Spring recipes with Ad-Morum: fresh, simple, and full of flavor

At this time of year, there's no need to overcomplicate things to eat well. The key is to choose seasonal produce, treat it with respect, and let the oil do its job. A good Jaén olive oil doesn't mask, doesn't disguise, and isn't superfluous. It unites, rounds out, and adds character. That's the kind of cooking we like: simple, flavorful, and true.

Spring in Andalusia has something that cannot be faked. The light changes, the rhythm changes, and so does the cuisine. Tender broad beans appear, along with asparagus, artichokes, fresh garlic, and new potatoes. Everything seems to call for lighter, greener, more vibrant dishes. And that's where extra virgin olive oil once again takes center stage, as it always has. Andalusia cannot be understood without its vegetable gardens, but neither can it be understood without its oil. And at Ad-Morum, we know this well, because every recipe gains another dimension when a good Picual EVOO comes into play. 

Andalusian spring begins on the plate

When we talk about spring recipes, we are actually talking about products that are at their best. In Andalusia, spring brings vegetables and greens with a lot of personality: tender broad beans, artichokes, asparagus, fresh garlic, and early potatoes, among others. These are ingredients that don't need much elaboration to shine. If the raw material is good and the oil is right, the dish is off to a good start. 

Why EVOO makes so much sense in this cuisine

Extra virgin olive oil fits particularly well into spring cuisine for two reasons. The first is gastronomic: it provides aroma, depth, and a more pleasant texture to dishes that are typically fresh and light. The second has to do with its nutritional profile. EVOO, and especially extra virgin olive oil, provides phenolic compounds and other beneficial components for health. Furthermore, within the framework of the Mediterranean diet, it remains one of the reference fats due to its oleic acid content and its role in a balanced diet. 

Our starting point at Ad-Morum

At Ad-Morum, we work from Jaén, with the respect of those who know that oil is not a mere complement, but an origin. Our Picual EVOO is also born for this: to be in daily cooking, to accompany a seasonal recipe, to transform a simple preparation into a memorable dish. There's no need to set up a festive table. Sometimes, a bunch of asparagus, some well-roasted potatoes, and an oil that lives up to expectations are enough.

Four spring recipes with Ad-Morum

Warm salad of tender broad beans, fresh cheese, and mint

Tender broad beans have a clean, vegetal flavor, very characteristic of this season. They work especially well in a warm salad, the kind that isn't heavy but is appealing. To prepare it, simply blanch the broad beans for a few minutes and cool them slightly. Then, mix them with crumbled fresh cheese, a few mint leaves, very finely sliced red onion, and a dressing made with Ad-Morum EVOO, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

The detail that transforms the dish

Here, the oil is not just a filler. A Picual EVOO adds that green, slightly lively touch that prevents the salad from falling flat. Mint refreshes, cheese softens, and broad beans dominate. Everything fits together. It's a very easy recipe, but it has that well-thought-out dish feel that is appreciated as soon as it reaches the table.

Grilled asparagus with soft egg and raw EVOO

Asparagus is one of the clearest images of spring. In Andalusia, it has a strong presence during this season, and when good, it requires little more than grilling and a good finish. Our proposal is simple: grilled asparagus, a softly cooked or poached egg, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top.

A simple recipe, with great intention

When the yolk breaks and mixes with the EVOO, a natural, creamy sauce forms, the kind that silently begs for bread. It's an appetizer, a quick dinner, or even a light meal if accompanied by a slice of rustic bread. This clearly illustrates what we always advocate: that cooking better doesn't mean cooking more complicated.

Baked artichokes with fresh garlic and lemon

Artichokes are among those products that, when their season arrives, must be savored. They have flavor, character, and, when well prepared, they are a marvel. For this recipe, we cut them into quarters, mix them with chopped fresh garlic, a little lemon zest, salt, and Ad-Morum EVOO, and bake them until golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside.

A dish that smells like home

There are recipes that smell like home as soon as they start cooking. This is one of them. The fresh garlic perfumes, the lemon brightens the whole dish, and the oil envelops every bite. Served fresh like this, artichokes work as a starter or as a side dish for white fish or a mild meat. And they make it clear once again that Jaén olive oil doesn't push the dish aside: it organizes it, unites it, and elevates it.

New potatoes roasted with rosemary and Picual EVOO

Early potatoes are part of the Andalusian gastronomic landscape in spring. They are tender, more delicate, and perfect for roasting. At home, we like to prepare them with the skin on, cut into wedges, with salt, pepper, rosemary, and a good splash of Picual EVOO before going into the oven.

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside

It never fails. They come out golden, with toasted edges and a soft interior. The rosemary fills the kitchen, and the oil does the rest. It's a classic side dish, yes, but also one of those recipes you'd eat alone without a second thought. Because sometimes the simplest things work best, especially when they're done right.

Cooking with EVOO in spring: less artifice, more flavor

Raw, even better

In spring, fresher, more direct cooking is appealing. That's why many of these recipes benefit from EVOO both during cooking and at the end, raw. That's where its nuances are best perceived: the fruitiness, the green touch, the slight spiciness, that feeling of a carefully finished dish. In addition, using raw oil or in gentle preparations helps preserve its properties and aromatic profile better. 

A small gesture that changes the result

A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over roasted vegetables, a warm cream, or a freshly assembled salad is not a minor detail. It's a flavor decision. And in a cuisine like Andalusia's, so linked to the product and so averse to disguise, that matters a lot.

Spring, Andalusia, and Ad-Morum

To speak of spring in Andalusia is to speak of fresh produce, bright cuisine, and a way of eating that doesn't need excess to be enjoyed. At Ad-Morum, we feel that our place is right there: in that real cuisine, where a good Jaén olive oil makes sense because it accompanies what the season offers at its best.

Our Picual EVOO is part of that way of cooking. It's in the salad improvised at midday, in the vegetable dish that comes out of the oven, in the roasted potatoes that disappear before even sitting down at the table. And that is probably the best proof that an oil delivers on its promise: that it enters the routine and improves it.

A simpler cuisine, more ours

Spring invites a different way of eating. Lighter, yes, but also more beautiful. With more color, more freshness, and a greater desire to share. These recipes do not seek to impress anyone with fireworks. They seek something better: for the dish to work, to be enjoyed, and for the oil to be noticed where it needs to be noticed.

That is the kind of cuisine we defend at Ad-Morum. An Andalusian, close, and carefully crafted cuisine. A cuisine where extra virgin olive oil is not an addition, but one of the epicenters of our identity. Because in this land, oil is not only produced. It is also lived.