Early spring in the Northeast (as well as many other regions) can be heartbreaking. While much of the country is enjoying — and posting photos of — daffodils, tulips, lilacs, and flowering fruit trees, it’s still gray and cold. It snowed in Maine just the other day.
But finally, there is a warmer sun and a greener green (or just a touch of green) around us, letting us know a new season has arrived. The spring holidays of Passover (which started April 12 and goes until April 20) and Easter (April 20) are here. With the new season, we celebrate new spring foods: asparagus, peas, chives and tender greens.
Here are three side dish (or main course) recipes for any spring feast that utilize the best of the season’s produce. A light spring greens soup is made with asparagus, peas, leeks, tender lettuce and chives. It’s a great first course to a spring holiday or makes a satisfying lunch or dinner with a salad and warm, crusty bread (or matzah). Next is a recipe from friend and cookbook author Viola Buitoni. It’s a spring “pocket” made with frozen puff pastry filled with ricotta cheese, peas and asparagus. And finally, a very simple but show-offy Spinach “Souffle” Roll makes a great side course to any spring feast or can be the centerpiece to any meal.
Spring greens soup
Spring greens soup. (Kathy Gunst/Here & Now)
This is a gorgeous grass-green soup full of the fresh flavors of spring. Leeks, asparagus, peas, chives and parsley are simmered in a vegetable (or chicken) broth until they release their fresh spring essence. The soup is then pureed and served hot with or without cream and an olive oil fried croute. This is a great first course to any spring feast, including Easter or Passover.
I love making this soup using a light pea broth as the base, made from simmering empty pea shells with onion, carrot and celery.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil 2 leeks, white and pale green sections cut lengthwise, washed, and then cut into thin slices (dark green section saved for stock or discarded) 1 pound asparagus ¼ cup finely chopped chives ½ cup chopped parsley Salt and pepper 8 ounces English peas, frozen or fresh 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock ½ head (1 cup) tender lettuce, like Bibb or Butter lettuce
Toppings:
Heavy cream, optional ¼ cup minced fresh chives Croutes (made by sauteing thin slices crusty bread in about 3 tablespoons olive oil, about 3 minutes on each side), optional
Instructions
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Trim the stalk ends off the asparagus by gently breaking off the lower inch or so. Cut the asparagus stalks into small bits, but reserve the tips. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and half the chives and parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock or broth and season with salt and pepper (easy on the salt if you’re using boxed or canned stock) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the peas and lettuce, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the asparagus pieces and peas are fully tender. Add the remaining chives and parsley. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup thoroughly. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend the soup with a food processor or blender, working in batches. Reheat the soup and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with an optional drizzle of heavy cream or a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream. Top with the chives and croutes.Viola Buitoni’s Italian spring pockets with peas, asparagus and ricotta (Fagotto con asparagi, piselli e crescenza)
I recently took a cooking class called Italian Spring Side Dishes at the San Francisco cooking school 18 Reasons. It was taught by Viola Buitoni, author of “Italy by Ingredient.” The food was celebratory and honored the season, but it was this simple dish — which relies on frozen puff pastry, fresh asparagus and peas — that really appealed to me for spring entertaining. Here’s my adaptation of Viola’s dish, with much of Viola’s original language. Serve as an appetizer or lunch with a mixed seasonal greens salad.
Makes 12 pockets.
Viola Buitoni’s Italian spring pockets with peas, asparagus and ricotta. (Kathy Gunst/Here & Now)
Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry, frozen all butter (like Dufour brand), defrosted, 14 ounces ½ lb. asparagus 1 cup unshelled English peas, fresh or frozen and unthawed 1 large shallot ¼ cup parsley leaves 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt as needed Red chili flakes to taste 1 cup crescenza, ricotta or farmer cheese* 1 egg
*Crescenza is a fresh, soft, Italian cheese made from cow’s milk, originating in Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto. It’s favored for its creamy texture, mild flavor. You can also use whole milk ricotta or farmer cheese.
Instructions
Defrost the pastry sheet and, working on a lightly floured surface, roll it to ⅛” thickness. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut it into 12 equal squares. Lay the squares on a sheet pan in one layer and place in the refrigerator to chill. Snap the bottom ends off the asparagus stalks and discard or save for stock. Slice the remaining stalks crosswise into ⅛” wheels, leaving the tips whole. Keep the wheels and tips separate. Grate the shallot on the small hole of a box grater. Finely chop the parsley leaves. Pour the olive oil into a frying pan, add the grated shallot, half the parsley, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the pan over medium-low heat and stand by the stove. In about 3 minutes, when you can smell the shallot, stir in the peas. Add a couple of spoonfuls of warm water and cover the pan. Braise for 6 to 7 minutes until the peas are still bright green, sweaty, and look like they’re about to burst. Stir in the asparagus wheels, cover the pan, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Check often to make sure the vegetables aren’t sticking or burning, and add a little water if necessary. Lastly, add the asparagus tips and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, uncovering the pan for the last couple of minutes to let any excess moisture evaporate. Taste the veggies and adjust salt. Add a pinch of red chili flakes to best suit your palate. Add remaining parsley. Spread them on a plate and put them in the refrigerator to cool down. Divide the crescenza, ricotta or farmer cheese into 12 pieces. Spread a piece on each puff pastry square, leaving a ¼” around to seal the pockets. Drop equal amounts of vegetables in the center of each square. Break the egg into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of cold water. Whisk it well. Dampen the edges of each square with the beaten egg. Take one of the prepared squares, fold up the tips of its four corners, and seal them together. Then seal along the lines going from the tip toward the base, leaving a tiny drop-shaped opening at the end of each line. It should look like a priest’s hat. Lightly brush each pocket with egg wash and return to the refrigerator to let the pastry crust chill again. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚F. When the oven is heated, slide the pockets onto the middle rack and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until they are golden and puffy and it looks like the pastry crust has flaked well. Let your purses cool a few minutes before serving.’Souffled’ spinach and parmesan roll
This side dish is light and airy with many of the characteristics of a souffle but is also like a cheese and spinach frittata. And while it doesn’t have the high drama of a fully risen souffle, it does offer an impressive rise.
It’s an ideal side dish to roast lamb or chicken, but it works well (even with leftovers the next day) for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner with crusty bread and a spring salad.
A classic souffle base is made — fresh spinach leaves are sauteed, chopped, and mixed with a simple white sauce enriched with egg yolks and nutmeg and then gently mixed with beaten egg whites. The base of the souffle roll (without the egg whites) can be made several hours ahead of time and whisked together and baked about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
‘Souffled’ spinach and parmesan roll. (Kathy Gunst/Here & Now)
For the pan:
1 large sheet parchment paper or foil, well-greased with about 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil and then dusted with ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the spinach:
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1-pound fresh spinach, ends trimmed off, or 1 pound baby spinach, well washed and dried About ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
The white sauce and eggs:
2 ½ tablespoons butter 2 ½ tablespoons flour 2 ½ cups milk Pinch ground nutmeg Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 eggs, separated ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll or rimmed baking sheet with a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, with a 3-inch overhang at each short end. Generously grease the paper or foil with the olive oil and then sprinkle with the ½ cup grated cheese. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat the 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the spinach, working in batches, along with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and let cool. Place in a small bowl and, using your hands or two kitchen spoons, squeeze any moisture out of the spinach. Chop the spinach and set aside. In a medium pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Once it’s fully melted, stir in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large bowl. Gently whisk the egg yolks and whisk in about ½ cup of the warm white sauce until smooth. Add the yolks back into the pot with the white sauce and whisk to fully incorporate; cook over medium heat until gently simmering for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the chopped spinach. The dish can be made ahead of time up to this point. Cover and refrigerate the spinach mixture and the bowl with the egg whites. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using an electric beater, beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy. Using a soft spatula, fold ½ cup whipped whites into the spinach mixture. Add the remaining egg whites and fold again until the mixture is fully incorporated. Gently pour the mixture into the prepared pan, creating a level, even surface. Bake on the middle shelf for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until the spinach mixture is slightly risen and beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the surface and cool for another 2 minutes. Pull the parchment paper or foil over at the short ends up and carefully place the souffle on a work surface. Using the parchment paper or foil as your “helper,” carefully roll the souffle lengthwise, into a long, fat roll. Carefully place on a serving platter and cut into ½-inch slices.
More recipes:
This segment aired on April 16, 2025.