Chef Noah Sandoval Of Senza | Chicago, IL

When Noah Sandoval, the executive chef at Senza in Chicago, first moved from Virginia to the Midwest, he had to make some adjustments to his cooking style.

Because the growing season up North is significantly shorter, Sandoval realized he would have to pickle and preserve fresh fruit and vegetables to keep ingredients at their peak.

His pickled cherry tomatoes, for example, make an appearance in the restaurant's gluten-free tagliatelle with artichokes (see the recipe)–an ideal springtime dish.

At the restaurant, the chokes are cooked sous-vide; we simplified the recipe by sautéing the hearts with onions, fennel, spices and a squeeze of lemon. The tender vegetables are then tossed with al dente noodles, the pickled tomatoes, briny olives, wild mushrooms and greens.

Although fresh artichokes are currently in abundance, you can use frozen hearts if you're strapped for time.

After all, as Sandoval knows, necessity is the mother of invention.