Ah, spring! It’s a season of lengthening days, blossom-scented air, and budding greenery, and a time when our taste buds crave light, fresh, and sweet flavours.

Though the season has had a slow start this year, at least in our part of the world, it’s easy to nurture a spring-like mood in the kitchen.

No matter your skill level, it’s easy to incorporate seasonal flavours into your cooking. We’ve brought together three delicious recipes from Firefly cookbooks to inspire your kitchen ambition and please your palate.

Bon appétit!

 

Fava Beans, Greens & Fresh Herb Tartine (from Grow What You Love)

What you need:
2 cups shelled fresh fava beans
3 cups spring greens, such as arugula, mizuna, tatsoi or a combination, soaked and cleaned
Handful fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro, parsley or mint or a combination, coarsely chopped
½cupextra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 lemon cut into wedges
⅓ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 small garlic cloves (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette
Crumbled goat cheese

How to make it:
1.     Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2.     Blanche shelled fava beans in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Immediately strain beans and pour into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool enough to handle, peel skins and place beans on a towel to dry.

3.     Combine ¾ of the beans, 2 ½ cups greens, ½ or ¾ of your fresh herbs, ½ cup oil, juice of ½ lemon, grated cheese, and 1 small garlic clove in a food processor; chop so your final mixture isn’t a puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.     Coarsely chop remaining fava beans and greens by hand and set aside.

5.     Slice baguette, cut remaining garlic clove and rub on bread slices, and place on a baking sheet, toasting for about 8 minutes.

6.     Top toasts with fava bean and fresh herb spread. Garnish with fresh herbs, chopped greens, extra fava beans, crumbled goat cheese, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Makes 2 cups.

 

Spring Lamb Chops with Garlic and Mint Sauce (from New French Table)

What you need:
1 rack of spring lamb (with 8 bones), French trimmed

For the marinade:
4 tbsp olive oil
1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked
1 thyme sprig, leaves picked
1tsppiment d’Espelette or chilli powder
1 tsp sea salt

For the sauce:
½ cup milk
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 cup rapeseed oil
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make it:
1.     For the marinade, place all the ingredients in a mortar and grind with a pestle until the oil is properly incorporated. Rub the marinade all over the lamb rack and leave in the fridge for 4 hours.

2.     To make the sauce, place the milk and garlic in a small saucepan and gently heat making sure the liquid never boils. Once hot, use a hand-held blender to mix the garlic and milk together, then gradually incorporate the oil into the mixture until the sauce emulsifies and thickens. Season to taste, pour the sauce into a small bowl and leave to cool for 1 hour. Once completely cold, whisk the chopped herbs into the sauce.

3.     Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).

4.     Season the rack of lamb to taste with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the rack on the meaty sides for about 1-2 minutes, then turn over and colour the other sides for a further 1 minute. Finally, brown the ends briefly so that all of the exposed meat is seared.

5.     Place the rack in an appropriately sized roasting tray and roast in the oven for approximately 10 minutes depending on the size of the rack, or until the probe of a meat thermometer inserted into the core shows approximately 110˚F (43˚C). Leave the meat to rest for a further 5 minutes before slicing each chop and serving with the sauce.

Serves 4 as an aperitif.

 

Rhubarb and Ginger Pavlova (from Best of the Simple Things)

What you need:

For the meringue:
6 egg whites
300g soft brown sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
50g crystallized ginger, sliced thinly

For the topping:
3 sticks rhubarb
3 tbsp honey
Zest and juice of one orange
1 vanilla pod, split
3 Chinese star anise
1 vanilla pod
500ml double cream, to serve

How to make it:
1.     For the meringue, preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2.     In a perfectly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form peaks, then slowly whisk in the sugar a tbsp at a time. It will turn sepia-coloured and shiny. Sprinkle in the vinegar and the crystallized ginger, then carefully fold in until combined.

3.     Spoon and smooth the mixture into a circle approximately 23cm across on the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and reduce the heat to 300˚F (150˚C). Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until it is dry and crisp on the outside. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and leave to cool completely.

4.     For the rhubarb topping, preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Slice the rhubarb into 2-inch pieces and place in a deep-sided baking dish. Pour over the honey and orange juice. Scrape the beans out of the vanilla pot into the juices, then add the pod along with the Chinese star anise.

5.     Bake for around 30 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender but still holding its shape. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

6.     Whip the cream and spread it generously over the cooled meringue base. Spoon the rhubarb carefully onto the top, dribbling over some of the juices, and serve immediately.

Serves 8.

 

 

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Get the books:

 Grow What You Love

 New French Table

 Best of the Simple Things