Spring Recipes: Seasonal Vegetables With Hetty McKinnon

Hetty Lui McKinnon's Spring Philosophy

McKinnon has spent more than a decade building a reputation as one of the most persuasive voices in vegetable-forward cooking. Her previous books, including To Asia, With Love and Tenderheart, established a clear thesis: vegetables are interesting enough to anchor a meal if you treat them with the same care and technique you would give a prime cut of meat. Her spring 2026 menu, published in The Guardian, takes that philosophy and applies it to four dishes that range from a cheesy asparagus loaf to a strawberry matcha pudding.

What makes this menu worth paying attention to is not novelty for its own sake. McKinnon is not chasing trends. She is working with a small set of seasonal ingredients and asking a straightforward question: what happens when you give vegetables the same structural role in a meal that protein usually occupies? The answer, across these four recipes, is food that feels generous and complete without relying on meat as the centerpiece.

This approach reflects a broader shift in how Americans think about their plates. The food trends conversation in 2026 has moved well past the era of plant-based meat substitutes and into something more honest: cooking vegetables as vegetables, celebrating their textures and flavors rather than disguising them as something else.

The Cheesy Asparagus Loaf: A Savory Showpiece

The headline dish of McKinnon's spring menu is a cheesy asparagus loaf, and it deserves the attention. Picture a golden, crusty bread loaf split open and loaded with roasted asparagus spears, pools of melted cheese, and a scatter of fresh herbs. The asparagus is the structural backbone of the dish, its firm spears providing both texture and a grassy, mineral flavor that cuts through the richness of the cheese.

McKinnon's method involves roasting the asparagus first to concentrate its flavor and draw out some of its moisture. This step matters more than it might seem. Raw asparagus tucked into bread would release water as it bakes, turning the interior soggy. Pre-roasting solves that problem and adds a layer of caramelization that deepens the overall taste.

The cheese selection is deliberately generous. McKinnon calls for a mix of gruyere and mozzarella, a combination that balances the nutty, slightly sharp character of gruyere with the stretchy, mild pull of mozzarella. The result is a loaf that slices beautifully, with long strands of cheese connecting each piece to the next, and asparagus spears running through the cross-section like green reinforcing bars in a block of concrete.

The loaf works as a centerpiece for a weekend brunch, as a side for a larger dinner spread, or honestly as the whole meal with a simple green salad alongside. It is the kind of dish that earns its place on the table through sheer generosity of flavor rather than complexity of technique.

Mushroom Filo Tart with Chilli Crisp

The second dish in McKinnon's spring lineup is a mushroom filo tart finished with chilli crisp, and it represents something interesting happening in home cooking right now: the blending of technique traditions. Filo pastry is a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern baking. Chilli crisp is a condiment rooted in Chinese cuisine that has become a pantry essential in kitchens across the United States over the past five years. Putting them together on a mushroom tart is the kind of cross-cultural move that works because both elements serve the dish rather than competing for attention.

The mushrooms are the star. McKinnon uses a mix of varieties, including cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms, sliced and sauteed until they develop deep golden edges and release their liquid. Mushrooms are roughly 90 percent water by weight, which means the cooking process is really about evaporation and concentration. The flavor intensifies dramatically once that moisture is gone, leaving behind an earthy, umami-rich filling that pairs beautifully with the shatteringly crisp layers of filo.

The chilli crisp arrives at the end, drizzled over the finished tart just before serving. Its role is to add a layer of heat, crunch, and savory oil that transforms each bite. If you have ever eaten something that was delicious but felt like it needed one more element, you understand the function of chilli crisp here. It is the final frequency in the chord that makes everything ring true.

Filo pastry can intimidate home cooks who have never worked with it, but McKinnon's approach is forgiving. The sheets are brushed with oil or butter and layered in a free-form tart shape, not a precision-folded package. Wrinkles and irregular edges are features, not flaws. They create more surface area for browning, which means more crunch in the finished tart.

Feta Salad: Simplicity as Strategy

The third recipe is a feta salad, and its inclusion in the menu is a reminder that great cooking does not always mean elaborate cooking. This salad is built around large, creamy blocks of feta cheese surrounded by seasonal vegetables, fresh herbs, and a simple dressing. McKinnon presents it as a composed salad rather than a tossed one, meaning each element is arranged deliberately on the plate rather than mixed together in a bowl.

The distinction matters. A tossed salad distributes flavors evenly, which can flatten the eating experience into a uniform blend. A composed salad creates variety within each bite depending on where your fork lands. One forkful might be heavy on feta and mint. The next might catch a slice of radish and a pool of dressing. The eater becomes an active participant in building each bite, which keeps the experience engaging from first forkful to last.

Feta has had a remarkable run in American kitchens over the past several years, driven partly by the viral baked feta pasta that took social media by storm in 2021 and partly by a growing appreciation for brined cheeses in general. McKinnon uses it here not as a trendy ingredient but as a structural one: the feta is the protein anchor of the salad, providing the richness and satiety that makes the dish feel like a complete meal rather than a side.

For anyone building a spring dinner party menu, this salad fills the role that a cheese course would traditionally occupy in a French meal. It cleanses the palate after the richness of the asparagus loaf and mushroom tart while introducing a brighter, more acidic flavor profile that prepares the palate for dessert.

Strawberry Matcha Pudding: Where East Meets West in Dessert

The final dish is a strawberry matcha pudding, and it is the most visually striking item on the menu. The combination of bright red strawberries and vivid green matcha creates a color contrast that looks almost too beautiful to eat. But McKinnon is not interested in food that is merely photogenic. The flavor pairing is sound: matcha's vegetal bitterness and subtle sweetness provide a sophisticated counterpoint to the bright acidity and sweetness of fresh strawberries.

Matcha has moved well beyond its origins as a tea ceremony ingredient. The global matcha market was valued at approximately $3.7 billion in 2025, according to industry research, with the United States representing one of the fastest-growing consumer markets. McKinnon's use of matcha in a pudding is a natural extension of this trend, but she treats it as a flavor ingredient rather than a health supplement. The matcha is there because it tastes good with strawberries, not because it contains antioxidants.

The pudding itself is a set custard, silky and cool, served in individual portions. McKinnon tops it with macerated strawberries that have been tossed with a small amount of sugar and left to sit until they release their juices. Those juices form a natural sauce that pools around the base of the pudding, creating a built-in accompaniment that requires zero additional effort.

This dessert captures something essential about spring cooking: the season rewards restraint. The best spring ingredients, strawberries among them, need very little done to them. A light touch with sugar, a complementary flavor like matcha, and a simple custard base are enough to let the fruit speak for itself.

Why Vegetable-Forward Cooking Keeps Gaining Ground

McKinnon's spring menu arrives at a moment when vegetable-centric cooking has never been more mainstream. According to the Food Institute, sales of fresh vegetables in the United States reached $24.3 billion in 2025, a 4.2 percent increase over the previous year. More telling than the dollar figure is where that growth is coming from: not from dedicated vegetarians or vegans, but from omnivores who are simply eating more vegetables alongside their existing diets.

The cultural drivers are multiple. Health awareness plays a role, as does cost. Vegetables remain significantly cheaper per serving than most animal proteins, a fact that resonates in an economy where food costs have pushed many Americans back toward budget-conscious cooking. Environmental concerns add another layer, with a growing number of consumers choosing to reduce meat consumption as a personal climate action.

But the most powerful driver may be the simplest one: vegetables have become more interesting. Chefs like McKinnon, Yotam Ottolenghi, and Joshua McFadden have spent years demonstrating that vegetable cooking can be just as creative, satisfying, and technically impressive as any other cuisine. Their work has shifted the perception of vegetable dishes from deprivation food to aspirational cooking, and that shift shows no signs of reversing.

The restaurant industry reflects the same trajectory. Vegetable tasting menus have appeared at fine dining establishments across the country. Farm-to-table restaurants routinely build their menus around whatever the local harvest delivers, with meat and fish playing supporting roles. The line between "vegetarian restaurant" and "restaurant that happens to feature vegetables prominently" has blurred to the point of irrelevance in many markets.

Practical Tips for Cooking McKinnon's Spring Menu

If you plan to cook the full four-course menu, timing and sequencing matter. The strawberry matcha pudding should be made first, ideally the night before or at least four hours ahead, since it needs time to set in the refrigerator. The feta salad components can be prepped in advance, with the dressing made separately and the vegetables sliced and stored in cold water to maintain their crunch.

The mushroom filo tart benefits from being assembled just before baking. Filo pastry loses its crispness quickly once it comes out of the oven, so aim to serve it within 15 to 20 minutes of baking. The cheesy asparagus loaf is the most forgiving of the four dishes: it holds well at room temperature for up to an hour and can be reheated briefly in a warm oven without losing its texture.

For ingredient sourcing, prioritize the asparagus and strawberries above all else. These two ingredients are the most season-dependent, and their quality will make or break the dishes they anchor. Everything else, including the mushrooms, filo pastry, feta, matcha, and cheese, is available year-round and can be purchased at any well-stocked grocery store.

The Bigger Picture: Seasonal Cooking as Resistance

There is something quietly radical about a menu built entirely around spring vegetables in an era of year-round global food supply chains. We can buy asparagus in December, shipped from Peru or Mexico, and strawberries in January, flown in from Chile. The convenience is real, and no one should feel guilty about using it. But McKinnon's menu makes a case for the alternative: waiting for ingredients to arrive in their own time, in their own season, and building meals around that natural rhythm.

Seasonal cooking forces a kind of creative constraint that often produces better food. When you limit yourself to what is available right now, you pay closer attention to each ingredient. You notice the difference between early-season asparagus (thinner, more tender, slightly sweeter) and late-season spears (thicker, more fibrous, with a stronger mineral flavor). You taste the difference between a greenhouse strawberry in February and a field-grown berry in April. Those differences become the foundation of cooking that is responsive to the world rather than imposed upon it.

McKinnon understands this instinctively. Her recipes do not try to force spring ingredients into winter frameworks. They meet the season where it is, with dishes that feel light and bright and alive. The cheesy asparagus loaf celebrates the asparagus rather than burying it under technique. The strawberry matcha pudding lets the fruit do the heavy lifting. Even the mushroom filo tart, with its chilli crisp accent, is fundamentally a vehicle for the earthy depth of fresh mushrooms.

As we settle into spring 2026, McKinnon's menu offers something more valuable than four recipes. It offers a framework for thinking about food: start with what the season gives you, treat it with respect, and trust that good ingredients handled well will produce good meals. It is not a new idea, but it is one that bears repeating every time the first asparagus spears appear at the market, bundled and bright and demanding to be taken home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make substitutions for the asparagus in the cheesy loaf?

Broccolini or thin-stemmed broccoli can stand in for asparagus if the season has not arrived in your area yet. The key is choosing a vegetable with a firm stem that holds its shape during roasting and baking. Avoid softer vegetables like zucchini, which will release too much moisture.

Where can I find quality matcha for the pudding?

Look for ceremonial-grade or culinary-grade matcha from Japanese producers. Culinary grade is specifically designed for cooking and baking, and it tends to be more affordable than ceremonial grade while still delivering excellent color and flavor. Avoid matcha blends that contain added sugar or milk powder.

Is filo pastry the same as puff pastry?

No. Filo (also spelled phyllo) consists of paper-thin sheets of unleavened dough, while puff pastry is a laminated dough made with layers of butter. They produce very different textures. Filo becomes shatteringly crisp and light, while puff pastry is flaky and buttery. They are not interchangeable in recipes.

How do I store leftover chilli crisp?

Store chilli crisp in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three months. The oil acts as a preservative. If you make your own, ensure the solids are fully submerged in oil to prevent spoilage.

Sources

• The Guardian Food - Hetty Lui McKinnon's spring vegetable recipes, March 2026
• Food Institute - U.S. fresh vegetable sales data, 2025