Instructions: BY RON OTTOBRE, Contra Costa Times correspondent I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I headed into a meeting with my chefs recently. It was the passing of winter, however, not its climax, that had me so excited. And it was our gardener, not Santa, who held my wish list - an alphabetized cornucopia of spring produce.

Asparagus, that edible lily, headed the lists from both our gardener and our favorite produce purveyor. The emblem of spring would at last grace our soups, appetizers, pastas and side dishes.

But wait! The gifts continued: baby carrots, green garlic, heirloom beets, new potatoes, rhubarb, Romanesque broccoli and spring onions. We began to work together, tossing about ideas for spring menus and recipes.

For the home chef, meals with spring produce can be easy and inspired.

Preparation times are reduced. Simple combinations take advantage of freshness. and spring herbs such as cilantro, chervil, rosemary and thyme can add complexity and interest to dishes.

A saute pan filled with lightly blanched vegetables and a kiss of extra virgin olive oil or sweet butter is all it takes to complete a dish of freshly caught salmon, roast chicken or spring lamb.

Salads become entrees. Tender greens and radicchio mingle with roasted baby beets or tiny shaved artichokes. Add a little feta cheese, some croutons, a good sherry vinegar and a little olive oil and see what spring tastes like. Or try a stir-fry of sliced green garlic, broccoli florets and snow peas. Add some pasta al dente, top with grated Parmesan, and dinner is served.

At home, after a week in the restaurant, I grill everything. My approach is simple. I might take some baby carrots, spring onions and new potatoes and toss them with fresh cracked pepper, olive oil, aged red wine vinegar and some chopped herbs. I seal them up in aluminum foil packets and toss on the grill with whatever main course Im serving. I turn the packets often - gently pressing the thickest vegetables to see when theyre tender - and done.

The seasons best

The selection of vegetables available right now, after a long winter, is astonishing. But the star of the season is asparagus. Roasted or grilled, sauteed or steamed, this quickly prepared stalk should be front and center on any plate. Asparagus officinal, the parent species of most cultivated varieties, has been used as food and medicine for more than 2,000 years. The Greeks harvested wild asparagus, and the ancient Romans later invented the first techniques for domestication. While plants are not cut for the first two to three years of growth, they may last a half-century.

California produces 70 percent of the nations asparagus, most of it green.

But it comes in other colors. Sweet purple is a variety whose lovely shade quickly fades if overcooked. The white variety, preferred by Europeans, is grown under mounds of earth to prevent it from turning color.

Young, thin shoots are my first choice for flavor and rapid cooking, but thicker stalks are great when skewered in rows and tossed straight on the grill.

Preparing asparagus

Asparagus is easily readied by snapping off the tough, whitish ends of the stem, which I save for flavoring stocks. Classic French preparation demands peeling the stem, but that isnt necessary with the more tender shoots.

Blanching is best done in rapidly boiling salted water. One minute is usually enough for pencil-sized asparagus. If using in salads or reheating in a little foamy butter, flash cool the stalks in ice water to stop the cooking process and preserve the verdant color.

That green is the same enticing shade as the grapevine that our gardener was tending as my chefs and I concluded our meeting and glanced out the restaurants dining room window. Spring has arrived, the season of freshness has returned.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.