In the kitchen: Easter, green garlic and other signs of spring

March 23, 2016 12 AM PT

How did Easter get here so fast? Some of us are still trying to remember to write 2016 on our checks, and already we’re inundated with chocolate bunnies and neon jelly beans. Perhaps you’ve planned the day out, perhaps not. Regardless, we can help, whether it involves recipe ideas or brunch suggestions. Even projects, like homemade Peeps.

And if pastel eggs aren’t enough of a sign that spring has, well, sprung, there’s all that great seasonal produce to be found in the markets right now. This week, we focus on green garlic.

Also, Michael Cimarusti’s new seafood place opens this week. Yes, Cape Seafood and Provisions will be opening its doors so you too can cook like the master -- or at least have access to many of the same ingredients.

Finally, you really must try the roasted squash from Moruno, the new restaurant at the Original Farmers Market. It works equally well as a savory dish or sweet treat. Yum.

— Noelle Carter

Everything you need to help you plan Easter -- at home or out

We’ve compiled a list of everything you need to know to tackle Easter this year. This includes recipes, project ideas and more. Don’t worry, we also have a primer on hard-boiled eggs, and what to do with the leftover eggs after Easter. And if the whole thought of cooking just stresses you out, we’ve got plenty of ideas about where to eat out to keep your holiday as simple and worry-free as possible. Unfortunately, we can’t help with the sugar overload from eating too much candy. You’ll just have to sleep that one off.

Great recipe ideas for all the green garlic showing up at farmers markets

It looks like the garlic bulbs you find at the grocery store, but with the plant attached. We’re talking green garlic, an immature -- and more delicately flavored -- version of standard garlic. Use it much like you would green onions, thinly sliced and added raw as a garnish, or lightly cooked and added toward the end of a recipe. We have plenty of recipe ideas to inspire you.

Michael Cimarusti’s sustainable seafood shop opens this week

Michael Cimarusti at his new Cape Seafood and Provisions.

If you love fish, you’re no doubt a fan of chef and seafood guru Michael Cimarusti, following him from the Water Grill in downtown Los Angeles to the opening of Providence, and then Connie & Ted’s. He took over the space that once housed Lindy and Grundy’s butcher operation in the Fairfax district and has converted it into Cape Seafood and Provisions. Cape is finally opening today, offering not just the same kinds of fish Cimarusti uses in his restaurants, but provisions too. And we have hundreds of tested recipes to inspire you with your catch once you get it home.

You’ll want to try the roasted butternut squash recipe from Moruno

Roasted butternut squash with dukkah is served at Moruno.

Riding the crest of the roasted vegetable wave turning up everywhere, newish restaurant Moruno includes a rather stunning dish on its menu: roasted butternut squash with dukkah, an Egyptian condiment including nutty sesame seeds and cashews spiced with cumin, coriander and Aleppo pepper. It’s a showstopper of a dish if you order it at the restaurant, but it’s just as easily made at home, with the perfect combination of sweet and savory notes. It’s like dinner and dessert all rolled into one.

Pair your favorite Easter candy with wine

We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to Easter candy. Maybe it’s Peeps. Perhaps it’s the Reese’s peanut butter eggs, or classic jelly beans. Regardless, doesn’t everything taste better with wine? Now you can have your sugar fix and toast it, too.

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter

Check us out on Instagram @latimesfood

Counter Intelligence: Sign up for Jonathan Gold’s weekly newsletter

Check out the thousands of recipes in our Recipe Database.

Feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at food@latimes.com.