Food

Have I mentioned I love cooking? I used to love the calming effect it has after a crazy hectic day dealing with all the insanity at work. And I still love it even though my life is not quite that insane anymore (at least till the little one becomes more mobile and subsequently starts getting into all sorts of trouble). Something about the numbing monotony of washing and cutting, firing up the stove, the familiar yet exciting anticipation of the hiss as the ingredients hit the hot oil, the velvety feeling of spice on your fingers as you color your dish with them, even the seemingly-endless uncover/check/stir/cover cycle until finally you see and simply KNOW without a doubt that dish is complete. And the immense satisfaction of having created something tangible (and hopefully delicious, though we all have our days). And I'm not even talking about trying out new, exciting stuff; I feel this way even about your basic rice, dal and subzi. So, you can only imagine the kind of euphoria I feel and the kind of incessant nag I become when I try something new ("so, was it good? what did you think? did it need more paprika? should i have grilled it instead of broiling"... ad nauseum).

I love eating too. I've been extremely lucky on this front since (a) I have a mom who is an absolutely amazing, phenomenal cook (the kind who can taste a dish, figure out all the ingredients in it, and then do a pretty damn good job recreating it - a skill that has sadly eluded me); (b) I live in New York, a foodie mecca; and (c) I have a husband who enjoys cooking and eating as much (maybe even more) than I do.

One of my weekend (and occasionally weekday) pleasures is visiting the Union Square Greenmarket. Normally I'm not particularly adventurous with the produce - I pick up basic stuff like tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, beets etc. However, yesterday I was in a mood to make something a bit different, so I picked up some delectable-looking spring baby veggies - baby carrots, baby zucchini, yellow and orange baby bell-peppers, spring onions and some asparagus. Guess I still have "baby brain" 7 months post partum!

Anyway, I decided to KISS* and go with a salad. I also had some pearl red onions lying around from having made sambar recently, so decided to add those for a little bit of bite.

Here's the super-simple recipe (don't get thrown off by the steps; I just like super-detailed recipes, that's all).

Desigal's "Oh Baby" Salad:

For salad:

Baby carrots - 1 bunch (6 or 7)

Baby zucchini - 6

Baby bell-peppers - 6

Pearl (baby) onions (Red) - 10. Alternatively, use 1/4 of a medium red onion

Asparagus - 10

Fresh goat cheese (optional)

Parsley (optional)

For vinaigrette:

1 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 spring onion (or shallot)

EVOO for drizzling

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

0) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1) Wash the veggies and trim ends off the carrots and zucchini

2) Peel the pearl onions (soak them in water for about 15min and the skin comes off quite easily)

3) Cut the zucchini and bell peppers lengthwise in half. Cut the asparagus on a bias to match the length of the zucchini and carrots. If using regular red onion instead of pearl onions, cut the onion into half or quarter rings (such that the onion pieces/strands match the length of the other veggies)

4) Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil, spread the veggies on it, drizzle with a little EVOO and sea salt (or kosher salt) and pepper. Toss with hands to mix in oil, salt and pepper.

5) Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on how soft you want the veggies).

For the vinaigrette:

1) Mince the spring onion (or shallot).

2) Mix together vinegar, oil, mustard and spring onion. Whisk to incorporate

Finally, combine veggies and vinaigrette. I like throwing the whole thing into a tupperware container, shaking vigorously to mix, and then sticking the container in the fridge to let the vegetables marinate a bit in the vinaigrette.

To serve, spoon the salad onto plates, add a dollop of goat cheese, season with a sprig of parsley and serve with a piece of crusty baguette.

Much to my delight, even my in-laws - who are very very desi and set in their ways and whose idea of salad is slices of cucumber and nothing more - enjoyed this salad, as did my very carnivorous husband.

Hope someone tries this! If you do, be sure to post your feedback!