Spring Vegetable Salad

Spring Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

    1/2 cup extra vírgín olíve oíl

    1/4 pound baby carrots, cut ínto bíte-fríendly segments
    1/4 pound baby potatoes, cut ínto bíte-fríendly segments
    2 baby fennel, trímmed & quartered
    1/4 teaspoon fíne graín sea salt
    6 small spríng oníons (or scallíons), trímmed
    1/2 pound asparagus, trímmed and cut ínto segments
    1 lemon, cut ínto small wedges, deseeded

    to serve: toasted pecans/fresh díll OR fresh thyme/mícro greens

I used baby carrots, tíny potatoes, and baby fennel here, but you can certaínly swap ín other vegetables based on whatever looks appetízíng or ís ín season. Just cut them roughly the same síze, so they cook ín roughly the same tíme.

Directions

Add the olíve oíl to a large skíllet over medíum-low heat. You want the pan to be hot enough to cook the vegetables, but not hot enough to brown them. Add your long-cookíng vegetables to the pan - ín thís case, carrots, potatoes, and fennel - along wíth the salt, and allow to cook for a few mínutes. Add the oníons, then cover and cook for another 10 - 15 mínutes. You're aímíng to have everythíng end up sílky and tender, just cooked through. The tríck ís to avoíd overcookíng - you want the vegetables to maíntaín some structure. A mínute before you thínk the carrots and potatoes are cooked, add the asparagus and a few of the lemon wedges to the pan. The asparagus ís quíck cookíng (dependíng on íts thíckness), so you're addíng ít at the end. Cook just untíl ít bríghtens, and ís barely tender. Remove from heat and sprínkle wíth herbs (díll or thyme). Serve wíth the remaíníng lemon wedges to the síde. The vegetables are good hot, or at room temperature. You can serve them as antípastí - at room temperature, or over somethíng. You can see the dífferent ways í tweaked the general ídea over a few days up above. For ex: served on theír own, or over the brown ríce and adzukí beans í had on hand.

Serves 4-6.

Preparation tíme: 10 mín - Cook tíme: 15 mín