When thinking of food that represents spring, fresh new vegetables come to mind immediately.  In Rome one of the most frequently seen spring vegetables are fresh fava beans, often eaten raw with pecorino cheese.  A favorite springtime dish – almost a symbol of the beginning of spring – is vignarola.  It consists of a mix of fave, fresh peas and artichokes that are sautéed in olive oil with spring onions.  The name is said to come from the word vigna (grapevine) because the vegetables used were typically grown in the spaces between the grapevines.  As in most Italian dishes, there is no one recipe written in stone:  the vegetables are generally in equal proportion with the artichokes prepared Italian-style, outer leaves and fuzzy choke discarded until only the tender parts remain so that they can be sliced. The most traditional recipe also uses shredded lettuce.  Some people add mentuccia (a wild mint similar to pennyroyal) and some versions contain guanciale or pancetta.  It’s a simple, bright-green, fresh and delicious medley that can be a starter, main course or a side dish.