Spring is here, and it’s time to celebrate by adding a little freshness and lightness to your favorite year-round dishes, such as risottos and pasta. Primavera means springtime in Italian, but pasta primavera, while Italian in name, has American roots. It was created in the '70s in the famous New York restaurant Le Cirque, and it embraces the season with fresh vegetables and herbs enveloped in a lemony cream sauce. This risotto takes inspiration from pasta primavera, with fresh asparagus and peas studding the rice, along with sweet briny shrimp and juicy Meyer lemon.

When making risotto, remember these simple but important rules for best results. Always purchase arborio rice, which is known for its high starch content. The starch will be “agitated” while stirring the rice, which yields a delicious creamy risotto. The rice grains should be lightly toasted in the pan before adding any liquid. This step protects the grains from bursting while cooking. And be sure to stir the risotto constantly -- or nearly constantly -- while cooking to prevent it from sticking and to help the rice release its starch.

This recipe specifies fresh shelled peas, but defrosted frozen peas may be substituted. If using defrosted frozen peas, do not include them when cooking the asparagus. Instead, add them to the risotto at the end of cooking along with the cooked asparagus and shrimp.

Shrimp Risotto Primavera

Active Time: about 45 minutes

Total Time: about 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

6 cups chicken stock

3/4 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup fresh shelled peas

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

1 tablespoon dill sprigs

1 teaspoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the asparagus and peas; cook until the vegetables brighten in color and are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process (they will cook further in the risotto). Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large skillet. Add the shrimp and lightly season with salt and black pepper. Cook until just cooked through, about 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to another plate.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a separate deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute until the onion is soft and translucent without coloring, about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook until it is well coated and lightly toasted, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed, about 1 minute more.

Add 1 cup stock and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup, until the rice is al dente and the risotto is creamy. (Depending on the age of the rice, you may not use all of the stock. Older rice requires more liquid to cook.)

During the last minute or two of cooking, stir in the asparagus, peas and shrimp to warm through.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, lemon juice, parsley, dill and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon zest and additional dill or parsley, if desired.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Rhubarb and rosemary are surprising bedfellows in this creme brulee.

Upright stalks of brilliantly hued rhubarb are always the first to arrive in the spring produce parade. Rhubarb’s natural astringency may overwhelm at first bite, but with a little sugar and fruit, its tartness is successfully tamed. For this dessert, however, I chose not to rely on rhubarb’s dependable sweet partner, the strawberry, because I did not want additional sweetness or liquid in the compote, which is spooned into the bottom of the custards.

I preferred a subtle background flavor that would tickle the tongue and ground the sweet creaminess of the custard. So, I added a sprig of rosemary -- yes, rosemary -- to the compote and the custard while they cooked, infusing them with a hint of lemon and pine. The result was subtle but notable, producing a creme brulee that is at once rich and creamy, sweet and tart, earthy and heavenly.

Rhubarb and Rosemary Creme Brulee

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes, plus cooling and chilling time

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Compote:

1 pound rhubarb, diced

3/4 cup sugar

1 (2-inch) rosemary sprig

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Creme Brulee:

2 cups heavy cream

1 (2-inch) rosemary sprig

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling

Finely grated lemon zest for garnish

Combine the compote ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rhubarb is soft, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, discard the rosemary sprig, and cool to room temperature.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Arrange six (6-ounce) ramekins in a baking dish. Spoon some of the rhubarb compote into the ramekins, about 1/3 inch deep. (Refrigerate the remaining compote for another use.)

Heat the cream in a clean saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add the rosemary sprig. Let the cream steep for 5 minutes, then discard rosemary sprig. Stir in the vanilla.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup sugar until light. Add the cream in a steady stream, whisking gently to incorporate. Ladle the cream mixture over the rhubarb in the ramekins. Pour boiling water into the baking dish halfway up the ramekins to make a bain marie, or water bath.

Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until the custards are just set but still wobble a bit when gently jiggled, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the custards in the water for 15 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the pan, place on a wire rack, and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Before serving, sprinkle each ramekin with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or enough to evenly cover. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil under an oven broiler until the tops are deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, rotating the baking sheet for even cooking and carefully watching to prevent burning. If using a blowtorch, hold the flame 2 to 3 inches above the custard, slowly moving it back and forth until the sugar melts and turns deep golden brown.

Serve garnished with lemon zest.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

The key ingredient in this simple and delicious soup is orzo. Orzo is the Italian word for barley, but names can be deceiving, because orzo is not a grain. And despite its rice shape, orzo is not rice, even though orzo is also known as risoni in Italy.

Confused? Don’t be. Orzo is a pasta made from semolina flour, and when cooked it imparts a creamy texture to soups and pasta dishes -- and yes, it can also stand in as a substitute for rice, or even as an addition to rice dishes, such as rice pilaf.

There are a number of ways to prepare orzo, thanks to its shape. Prepare it as you would pasta, cooking in generously salted water until al dente and serving warm or in a salad. It can also be prepared in a method similar to risotto, where a cooking liquid, such as chicken stock, is gradually added while stirring the pasta until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. The result will be a creamy risotto-like pasta dish, thanks to the starch released from the pasta while stirring. Orzo can also be mixed into rice after toasting the grains first to release their flavor.

This easy weeknight soup is forgiving and welcomes any stray vegetables hunkered in your refrigerator. It’s a wonderful way to use leftover chicken from a roasted or a store-bought bird. The addition of the orzo elevates it a notch, with the pasta’s starch infusing the stock with a comforting richness.

Chicken Orzo Soup

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 celery rib, thinly sliced

1 small bulb fennel, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup orzo

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and fennel and saute until the vegetables are bright and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes more. Add the thyme and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the orzo and stir to coat and lightly toast, about 1 minute.

Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer until the orzo is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, lemon juice, salt and pepper and simmer until the chicken is heated through. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the parsley and serve.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS