Springo!Perhaps it’s the pep that spring always puts in my step, but I’ve been in a playful mood. I want to go bowling. I want to play pool. I want to crush at trivia. Recently, some girlfriends and I have started each morning with Worldle, an online geography game, competing to see who can win in the fewest guesses. Yesterday, I got Nauru in two. It’s a good time, then, to bring back Veggie Bingo, where we have a little extra fun cooking with some of the season’s best produce. Save all the Asparagus Bingo recipes here:Asparagus-Potato Hash With Goat Cheese and Eggs | Pan-Roasted Asparagus Soup | Skillet Gnocchi With Miso Butter and Asparagus | Lemony Orzo With Asparagus and Garlic Bread Crumbs | Roasted Asparagus With Crispy Leeks and Capers | Asparagus Gomaae With Chilled Tofu | Miso-Chile Asparagus With Tofu | Pasta Primavera With Asparagus and Peas | Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart Cook your preferred row of three to kick off the season, cook all nine to show off at the farmers’ market or wait for the next card in a few weeks. I’ve had a slab of puff pastry living rent-free in my freezer for months now. So, naturally, my first move on the board will be Melissa Clark’s five-star asparagus, goat cheese and tarragon tart. It’s decidedly chic, and just as good fresh from the oven as it is hours later, so if you want to make it for a party or, say, a Mother’s Day brunch in a few weeks, don’t hesitate. This is the recipe to bookmark for those thin, more delicate spears. Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon TartIf you’ve read this newsletter with any regularity, you know that I adore Ali Slagle’s recipe for lemony orzo with asparagus and garlic bread crumbs for its speed, its portability and its flavor-to-effort ratio (and, yeah, the bread crumbs!). Starting there would have made a lot of sense. But this is bingo. Nothing is promised. Working from Melissa’s tart, Hetty Lui McKinnon’s asparagus gomaae with chilled tofu beckons, with its low-cook sensibilities. The asparagus is briefly sautéed just until its green really pops, and toasted white sesame seeds, tamari, sugar and rice vinegar come together for the dish’s nutty sauce. But a silky sesame paste it is not — using a spice grinder, blender, small food processor or mortar, you’ll want to blend it until it’s coarsely ground for some textural contrast against the slick and wiggly silken tofu. That leaves me with Ali’s skillet gnocchi with miso butter and asparagus, a springtime entry to the canon of standout crisped gnocchi recipes that she has brilliantly turned out. Not a bad bingo for your girl. But there are many more winning combinations at your disposal. Last week, Judy, a reader, emailed me the following: “Could you recommend a killer recipe for pasta primavera (for a group of 6) — using favas, peas, other spring veggies?” Absolutely I can. You can slightly scale up everything but the vegetables in Melissa’s pasta primavera with asparagus and peas, which serves four, and then add some favas to mix. Blanch them for a minute or so in the boiling water you plan to cook the fettuccine or tagliatelle in, and then toss them with the rest of the vegetables and butter in Step 3. (Just be sure to remove the fava skins after blanching if you’re using fresh, unpeeled beans.) So if you’re like Judy, you might want to bet your board on Melissa. And who wouldn’t? With her tart, her primavera and, finally, her five-star miso-chile asparagus with tofu, that’s bingo.
Asparagus Gomaae With Chilled Tofu
Skillet Gnocchi With Miso Butter and Asparagus
Pasta Primavera With Asparagus and PeasFor a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started. Email us at theveggie@nytimes.com. Newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at cookingcare@nytimes.com if you have questions about your account. Want to see more of our recipes in your Google search results?
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