Marinated Baby Vegetables

Ahh…Spring. The days are getting longer (or rather, the amount of daylight we get is getting longer), the temperatures are rising (depending on your geographical location) and all of a sudden we’re getting a little tired of the winter vegetables we’ve been subsisting on for the past 5 months or so. Enter spring vegetables, in all their glory, And of course Essentially Major has u covered.

Be sure to buy a colorful assortment of baby vegetables. Serve as a side for roasted meat or fish, as an antipasto with salumi and breadsticks, or as an appetizer with crusty bread and goat cheese.

Ingredients

• 6 cups assorted trimmed baby vegetables (such as halved fingerling and purple potatoes, baby carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, pearl onions, pattypan squash, and/or strips of large vegetables like bell peppers)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
• 4 small bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Preparation

• Steam all vegetables until potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Meanwhile, bring remaining ingredients to boil in medium saucepan, whisking until salt dissolves. Pour over vegetables. Let marinate at least 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Hungry for More? To see more recipes like this one, check out Essentially Major's Food Section