Sweetbreads Sauté

You can sauté or pan-fry the sweetbreads with whatever flavors you like. This time, I used mustard seed and turmeric, sautéed with plenty of onions and chili peppers, for a vaguely Indian preparation that tasted nice with fragrant basmati on the side.

Broiled Fava Beans With Dill and Garlic Salt

Make delicious springtime fava beans simpler by broiling them in their pods, then tossing them with a seasoning salt for a peel-and-eat snack.

Spring Vegetable Salad With Poached Egg and Crispy Bread Crumbs

The other day I had a salad of spring vegetables served with a soft boiled egg that had been breaded and fried until the outside was crispy but the interior was still soft and runny. This quick version of the dish is made with toasted breadcrumbs and has all of that great texture and flavor, but without the hassle.

Marinated Fava Beans

Fava beans are sweet, tender, and pleasantly starchy. When they're coated with a slick of olive oil, vinegar and garlic bits, the contrast between the sharp dressing and the mild greenness of the beans is really wonderful.

Broad Beans with Dill Butter

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz] This is one of my go-to spring recipes. While asparagus, morels, and ramps tend to get all the attention, broad (fava) beans languish in obscurity, a shame given their grassy flavor, hearty texture, and the distinction of...

Fava Bean Tartine With Goat Cheese and Marcona Almonds

Blanched and peeled fava beans that are roughly chopped and served on top of a goat cheese tartine with Marcona almonds and a few sprigs of chervil: This is the kind of toast you eat all by yourself while hiding in the kitchen so that nobody can steal a bite.

Mussels With Fennel-Saffron Broth

I've gone on record as saying that mussels are the easiest choose-your-own-adventure one-pot meal around, and I intend to prove it to you. This version uses my standard steamed mussel technique and combines it with the classic flavors of a French bouillabaisse. Fennel, saffron, and tomatoes are cooked together with a little pastis and orange zest to form an aromatic, briny broth for dipping bread into.

Braised Artichokes With Leeks and Peas From 'The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone'

While Deborah Madison includes plenty of recipes for starchy or bean-filled dishes in her cookbook, The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, her straightforward vegetable preparations are the true heart of the book.

Green Beans With Snail Butter From 'My Paris Kitchen'

Alas (I suppose) these green beans are only cooked in the manner of snails, not with the garden creatures. No matter, the unapologetically garlicky snail butter is still darn good and makes a fine accompaniment to the tender green beans.

Cook's Illustrated's Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs

The perfect green bean is nicely browned, with a still-snappy and fresh texture.