March presents a culinary challenge as winter citrus fades and spring produce remains elusive. This transitional period invites a fresh appreciation for often-overlooked ingredients like spring onions. Typically relegated to garnish duty, spring onions offer far more culinary potential. Their dual-colored structure reveals distinct flavor profiles: the white roots deliver pungent intensity while the green tops resemble assertive chives. Today's featured recipes from Helen Graves expertly utilize both parts, creating dishes that bridge comforting winter warmth with spring's emerging vibrancy.
Spring Onion Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds and Tortilla Chips
This inventive take on traditional leek-and-potato soup incorporates Mexican-inspired elements through soured cream, lime juice, and a crunchy topping of spiced pumpkin seeds with broken tortilla chips. The result is a brightly flavored soup that perfectly captures spring's energy while providing satisfying texture contrasts. The spiced pumpkin seeds prove so delicious that you might consider making extra batches for standalone snacking.
Preparation Details
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Ingredients for Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
- 50 grams pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika
- 1 pinch sea salt
Ingredients for Spring Onion Soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
- 300 grams spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (both white and green parts)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 2 medium floury potatoes, peeled and diced
- 700 milliliters vegetable stock
- 2 generous handfuls baby spinach
- Juice from ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons soured cream, plus extra for serving
- 4 handfuls tortilla chips, broken into pieces for serving
Cooking Instructions
- Begin by preparing the spiced pumpkin seeds. Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas mark 5.
- Combine pumpkin seeds, olive oil, cumin, chipotle powder, and sea salt in a mixing bowl, ensuring thorough coating.
- Spread the seasoned pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for approximately 12 minutes until nicely toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, start the soup base. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add all sliced spring onions and cook for several minutes, stirring regularly, until they begin developing color.
- Introduce grated garlic, cooking for one additional minute while stirring continuously.
- Add diced potatoes and continue cooking for about five more minutes, maintaining regular stirring.
- Pour in vegetable stock and bring to a simmer, cooking for 15 minutes.
- Stir in baby spinach and cook for two minutes until completely wilted.
- Carefully blend the soup using an immersion blender. If using a countertop blender, exercise extreme caution and never fill beyond the halfway point.
- Stir through fresh lime juice and soured cream until fully incorporated.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish generously with roasted pumpkin seeds and broken tortilla chips.
Chicken Wings with Spring Onion and Ginger Sauce
This recipe creatively adapts the classic Cantonese ginger scallion sauce for chicken wings. The wings receive a special treatment with bicarbonate of soda, garlic powder, and salt before refrigeration. While this step isn't strictly mandatory, it significantly enhances browning and crispiness. Any remaining spring onion sauce stores conveniently in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Preparation Details
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours minimum (overnight recommended)
Cooking Time: 40-50 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Ingredients
- 12 chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 spring onions, trimmed and very finely chopped (both white and green parts)
- 30 grams fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
- 2 green chilies, stalks removed and flesh finely chopped
- 1 pinch coarse sea salt
- 80 milliliters vegetable oil
- 1 generous teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Cooking Instructions
- Thoroughly pat chicken wings dry with paper towels.
- Combine wings with bicarbonate of soda, garlic powder, and fine sea salt in a mixing bowl, tossing until evenly coated.
- Arrange wings in a single layer without touching on a rack placed over a foil-lined tray that fits your refrigerator.
- Refrigerate uncovered for at least several hours, though overnight chilling produces optimal results.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 240°C (220°C fan)/475°F/gas mark 9.
- Place the tray with racked wings in the oven and roast for 40-50 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, until thoroughly cooked, golden brown, and crispy.
- While wings roast, prepare the signature sauce. Combine chopped spring onions, ginger, green chilies, and coarse sea salt in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan until reaching 170°C. Test readiness by dropping a spring onion piece—it should sizzle immediately upon contact.
- Carefully pour hot oil over the spring onion mixture, stirring vigorously to combine.
- Add caster sugar, light soy sauce, and rice vinegar, stirring until sugar completely dissolves.
- Taste and adjust seasoning according to personal preference.
- Transfer hot wings to a serving platter, drizzle generously with spring onion sauce, and serve remaining sauce separately for dipping.
Helen Graves continues establishing her culinary reputation as an accomplished cook, food writer, and editor of Pit magazine. These recipes demonstrate her innovative approach to transforming humble ingredients into extraordinary dining experiences that capture seasonal transitions with flair and flavor.
