Think of pasta carbonara as the Italian version of chicken soup. It’s humble and comforting and requires the simplest of ingredients.

Carbonara consists of pasta and cured pork (guanciale) or bacon, whisked in a slick sauce of eggs and a shower of grated pecorino cheese. The method is quick. It relies on the heat from the just-cooked pasta to cook the eggs and melt the cheese, while the sauce is constantly stirred to prevent the eggs from scrambling. It’s a one-dish meal -- or in this case, a one-skillet meal. From start to finish, this dish can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.

It’s easy to add a vegetable to carbonara, so you can confidently call this dish a complete meal. Peas and chopped cauliflower florets are great contenders. This springtime dish includes asparagus, which pairs exceptionally well with bacon and eggs.

Asparagus Carbonara

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling

12 ounces orecchiette, or preferred pasta

8 ounces thin asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon in batches until the fat renders and the bacon is crispy. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet.

Whisk the eggs and cheese in a bowl until blended and set aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente; drain.

While the pasta is cooking, add the asparagus to the skillet with the bacon fat. Saute over medium heat until the asparagus is bright in color, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 1 minute more.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly add the eggs and cheese, stirring constantly to coat the pasta and to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Stir in the reserved bacon.

Serve immediately with additional grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper for sprinkling.

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If you like Thai and Vietnamese spring rolls -- the fresh ones that are wrapped in rice paper, bursting with vegetables and shrimp -- you will like this salad. Call it a lazy spring roll salad, if you like, since it’s essentially composed of the jumble of ingredients that are traditionally wrapped in rice paper. The salad moniker (and method) helpfully eliminates the time needed to roll the rice paper sheaths, which means you can get this dinner on the table in minutes once the ingredients are prepped.

As with most salads, you can always tinker with the ingredients. The key is to pack a variety of flavors and textures into each bite. Sweet, briny shrimp are a favorite protein in spring rolls. They can be steamed, poached or sauteed before adding. I prefer to saute them for extra flavor and oomph in the salad.

Bright, crisp vegetables, such as carrot and cucumber, and leafy herbs, such as mint and cilantro, round out the salad and nail the spring roll flavors. I also like to add blanched broccolini spears to boost the veggie component. A Sriracha-spiked peanut dressing, inspired by a spring roll dipping sauce, binds the vibrant bowl together with cooked rice noodles.

Note that while this salad is quick to assemble, you will need to take some time to prep the ingredients in advance, which is a frequent requisite for Asian and quick wok-style cooking. Cook and cool the rice noodles, shrimp and broccolini before assembling. This can be done several hours before prepping; refrigerate the prepped ingredients until assembling. The salad holds up well once prepared and can be refrigerated until serving, which is handy for a make-ahead meal or packed lunch.

Shrimp Spring Roll Salad

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Serves 4

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons Sriracha, or to taste

2 teaspoons runny honey

Salad:

4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles

8 ounces broccolini, blanched, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound large (16/18) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact (optional)

Crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

2 to 3 scallions, ends trimmed, white and green parts sliced on the diagonal

1 large carrot, peeled, cut in matchsticks

1/2 English cucumber, seeded, cut in matchsticks

1 small red jalapeno or Fresno chile pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender sprigs, plus more for garnish

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

Prepare the rice noodles per package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Toss with about 1 tablespoon of the dressing to prevent them from sticking.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the broccolini and blanch until bright green in color and crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in one layer, sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and lightly season with salt. Cook until the shrimp are pink on both sides and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate.

Combine the broccolini, shrimp, scallions, carrots, cucumbers, chile pepper, mint and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and half of the dressing and, using tongs, mix to combine. Add more dressing to taste. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the salad and garnish with additional mint and cilantro. Serve with any remaining dressing.

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It’s time for a little comfort, and here is a sweet fix. Pound cakes are the pleasing plain-Janes of desserts: figurative no-nonsense confections that provide a welcome pick-me-up without wandering into sugary oblivion. In a world of bling and excess, these cakes are not to be underestimated. Their simplicity is their appeal, humbly playing it straight and ordinary, with no need to primp and accessorize.

A pound cake was traditionally constructed of a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour (hence its name), which yielded an exceptionally large cake. Over time, the ingredients ratio has shifted and reduced according to preference, conveniently producing a single loaf or Bundt cake. Subtle tweaks and discreet flourishes are sometimes added, such as a dash of spice, a sprinkle of citrus zest, a shower of confectioners' sugar or a drizzle of syrup. Adjustments and additions aside, in the end, the pound cake remains an unfailingly predictable and pleasing treat.

This recipe celebrates the end of the blood orange season. Any citrus is delicious in a pound cake, which is a natural canvas for the spark of citrus. Blood oranges are murkier and less bright than their navel brethren and add a deeper, fruity flavor to the cake. To match this depth, I swapped out some of the granulated sugar with light brown sugar and combined almond meal (flour) with all-purpose flour, yielding a denser, nuttier cake.

Blood Orange Pound Cake

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Yield: Makes one loaf

Cake:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

Zest of 2 blood oranges

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:

1/4 cup blood orange juice

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment.

Combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir to blend.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream, orange zest and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture, and using a wooden spoon, mix to blend without overmixing.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in the oven until a wooden skewer comes clean, about 1 hour.

While the cake is baking, heat the syrup ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

When the cake is ready, remove from the oven and transfer to a rack. Prick the top of the cake with a wooden skewer and brush with some of the syrup. Cool 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan. Brush the cake on all sides with the syrup. Cool completely.

Serve dusted with confectioners' sugar or whipped cream.

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