Easter

“Deviled eggs are fun because you can dress them up or down,” says Michael Mina, who dresses them up with chopped smoked salmon here.

Recipes for panzanella (a Florentine bread salad popular in the summer) typically call for tomatoes, but in the spring, Mike Lata prefers using seasonal ingredients like asparagus and radishes.

Instead of the usual starchy split peas, chef Chad Newton blends fresh sweet peas—at their peak in spring—with spinach to make a silky, vibrantly green soup that’s good hot or cold.

Pork shoulder is often braised or smoked, but Andrew Green rubs it with garlic and herbs, then slow-roasts the meat until it’s juicy and crusty.

A Spanish tortilla is like a frittata. Francis Mallmann makes a lovely spring version with yogurt, fresh mint and sweet peas, baked in an oven (preferably a wood-fired oven) until just set. It’s delicious served warm or at room temperature.

In this dish by Lidia Bastianich, a rosemary-mint sauce tops the lamb chops. To make it easier, skip the sauce for the lamb chops; instead, rub rosemary onto the chops before they’re seared.

In Mario Batali’s riff on the traditional antipasto of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, he wraps spears in pancetta (which, unlike prosciutto, becomes nicely crispy when cooked) and grills them. Adding a bit of tanginess is the citronette, a marvelously bright-tasting mustardy-orange dressing.

After Jason Wilson marinates the lamb in an oil scented with marjoram, cumin and fennel seed, he grills the meat until slightly crusty, then serves it with asparagus drizzled with mint vinaigrette.

Nonfat Greek yogurt blended with fresh goat cheese and spiked with wasabi makes for a luscious, thick, tangy and addictively spicy dip. In addition to the vegetables listed below, try raw kohlrabi, chayote and endive, and wax beans that are blanched until crisp-tender.

Creamy, sweet sunchokes are a great change of pace from the usual crudites served with bagna cauda, the Italian garlic-and-anchovy sauce.

Here, sliced carrots are quickly simmered with fresh orange juice, honey, ginger and a pinch of saffron, then simmered again with dried currants before serving.

This leg of lamb is perfectly juicy in the center, with a fantastic crust. The recipe is so easy that it’s ideal for a dinner party, as well as for Easter.

This fresh deliciously buttery side dish is a terrific showcase for peas.

Top Chef Masters’ Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson adds Parmesan to his wonderful spinach custard, then garnishes it with a little more cheese before serving.

With its basil-and-pine nut crust and bracing dressing of lemon juice and Dijon mustard, this lamb dish bridges Brazil and Provence.

Any pickled pepper will work in this recipe but hot Peppadews with their fruity flavor and sweet-and-sour brine are especially delicious. Since the heat level of pickled peppers can vary wildly, add them gradually while making the glaze.

Cal Peternell usually uses sweet Meyer lemons from his neighbor’s tree for this versatile cake. Regular lemons are tasty too and add a bitter note that’s a lovely contrast to the gooey brown-sugar topping.

Swedes eat a traditional sweet called a semla every Tuesday from just before Lent through Easter. It’s a soft cardamom-spiced bun filled with almond paste and topped with whipped cream.

This buttery cake contains more than a half-pound of toasted almonds. It’s delicious served with fresh strawberries and a luscious mix of whipped cream and mascarpone.

“I love the challenge of creating original nonalcoholic drinks that are special in their own right,” says Seis Kamimura.

We’re switching up the traditional sugar-crusted holiday ham by using saba, a sweet and slightly acidic syrup made from cooked-down grape must (similar to aged balsamic). We bake the ham on a bed of carrots and shallots so the drippings flavor the vegetables in the oven.