All of a sudden the price of a bunch of asparagus plummets from its mind-boggling heights of $7/pound and I am *there* in a flash, hoarding it for dishes like this glorious beast. Oh and this too. The emergence of fresh seasonal vegetables also excites me for more off the cuff cooking. Random salads – and ditching the recipes in favour of just enjoying how flavours work together.

That said, there’s also space in my heart (and belly) for this asparagus risotto. Might I suggest you make some room too? Dan and I made this together on a sunny, chilly spring afternoon, methodically adding warmed chicken stock to the crisp rice, watching it bubble and soak up the moisture until we added more.

I can’t tell you how much I love the process of risotto: the smell of white wine de-glazing and that final glorious flourish of butter and a huge double-handful of Parmesan cheese just about sends me over the edge.

Some of the asparagus here is boiled and pureed, then added towards the end of the cooking process, giving the whole dish a spring-like green tint and really infusing the asparagus flavour. Texture isn’t ignored though and the remaining pieces and tips of asparagus are added whole for a wonderful crunch against the risotto’s creaminess. Utter perfection with a chilled glass of white wine.

Asparagus Risotto
adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces, tips reserved
• 4 to 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• bulb of one spring onion, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus stalks and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Transfer cooked asparagus to a food processor and add just a touch of water – enough only to allow the machine to puree until smooth; set aside.
2. Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time the stock has just about evaporated, add more.
4. After about 15 minutes, add the remaining asparagus pieces and tips, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. When it does, stir in 1/4 cup asparagus puree. Remove skillet from heat, add remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

I’m one of those slightly irritating people that gets pretty darn excited around this time of year because all of a sudden my beloved citrus is fading and – oh! look! asparagus! rhubarb! spring! Yep, that’s me. Mostly I keep this excitement inside because really, I don’t want to annoy everyone, but seeing all these things pop up means only one thing: soon I can wear sandals, bare my legs, sit in the sun, go swimming, and make summer pies. And that, friends, is happiness to me.

Rhubarb feels really English to me – Rhubarb and Custard anyone?! – although living in the States my inkling is to put it in a pie before I make rhubarb and custard or a crumble. The first thing I did with this bunch – my very first of the season – was simply to stew it into a compote with a mix of spices, sugar, and lemon juice. Oh and some strawberries! Which smelled too good not to buy even though I’m well aware it’s not strawberry season yet. Look, nobody’s perfect.

The oh-so sweet compote went beautifully on these buckwheat/wholewheat flour waffles which aren’t too sweet. A dollop of crème fraîche adds a lovely tang. Clearly, bacon is a must on the side. Brits, I know it’s hard to wrap your head around bacon with a sweet breakfast but I urge you to give it a try. If you like sweet-salty combos otherwise (think chocolate sea salt cookies or salted caramel) then you’ll love it. Really, I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather have with waffles or pancakes than bacon.

Oh and lastly, any leftover compote can be refrigerated for several days and gores wonderfully with yoghurt and granola in a parfait.

Buckwheat Waffles with Rhubarb Strawberry Compote
adapted from my buckwheat pancakes and rhubarb compote

Ingredients

For the waffles

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup wholewheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk or milk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• canola oil, to grease waffle maker

For the compote

• 8oz medium rhubarb stalks leaves removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8oz strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Make the compote: In a medium saucepan, mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb is tender but not falling apart, about 8 minutes. Transfer the rhubarb to a small bowl and let cool or cover and refrigerate until thick, at least 1 hour. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)
2. Melt two tablespoons unsalted butter in a small pan and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Combine buckwheat flour, wholewheat flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium sized bowl and whisk together.
4. In a separate, larger bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, honey, and melted butter. Whisk til the mixture is smooth and completely blended.
5. Grease waffle iron with canola oil using a pastry brush and heat. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and use a spatula to mix until just combined. Pour some the mixture into heated waffle maker. Cook to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately with compote and crème fraîche. Makes 2 or 3 large waffles.

Here’s a quick and easy Spring recipe for you. I found these potatoes last weekend and was immediately drawn to them when I saw that the label on them literally read: “teeny-tiny potatoes”. I guessed that they were a kind of new potato or baby new potato, oh-so common in the U.K. this time of year and exceptional in salads.

I looked in the fridge for inspiration and found a lemon and a bunch of spring onions. Perfect.

You could add bacon here (that would be amazing) but I wanted something a bit more simple, fresh, and zingy. Lemon, spring onions, olive oil, salt, pepper: that’s all you really need. If you have fresh herbs on hand then I’d say mint, rosemary or thyme would taste lovely in place of the spring onions.

If you like french fries {chips} doused with salt and vinegar then these would probably really appeal to you. The lemon offers that same acidity and the potatoes get crisp enough to be reminiscent of great fries. But really you don’t need to imagine these as something else: they completely hold their own.

As for leftovers (if I hadn’t gobbled the lot), I’d mix them with some ramp pesto and top with a fried or poached egg (and defo some bacon) for spring breakfast perfection.

Teeny-Tiny New Potatoes with Lemon

Ingredients

• 1 pound of “teeny-tiny” new potatoes
• olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/2 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash the potatoes and pat them dry. Toss them with enough olive oil to coat them, and with sprinkle with salt and pepper. Get your hands oily mixing them all together and then spread them on a large baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, or until they are tender enough to be pierced with a fork, and their jackets are all wrinkled and a lovely crispy-golden brown.
2. Toss them immediately with the lemon juice and zest, and stir in the spring onions so that they get warmed. Serve immediately.