Let's pretend it's spring!

I'm sure March isn't usually this cold. Nevertheless, despite having had to sleep fully clothed last night, I decided to celebrate the spring that will eventually turn up in my kitchen today. This recipe is loosely based on traditional Jewish Italian dishes from Roden's The Book of Jewish Food, and "loosely" applies to my style of recipe-writing here as well.

Pasta Primavera

Olive oil
Garlic (I cheated this time and used garlic purée, which is vaguely passable)
Lots of green vegetables cut into pieces of appropriate size - today's version used leeks, broccoli, courgette, and new potatoes, but I've also used frozen peas, and seen spinach or artichoke hearts recommended
Pine kernals
Basil pesto (yes, there is vegan pesto, it's by Sunita and is stunning)
Pasta, obviously

For this version, I blanched the broccoli and potatoes (9 min for the potatoes and 4 for the broc), before stir-frying all the veg in suitable order in oil and garlic. The potatoes (sliced) were put in first and got a chance to sizzle happily in the oil, garlic and lots of black pepper. Add pine kernals near the end, then lots of basil pesto, put onto pasta, and wolf down. Makes a fair bit. I've also done versions of this with raisins, pine kernals and lots of garlic, but no pesto.

There's something so cheering about all that green. What recipes remind you of spring? Preferably minus any dead animal bits, for the sake of my tender vegan sensibilities.

Let's pretend it's spring!

I'm sure March isn't usually this cold. Nevertheless, despite having had to sleep fully clothed last night, I decided to celebrate the spring that will eventually turn up in my kitchen today. This recipe is loosely based on traditional Jewish Italian dishes from Roden's The Book of Jewish Food, and "loosely" applies to my style of recipe-writing here as well.

Pasta Primavera

Olive oil
Garlic (I cheated this time and used garlic purée, which is vaguely passable)
Lots of green vegetables cut into pieces of appropriate size - today's version used leeks, broccoli, courgette, and new potatoes, but I've also used frozen peas, and seen spinach or artichoke hearts recommended
Pine kernals
Basil pesto (yes, there is vegan pesto, it's by Sunita and is stunning)
Pasta, obviously

For this version, I blanched the broccoli and potatoes (9 min for the potatoes and 4 for the broc), before stir-frying all the veg in suitable order in oil and garlic. The potatoes (sliced) were put in first and got a chance to sizzle happily in the oil, garlic and lots of black pepper. Add pine kernals near the end, then lots of basil pesto, put onto pasta, and wolf down. Makes a fair bit. I've also done versions of this with raisins, pine kernals and lots of garlic, but no pesto.

There's something so cheering about all that green. What recipes remind you of spring? Preferably minus any dead animal bits, for the sake of my tender vegan sensibilities.