Before we are overwhelmed by the bounteous fruits and vegetables of summer, we find spring to be the time for small harvests, a few peas just coming on the vine, a radish or two, some fava beans, asparagus, some garlic scapes left curly or cut like beans. Cooked separately by steaming or plunging briefly in boiling water) and lightly seasoned with the best olive oil and a pinch of salt, each offers an explosion of freshness. I like these combinations, sometimes referred to as “primavera” (meaning “spring”), while the weather is still cool and the garden is awakening. Whether served with pasta or simply as a vegetable or salad, they are the antipasti of the local growing season.
