Tuna Spinach Mac and Cheese Cups

Spring dawns and with it an awakening of our mood and senses. Shoots and leaves are emerging, and we’re greeted by a host of fresh vegetables rearing their heads after a long winter. It’s always a joy to see the first rhubarb, delicate peas, spring leeks, and asparagus. It’s also a time to savour spring treasures that are in more fleeting supply—such as fiddleheads, ramps, (delicate, yet spicy) salad turnips, and nettles. It’s like greeting old friends you haven’t seen in a while, a chance to savour their abundance and the health benefits they provide. Spring is a symbolic new beginning, which makes it a great time to learn something new in the kitchen. Whether it’s tackling an artichoke, something that always seemed too daunting, or finally experimenting with a vegetable you’ve admired but never dared to try, read on. Now’s the perfect time. These six spring-inspired recipes will help you get creative in the kitchen while helping you celebrate the bounty of nature. Welcome the optimism that spring brings.

In spring, a different kind of turnip is available: a small, round, golf ball-shaped Hakurei turnip, often referred to as a salad turnip. These are lovely and crisp when eaten raw but can also be lightly sautéed and infused with flavour. In this dish, the turnips are first stir-fried and then coated in a dressing of miso, ginger, garlic, and honey before tossing with some spring salad leaves. Choose leaves that will stand up to the warmth of the salad, like a young mustard green mix including leaves such as tatsoi and mizuna. Keep the greens Turnip greens, especially the tender ones from spring turnips, can be steamed or prepared in a similar fashion to spinach, so be sure to reserve the greens and use them in another dish.

A simple stir-fry is a quick and easy meal that makes the most of fresh vegetables. This spring-inspired stir-fry leans on spring onions, the first fresh snow peas, baby spinach, and fiddleheads. Szechuan (a.k.a. Sichuan) peppercorns add a layer of complexity to this dish with a pleasing citrus flavour and a slight numbing heat. They can be found in specialty spice stores, but if you can’t find them you can still enjoy the gingery-garlicky, spicy heat of the other ingredients. Fiddlehead facts Fiddleheads are recognizable by their tightly wound coiled shape. The young shoots of the ostrich fern, they’re a foraged plant and often available at farmers’ markets or specialty grocery shops. Their flavour is often compared to green beans or asparagus with a sweet, grassy taste. Look for fresh fiddleheads with tight spirals. If any papery covering remains, it should be removed prior to cooking. Due to the risk of foodborne illness, fiddleheads should always be cooked prior to eating. Even when sautéing, it’s recommended to boil or steam them first.

Leek and potato soup is a spring classic and really shines with new-season leeks. This soup takes the classic recipe a step further in a celebration of spring alliums by adding charred spring onions and garlic scapes, the immature flowering part of the garlic plant. Unlike the garlic bulb, scapes impart a gentler, fresher garlic flavour. Garlic—two for one Hardneck varieties of garlic, such as Russian Red, develop a flowering stock called a scape, which extends from the plant in a green coil. Growing your own garlic will give you two crops—a crop of bulbs in late July and, prior to that, in late May or early June, tender garlic scapes. Harvesting garlic scapes, before they flower, not only provides a delicious crop you can use in myriad ways but also essentially helps the plant divert its energy to producing the garlic bulbs—the part we use most often. Scapes are ready to harvest when they curl downward and begin to coil.