Spring greens and spicy things: Two knockout recipes to wake up your tastebuds

As the veg aisle goes technicolour again, Ben Boeynaems, executive chef at abc kitchens, leans into the best of the season – with blue corn quesadillas, punchy salsa and a guac that’s greener, sweeter and crunchier than you remember

Sweet pea guacamole with charred jalapeño and sunflower seeds – a spring-fresh twist on a classic (abc kitchens)

Spring is an incredibly fruitful time for a cook. Dishes become lighter and more vibrant, in line with a wave of green vegetables that mark the change in season. Notably: wild garlic, asparagus, fresh peas and morels.

The transition from cooking with root vegetables through winter to spring produce is like seeing in colour for the first time again.

At abc kitchens, we let our produce speak for itself, cooking with the seasons and ensuring every ingredient is at its peak, both in season and therefore in flavour.

That’s what shapes our approach to cooking, when ingredients are at their best, they don’t need much else, as you’ll see in the recipes below.

Asparagus quesadilla and jalapeno-avocado salsa

This dish celebrates peak-season asparagus from Portwood in Norfolk, paired with tortillas from artisans Masafina, who use heritage corn and nixtamalise it in London, creating exceptional blue corn tortillas.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the quesadillas:

4 x 10-inch blue corn tortillas (Masafina, if available)

400g Oaxaca cheese (or a good-quality melting cheese like mozzarella), grated

140g fresh asparagus, thinly sliced on a mandoline

Grapeseed oil, for cooking

For the jalapeño-avocado salsa:

100g jalapeños, deseeded and sliced

70g ripe avocado

50g water

30g fresh lime juice

30g extra virgin olive oil

25g onion, roughly chopped

15g fresh mint leaves

7g Maldon sea salt

2g garlic, germ removed

Method:

Make the salsa:

1. Blend all salsa ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth.

2. Chill over ice, stirring occasionally, until cold.

Prepare the quesadillas:

3. Lay cheese over one half of each tortilla and arrange asparagus evenly on top, season with Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper,

4. Fold in half to create a half-moon shape. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat, add a little grapeseed oil, and cook each quesadilla until crispy and golden on both sides. Remove and blot on kitchen paper.

To serve:

5. Cut each quesadilla into four pieces.

6. Serve hot with the chilled jalapeño-avocado salsa on the side.

Pea guacamole

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Ice

120g shelled sweet peas

15g fresh coriander leaves, plus 1 tbsp finely chopped

1 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 medium jalapeño

1½ tsp kosher salt, divided

2 ripe avocados – halved, pitted and peeled

3 spring onions, white parts only, thinly sliced crosswise

2 tbsp finely grated lime zest, plus fresh lime juice from 1 limes

Pinch sea salt

Tortilla chips, to serve

Method:

1. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the peas to a medium saucepan of boiling water, and cook until tender, around 1 to 2 minutes. Next, blanch the coriander – add the whole coriander leaves and cook just long enough to wilt them, for about 5 seconds. Strain both the peas and coriander into a fine-mesh sieve and plunge the sieve into the ice water to stop the cooking. Once the peas are cool, transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Place the coriander in a few layers of paper towels and wring dry.

2. Add the sunflower seeds to a skillet set over medium-high heat and toast for about a minute, until fragrant and golden-brown. Transfer the sunflower seeds to a medium plate. Add the whole jalapeño to the skillet and cook, using tongs to turn it often, until the jalapeño is charred, for roughly 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chile to a small bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes. Peel the charred skin from the jalapeño, remove the stem, halve the chile lengthwise and remove the seeds with the tip of a paring knife.

3. Add most of the cooled peas (aside from 2 tbsp) to a food processor or pestle and mortar, along with the blanched coriander, the charred jalapeño and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt. Pulse the mixture until it is coarsely chopped and transfer the pea mixture to a medium bowl.

4. Add the avocados, spring onions, lime zest, lime juice and remaining 1 tsp of kosher salt to the pea mixture and mash with a fork. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, the remaining peas, the chopped coriander and the pinch of sea salt. Serve with tortilla chips.