effort.
Morel Mushrooms
Though morel mushroom season varies by region, they typically emerge during spring. Their honeycomb appearance is unmistakable at farmers' markets, and they're delicious simply sautéed, simmered in cream, stirred into risottos with fresh peas or ramps, and tossed with pasta.
Click here to see Ai Fiori's Stuffed Morels and Halibut Recipe.
Nettles
While there are different varieties of nettles, the one most familiar to cooks is probably the stinging nettle, which gets its name from the little hairs on the leaves that deliver a rather unpleasant surprise to anyone who brushes up against them while hiking or attempting to harvest them without gloves. When cooked, stinging nettles become safe to eat and are an excellent addition to soups, pasta dishes, and pizza.
Ramps
Ramps, or wild leeks, are a springtime treat that have a sharper flavor than regular leeks. Compared to regular leeks, the leaves are delicate and desirable to eat; they can be consumed raw for their fresh, spicy flavor or blanched or sautéed briefly to mellow them out.
Click here to see The History of Ramps — and Why They're Becoming Scarce.
Rhubarb
Field-grown rhubarb reaches its peak from April through June. Choose stalks that are free from blemishes and avoid ones that are starting to turn green. Rhubarb's tart flavor is often sweetened up in preparations like jam, pie, and ice cream.
Sorrel
A relative of rhubarb, sorrel is very bitter and extremely tart — sorrel is not a green to be taken lightly. Mellow it out with cream, purée into a soup, or serve with delicate fish. It's also delicious when used in egg dishes.
Click here to see the Sorrel and Chive Pesto with Shrimp and Potatoes Recipe.
Spring Garlic
Its appearance at farmers' markets is one of the first signs that spring has arrived. Spring garlic is simply a young garlic plant, harvested before fully grown into "regular" garlic. It's sold with the shoots, which can be used together with the bulb after removing the outer layer. Its flavor is more delicate and sweeter than regular garlic, and spring garlic can be used pretty much anytime garlic is called for in a recipe. Try it with your favorite recipes and see what difference it makes.
Spring Onions
Spring onions look like overgrown scallions, with a larger, rounded bulb at the base. Outside of the United States, the terms are used interchangeably, but if an American recipe specifies spring onions, it's probably referring to the vegetable with the larger bulb as opposed to the scallion. They are generally available in May and June. Use spring onions anywhere scallions are called for, and try roasting the bulbs on their own for a unique springtime treat.
Watercress
This delicate, peppery, bitter green is an interesting addition to salads and fantastic when puréed in soups. It also makes a wonderful garnish for grilled fish dishes when dressed simply with a little extra-virgin olive oil.
Click here to see the Porcini Salad with Watercress and Black Truffle Vinaigrette Recipe.