The following Spring recipes are provided by cookbook author of "Around The Georgian Table" Dona Giorgadze and food blogger Chelsea Vetre. The asparagus soup, snow pea stew, and skinny margarita are Giorgadze's recipes, and the lemon garlic butter pasta dish is Vetre's. Enjoy!
Asparagus Soup
This is a perfect spring dish that can be ready in under 10 minutes. It is super light, healthy, budget friendly and delicious.
Giorgadze used to make this dish from wild asparagus when she lived in Georgia. "Kids were picking them in high mountains and my grandma was making a big pot of asparagus soup," she said. "It was very tasty as she used fresh herbs from her garden and eggs from our chicken. I love to make it in spring when I have access to asparagus from the farm or farmers markets."
Ingredients (2-3 servings)
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups water
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- Salt, pepper, fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill)
Instructions
- In a medium pot sautè the onions in butter until they are golden over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for another minute, stirring.
- Add water, turn the heat up and let it boil. Simmer for a minute or two.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl together with ½ cup water, pour the mixture into the soup and whisk.
- Add the herbs, season with salt and turn the heat off.
Snow Pea Stew
This dish is ready in 15 minutes. It is fresh, light, super healthy, flavorful, budget friendly and anyone can make it.
Giorgadze suggests that even though you can find snow peas around the year in the supermarkets, you should prepare this dish in spring and summer when peas are in season. Also, use baby potatoes and lots of fresh herbs and garlic!
Ingredients
- 1 pound snow peas, cut in half
- 1 pound baby potatoes, cut in half
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup each, cilantro and parsley, chopped
- Few sprigs of scallions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt, pepper, chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in a saucepan for about 10 minutes on a medium heat, covered.
- Add the snow peas and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the herbs, garlic, drizzle the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and turn the heat off.
Lemon Butter Garlic Pasta
Serving size: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Total time: 17 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice fresh
- ½ tbsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup butter, block form
- 4-6 garlic cloves finely minced, appox 1.5 tbsp
- 2 ½ tbsp shallot diced
- ¼ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 2-3 tbsp basil, chopped
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- 3 tbsp reserved pasta water
- ½ lb pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Cook your choice of pasta according to the directions on the package. While it is cooking, prepare all of your ingredients. When the pasta has 5 minutes left until it is done cooking, begin making the sauce.
- Heat a medium to large size skillet over low heat and add in the butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic + shallot. Mix both into the melted butter and cook until fragrant. This will likely take 2-3 minutes.
- Once fragrant, add the red pepper flakes and salt and mix. The mixture should be loose and liquid-like.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, reserve 3 tbsp of the pasta water and mix the reserved water into the garlic butter sauce in the skillet.
- Turn off the burner, and add in the lemon juice and parmesan, mixing it into the sauce.
- Add in the pasta and toss until it is fully coated in the sauce.
- Add in the lemon zest and basil then mix again. Option to garnish with more parmesan and red pepper flakes.
Skinny Margarita
"Margaritas are pretty slimmed down (or 'skinny') already, ingredients-wise, so all we’re doing here is removing some of the refined sugar and replacing it with more natural ingredients," Giorgadze said. "Because orange liqueurs like Cointreau or triple sec are traditionally used to add sweetness and a little extra citrus flavor to a margarita, we’re going with a little orange juice (fresh is best) and agave instead. This means not only are these 'skinny margs' lower in calories, they’ve also got slightly less alcohol (meaning you can enjoy more of them). Win win!"
Giorgadze reminds us that just because they’re “skinny” doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with these. Her tip? Try blending your margs up with ice for a frozen libation, or experiment with sliced jalapeño, cucumber, basil, blood orange, or pomegranate — and don’t forget to use extra fruit or veggies for a garnish.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 lime wedge
- Ice
- 1 ½ oz tequila (Patron silver)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- Lime wheels (for serving)
Instructions
- Pour salt onto a small plate. Stir in lime zest. Using lime wedge, rub rim of a rocks or margarita glass. Dip rim into lime salt.
- In a cocktail shaker, place 2 ice cubes. Add tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave. Cover and vigorously shake until outside of shaker is very frosty, about 20 seconds.
- Strain into prepared glass. Garnish with lime wheels.
Dona Giorgadze IG: @donagiorgadze
Chelsea Vetre IG: @chelseapeachtree