Saturday, January 01, 2011

Roasted vegetables


I am a huge fan of roasting vegetables--it brings out so much incredible flavor and sweetness that it's pretty much the only way I cook veggies anymore. In the summer, I usually do them on the grill so as not to heat up the house--green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, and asparagus are my favorites. But in the winter, I love to have them in the oven, which warms up the house and fills the air with a wonderful aroma.

Almost any winter veggies work--root veggies are always great, but also broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts . . . whatever. Today, I did a combination of carrots, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Cut everything up into bite-sized pieces. I cut the bigger brussels sprouts in half but left the smaller ones whole. Put the cut veggies into a bowl and toss with enough olive oil so that the veggies are well-coated. Then sprinkle with sea salt and any fresh or dried herbs that strike your fancy . . . thyme, rosemary, tarragon, etc. I often add a splash of good vinegar as well. Balsamic works well, but today I used blood orange vinegar. Place on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven (the temperature is flexible so if you are cooking something else that needs the oven at 350 or 450, you can just adjust the cooking time). Roast for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally. If the chunks are big, you can cover the baking sheet with foil for the first 10 minutes or so to let the veggies steam, then remove the foil and let them brown. That's how I did the batch in this picture. My daughters gobbled these up like candy.

(Oh, yeah, if you're wondering about the mushrooms in the picture. I added them after I removed the foil for the last ten minutes of cooking.)

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