The Recipes You Should Be Cooking in April

Umami­-rich artichokes are the mainstays of so many springy Italian dishes, but admittedly a pain to prep. Reframe it as a seasonal ritual: Paired with briny pecorino and sweet and bracing mint, this dish is spring on a plate.

This salad from Alice Waters’ L.A. restaurant Lulu highlights farmers market broccolini with a boost of flavor from fresh herbs and carrots that are mixed into quickly cooked lentils. 

Chef and Ayurvedic expert Radhi Devlukia-Shetty says of this dish, “If spring were to take the form of a soup, I genuinely believe it would taste like this. I’ve made this with and without the pistachios, I’ve made it with and without the fennel. It’s a very versatile soup, and you can experiment with whatever veggies you happen to have in your fridge.”

As delicious as they are, artichokes have a compound that makes wine taste sweet. Tangy goat cheese brings both into balance. Serve the bruschetta with a Sauvignon Blanc that balances refreshing citrus acidity with some oak for richness. The recipe comes from chef and cookbook author John McReynolds of Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery in Sonoma, California. You can start with a fresh artichoke, as he does, or use frozen hearts if you’re short on time.

Pommes Anna, a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes, takes on an appealing sharpness in this turnip version. Although you can use any pie pans, metal ones brown the turnips most evenly; you’ll also need a handheld slicer.

Keep most of the ingredients for this splurge-worthy appetizer on hand, then pick up fresh crab and bread, and put it together in 10 minutes.

Enjoy this fresh and easy ceviche alfresco.

Our cheesy frittata is studded with a savory blend of artichokes, leeks, and crisp bacon. You can also make it vegetarian by leaving the meat out altogether. Don’t feel like shopping? Improvise with what you have on hand. Frittatas are a great solution for using up all those leftover vegetables at the end of the week. Good-bye wasted produce, hello dinner.

The warm anise flavor of shiso, encouraged by the licorice-y fennel, comes through clearly in this pretty salad. You can use either red or green shiso (red is slightly stronger in flavor) or a combination.

This delicious Spanish rice dish incorporates the best vegetables spring has to offer, and it’s perfect for a dinner party.

A delicious Neopolitan-style pizza is always a crowd-pleaser. This Capricciosa pie is topped with ham, mushrooms, mozzarella, and artichokes.

This rolled and tied steak is quick but impressive enough for company. Grilled carrots sprinkled with fresh herbs and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil make an easy side dish.

White wine brings out artichokes’ delicate sweetness. The artichoke-fava combo, minus the pasta, also makes a great side.

Hours of cooking on very low heat makes this lamb fall-off-the-bone tender, and a blast of high heat at the end crisps the surface. All you need to round out the dinner are mashed potatoes and a salad.

We subbed in the green fruit for olive oil to create a pesto that’s lighter and fresher than the classic. You’ll want to serve the pasta right away, while the color is bright.

This falls between classic roast chicken and a braise. Adding a bit of water to the juices and the garlic creates a sauce to spoon over mashed potatoes.

Inspired by the flavors of Chinese orange peel beef, this gutsy one-dish meal is made with fresh tangerine peel instead of the traditional dried.

Shrimp, artichoke, linguine, and a homemade alfredo sauce come together in this 30-minute dish.

Lighter than a quiche, this seasonal galette can be baked ahead and reheated, making it especially handy for a midweek dinner party. Wine pairing: Duckhorn 2015 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley).

Streaks of berries throughout and more spooned on top make this classic Italian ice cream dessert a great finish to a spring dinner. For the most velvety texture, serve it half-frozen, just as the name suggests (semifreddo means half-cold).

We decided to combine the flakiness and nutty flavors of baklava with the fruit of a strudel. If your apricots are very ripe, don’t let them sit in the honey syrup too long before you assemble the strudel—they’ll turn to jam. But if they’re a little firm or very tart, let them macerate a bit longer to soften and absorb the sweetness.

You can’t taste the zucchini in these cookies, but it adds vitamins, fiber, and a nice moist texture.

We created this elegant, elongated version of strawberry shortcake by stacking cake layers with berries and whipped cream.

To create this rustic dessert, pastry chef Mandy Groom added orange, cardamom, and a crunchy topping to her nana’s rhubarb pie filling recipe. “It says love and comfort to me,” says Groom.