Peas

Peas and Pea Shoots with Spring Onions and Mint

"Come March, it's no longer possible to be inspired by root vegetables," says chef Mike Lata. "You've done everything you can." When spring finally arrives, he uses delicate peas and pea shoots to make this simple side dish. "Cooking in the spring is like make-up sex after the bitter fight with winter," he says.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Leeks and Peas

This chicken dish is elegant enough for entertaining and easy enough for a simple weeknight dinner.

Chilled Spring Pea Soup

Daniel Boulud's deliciously light and clean-tasting soup—a mix of sweet peas, favas, pea shoots, snap peas and snow peas—is on the menu each spring at his Café Boulud in New York City. An easier method is to skip the labor-intensive fresh favas, as well as the snow peas and pea shoots. Instead, just use sugar snaps and frozen baby peas.

Pea-and-Bacon Risotto

Tom Colicchio pairs chef James Tracey's pea-bacon risotto with Mark Tarlov's Oregon Pinot Noir: "It was great to find someone who was excited about creating a house wine"

Spring Peas with Mint

Vinegary dishes and wine can be a terrible combination. But the sharp chopped red onion Mark Ladner tosses with these tangy peas makes the recipe delicious with a lightly tannic red.

Burrata with Speck, Peas and Mint

Pairing Suggestion: Refreshing Italian sparkling wine: NV Mionetto Prosecco di Valdobbiadene.

Baby Peas with Bacon and Crispy Leeks

Green Pea Samosas

Sanjeev Chopra has advice for filling his delightful vegetarian samosas: "Mash the peas, but not too finely; you want little pieces, for texture." He makes his own buttery dough, but frozen empanada wrappers, widely available in supermarkets, are an excellent substitute.

Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread

As a dairy-free alternative to creamy dips, the recipe here calls for pureeing sweet peas with scallions, ginger and jalapeño, then seasoning the mix with yellow miso. Serve the spread with different kinds of crackers and breads or sugar snap peas and celery for dipping.

Pea Consommé with Mint

This delicate broth is full of vitamin C, thanks to the pea pods Jeremy Fox simmers. He tops the consommé with shards of white chocolate because he likes the way it brings out the peas' sweetness while adding only a little fat.

Sugar Snap Peas with Soffrito, Hot Pepper and Mint

"It's hard to improve upon a perfect sugar snap pea," says chef Travis Lett. "The question for the chef is, how do you not screw it up?" Lett's answer is to keep things simple, by cooking the sweet peas with fresh mint, crushed red pepper and soffrito (an aromatic Italian mix of sautéed minced vegetables, usually used to flavor soups and sauces).

Orecchiette with Pancetta, Peas and Fresh Herbs

Spinach-and-Green-Pea Empanadas

Mauricio Couly uses a mix of spinach, fava beans, green beans and a good amount of mint. He makes his own paprika-spiced empanada dough; store-bought empanada wrappers (available in the freezer section of many supermarkets and specialty food stores) work well, too.

Penne with Asparagus, Sage and Peas

For a simple spring dish, chef Cindy Pawlcyn folds penne with asparagus and sweet English peas, then adds a little cream for richness.

Spring Pea Falafel with Marinated Radishes and Minted Yogurt

Instead of deep-frying the falafel patties, Nicki Reiss sautés them in a lightly oiled pan. And she serves them with a low-fat yogurt sauce instead of the usual rich sesame-based tahini.

Arugula-and-Frisée Salad with Peas, Pistachios and Pecorino

The bright spring flavors of peas and mint convey energy. Adding salty roasted pistachios and shavings of Pecorino Romano cheese to the salad give it a great nuttiness.

Peas and Carrots with Two Onions

This delicious old-fashioned dish features peas and carrots in a lightly thickened, buttery thyme-infused sauce.