Recipes seize first tastes of spring, including strawberries, peas

• 16 ounces frozen or fresh peas
• 3 green onions, chopped
•  1/2 cup spelt flour (or you may use all-purpose flour)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more for cooking pancakes
• 1 (8-ounce) box baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces microgreens/snow pea shoots for serving
• 1/3 cup crushed pistachios for serving
• Zest of 1 lemon for serving
• 1 cup yogurt (with 1 to 2 tablespoons water added to thin it out)

1. Put a medium pot of salted water on to boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain.

2. Put 3 cups of the cooked peas into a large bowl and reserve the rest for garnish. Take 1 1/2 cups of the cooked peas and put them in the blender or food processor and puree. Smash the ones remaining in the bowl with a potato masher — giving texture to the rustic-looking pancakes. Pour the puree into the bowl and stir in green onions, flour, egg, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while cooking the mushrooms.

3. To large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and as many mushrooms as will comfortably fit without bumping into each other. (You’ll probably have to work in batches.) Cook the mushrooms until brown on both sides, salting and peppering as you go. When all are cooked, set aside.

4. To make pancakes: Add a tiny bit of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, put heaping spoonfuls of batter into the pan, allowing some room for pancakes to spread a little. Let cook until brown on one side, flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter. To serve, put three pancakes on a plate and top with mushrooms, microgreens/pea shoots, crushed pistachios and lemon zest. If you want, you can also top with a little watered-down yogurt as dressing.

• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
•  1/2 teaspoon honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 pieces of bread
• 4 heaping tablespoons fresh goat cheese
• 5 ounces spring lettuce mix
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1. Make vinaigrette: Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, mustard, honey and salt and pepper to taste. While continuing to whisk, slowly add the olive oil. Taste for seasonings and set aside. You can do this in advance and keep it in the fridge in a jam jar.

2. Toast bread and smear each slice with goat cheese.

3. Toss the lettuce with the herbs and vinaigrette — you probably won’t need all of it. Divide salad on two plates and add the goat-cheese toasts.

• 2 broccoli crowns, florets removed
• 1 (8-ounce) box pasta (I used spaghetti)
• 5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)
•  1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 6 large, fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Steam the broccoli florets in a steamer basket over pot of boiling water. When done, rinse using cold water (so they’ll keep their bright green color). See note.

2. Put a pot of salted water on to boil and cook pasta according to the directions on the box.

3. While the pasta is cooking, put the broccoli florets in a food processor or blender along with the sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, pine nuts, basil leaves and olive oil. Pulse until the mixture is a chunky puree, adding as much water as needed to thin it out.

4. Drain pasta in a colander, setting aside 1 or 2 cups of pasta water.

5. Add the drained pasta back to the pot along with the broccoli pesto and let it warm through, adding as much pasta water as needed to thin it out. Serve right away.

Note: I usually do this in advance and refrigerate the florets until I’m ready to make the pasta.

• 1 pound organic strawberries, hulled and quartered
•  1/2 pound rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 1 egg, beaten, for brushing the top

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss the strawberries and rhubarb with the sugar and spread pieces out. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rhubarb is barely soft. Let cool, then refrigerate. See note.

2. To make the galette: Put the hazelnuts, flour, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a time or two to combine.

3. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse quickly a few times until the mixture resembles small and large-ish pebbles.

4. Add the egg yolk and pulse until you have lots of large, slightly moist crumbles. Dump onto wooden board or countertop and roll out into large circle, about  1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

5. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Brush galette with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are brown and middle is firm. Let cool completely.

6. To serve, spoon some of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture into small bowls and serve with broken pieces of the galette.

Note: I like to do this in advance because the flavor is even better the next day.