15 Surprising Recipes Showcasing The Bounty Of Spring

Out with the old, in with the new: it’s an appropriate adage for spring. And although we love classic recipes featuring snappy seasonal produce, we also love putting a fresh spin on them. Here, we highlight 15 spring vegetables as you’ve never seen – or cooked – them before.

ASPARAGUS

Chocolate Asparagus Bundt Cake

You might’ve heard about zucchini and carrots in cake or muffins, but asparagus? Try this chocolate cake and see for yourself: a spring vegetable in a wholly new guise! If you like to keep it savoury, on the other hand, try Meera Sodha’s asparagus and cashew thoran, or this Mexican-inspired roasted asparagus with lime and chilli for a fresh take on the spring favourite.

BEETS

Beetroot Red Velvet Cupcake

Beetroot is another vegetable that works wonders in desserts: you get the beautiful red colour, but not the earthy, slightly bitter taste that can be off-putting for some. With this beet red velvet cupcake recipe, you’ll create an acidic batter that preserves the vegetable’s beautiful red hue. Want to stick to savoury? These roasted beets have acidity and salt in the shape of lemon and feta to offset the veggie’s more dirt-forward flavours.

STRAWBERRIES

Salad With Strawberries

Vegetables for dessert and fruit in your main course? Yep, we continue flipping the script with strawberries. Add them to salads with gorgonzola and spicy pecans or serve on a pizza with basil and balsamic vinegar. Strawberry season is over before you know it, so maximise your berry intake by having them as often as you can.

RHUBARB

Rhubarb And Lentil Curry

You thought we would continue with the fruit-for-dinner theme, didn’t you? Well, not quite. Although often used in cakes and desserts, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. In sweet dishes, its tartness needs to be balanced out with heaps of sugar, but it’s precisely that tangy taste that makes it an asset in savoury dishes like this rhubarb and lentil curry. 

CARROTS

Roasted Carrots With Carrot Top Pistachio Pesto

Fresh spring carrots are small, sweet and delicate, and you don’t need much to let their taste shine. They are sold in bunches with their tops on, which you can use in your cooking, too. More flavour, less waste! These roasted carrots are topped with a pesto made from those carrot tops along with pistachios.

ARTICHOKES

Carciofi Alla Giudia 2.0

We’ve already offered you plenty of reasons to give artichokes a chance, even if cleaning the thistle is slightly intimidating (go on, just try it!). If you need one more reason to give the vegetable a go, then consider this air-fried crispy artichoke recipe, a slightly heart-healthier version of the deep-fried Jewish-Roman carciofo classic.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Shredded Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts haters gonna hate – or not, if you serve the veggie finely shredded. These don’t have any of the bitterness associated with their boiled counterparts, and a bit of lemon and freshly grated Parmesan cheese amplify their nutty, sweet flavour.

TURNIPS

Hasselback Turnips

The social media craze for hasselbacking everything seems behind us, but the technique – cutting a potato or other vegetable in thin layers to increase the surface area for flavourings – has been around since the 1950s, and is still going strong. It’s also a great way to amp up turnips, a root vegetable that some find bland and boring.

GREEN PEAS

Kerala Spiced Peas

Nothing quite beats plump, bright green fresh peas, known as ‘English peas’ or ‘garden peas’. While they’re great to have with just a bit of butter and seasoning, try them in a version with Indian spices that are bold but not overpowering. The flavours are really brought out by the ghee (clarified butter).

FENNEL

Caramelised Fennel

Fresh fennel has a refreshing, crisp taste, but some people can’t get over its intense licorice notes. Slowly caramelising the vegetable, helped along with a sprinkling of sugar, softens this flavour. A squeeze of lemon adds some brightness, and a dollop of mascarpone tops it all off. Use this technique with another divisive vegetable as well: Belgian endive, to diffuse its bitterness.

RADISHES

Chilli Butter Smashed Radishes

A few years ago, smashing vegetables became a whole thing. It relieves some stress for the home cook, but mostly it’s a technique to help vegetables soak in more flavours and nicely crisp up around the edges. Try these chilli butter smashed radishes or smashed radishes loaded with cheese, sour cream and bacon.

SCALLIONS

Braised Whole Scallions

Scallions usually don’t get much more than a meagre scattering over a stir-fry, but you should try to braise a bunch. The butter brings out their sweet flavour and silky texture, and makes for a scrumptious side dish.

MORELS

Breaded And Fried Morels

Come spring, wild mushrooms are a real treat to look forward to (if you want to go hunting, please read our guide), but you’ll find them at farmers’ markets as well. Purists swear by a light sautéing with seasoning and perhaps some cream, but if you lightly bread them and give them a quick shallow fry, their earthy flavours really shine.

FAVA BEANS

Fava Bean Spread With White Chocolate

Fresh fava beans might be hard to find, but if you do spot them in the market, buy them immediately and transform them into a silky spread. Chefs usually double-shell them to remove the leathery, bitter-tasting cap around the bean, but if you find young ones, you might not need to. And here’s a chef’s tip that sounds strange, but works like a charm: top your beans with a fine shaving of white chocolate!

MINT

Chocolate-Dipped Mint Leaves

When we’re craving clean, refreshing flavours in spring, nothing fits the bill quite like fresh mint leaves. Use the herb in salads, tabbouleh or lamb dishes, or as a dessert. These frozen chocolate mint leaves are as zesty and satisfying as after-dinner mints, but just a little better for you.