Mmmm ... ginger!

Ginger is one of my absolute favorite flavors. I love the spicy sweetness of this delectable ingredient. It's amazing how the subtle flavor can be missed when it's not there. For instance, Aaron made a good stir-fry last week, but we both noticed its absence immediately.

As I've mentioned before, I keep a small jar of pre-minced ginger in my fridge. I find it at Safeway in the produce aisle, near the tomatoes and the jars of pre-minced garlic. Ground ginger is certainly great to keep in the pantry. And if you haven't tried crystallized ginger, you absolutely must. It's fantastic in gingersnap cookies.

This vegetarian dish is a great for a picnic. I received it from a former colleague at the Times, and Aaron and I adore it. Enjoy!

Ginger-peanut pasta salad

Salad:

8 oz. corkscrew pasta

20 fresh pea pods, tips and strings removed (about 1 cup)

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and diced, or 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced

2 medium carrots, cut into long thin strips (about 1 cup)

1 medium yellow and/or green sweet pepper, cut into thin strips

3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes

1/2 cup bias-sliced green onions

3 tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro or parsley

1/3 cup chopped peanuts

Dressing:

1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. chili oil or several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce

Cook pasta. During the last 30 seconds of cooking, add pea pods; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.

To make dressing, add ingredients in a screw-top jar. Cover and shake vigorously to combine.

Combine pasta and pea pod mixture, kohlrabi or cucumber, carrots, peppers, radishes, onions and cilantro or parsley in a large bowl. Add dressing, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 8 hours.

To serve, toss the salad again and sprinkle with peanuts.

Serves 12 (side-dish servings)

Cook's notes: If you haven't tried kohlrabi, it's a delicious bulb-like vegetable with a lovely cabbage flavor. A nice alternative would be jicama.