The joys of simply roasted vegetables

Somewhat inadvertently, we've been doing the Eat Things in Your Kitchen Challenge lately, which is much more fun in the wintertime than it is when you could be eating summer produce instead. After a while, things got a little grim.

So, when I finally managed to go shopping, I got a little carried away in the vegetable aisle. Especially since Himself was away and I had only myself to feed. As I loaded the fridge with sweet corn, red and yellow bell peppers, eggplants and cauliflower, plus a lot of salad stuff, I wondered how I was going to be able to use it all.

A cool night gave me my inspiration: roasting!

I made Nero Wolfe corn for dinner that night, and while I was at it, roasted other vegetables at the same time. In almost no time, I had a 475-degree oven full of veggies. Dead easy, and by cooking it all at once, fuel- and time-efficient.

High-roast cauliflower took about the same time as the corn; I added a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. This has been great both cold and reheated in the microwave.

It took a bit longer, about an hour, to roast the peppers and eggplant. For the half dozen peppers, I just cut off the tops, removed the cores and ribs, and chucked them in a pan in the oven. After about half an hour, I turned them over with tongs. When the skins started to blacken, after another half hour. I took the pan out and covered it with foil to let them steam while they cooled. Later, I peeled the skins off, put the peppers in a container and poured the pan juices over them. (Normally, I roast peppers under the broiler, which is faster, but requires more attention.)

The eggplants (the big purple kind), I sliced about 3/4-inch-thick, spread out in a pan, drizzled heavily with oil, sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. After about half an hour in the oven, I turned the slices over and let them continue to cook till browned and crispy around the edges, another half hour. I'd intended to toss them with a balsamic vinaigrette, but they were so good as they came out of the oven, I didn't bother.

I did sprinkle some of the refrigerated eggplant with balsamic vinegar to eat cold, but I may make the rest into baba ghannouj or ikra.

It's been great having all these ready to eat in the fridge all week, and I foresee more roasted vegetables in our house throughout the harvest season.

Sparky's favorite vegetable is a high-roast cauliflower recipe from Epicurious that a PTA mom turned me on to. I agree, roasted veg are tasty. We once did roasted root veg for a Thanksgiving side that was easier than pie - just set a cookie sheet with chunks of well-oiled and salted veggies on the rack under your turkey, and they come out all lovely and sweet and brown.

I've been doing roast veggies a lot lately, too. Fresh tomatoes, onion, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms...cut them all into similar-sized pieces, toss with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and rosemary, and stick them in the oven at 450 for 30 minutes or so (more or less depending on the size of the pieces).

It's so easy to roast up a big batch, then use them in a variety of ways. The last time I made them, I added a bunch to some meatloaf (sun dried tomatoes, roast carrots and spinach also make great additions), mixed some with couscous and served with poached chicken (an easy dish if you're short on time), used some on a grilled pizza and served the rest as a side dish.

We've been eating a lot of roasted veggies also-- mostly roasted on the grill. Yumm. Asparagus, sweet potatoes, as well as the ones mentioned. Eggplant, red peppers, zucchini. Sometimes I add a bit of vinegrette to the final chopped product (not with sweet potatoes). Onions. Parsnips. Green beans-- my family will eat so many roasted green beans at one sitting it is practically alarming.

I love roasted brussel sprouts with a bit of minced prosciutto, some minced garlic, salt pepper and olive oil. I can put away a whole tray of them like they're fresh warm popcorn.

As an alternative, I also like them with some minced shallot, walnuts, brown sugar, salt pepper and olive oil.

A few years back, I used to make a soup that had a pureed base of roasted winter vegetables, chicken stock and fresh herbs. It was a great base that one could add chicken, or pasta or beans to to make a rib sticking winter soup.

I roast vegetables year round. We started several years ago with rutabegas. I had never tried them before, found a recipe for roasted root vegetables and was amazed. They are incredibly sweet when they are done, although I admit I have to wrestle the rutabegas in order to peel and cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Those suckers are really tough to get a knife through.

I would have to say that my family absolutely loves Nichols' fingerling potatoes roasted in the oven as an accompaniment to any meal.

Suzy

I love em roasted too. Lately I have been layering up different roasted veggies in a pie crust, pouring an egg and cream mixture over them, topping with cheddar cheese and then baking. Had a slice of it for breakfast this morning!

Funny, I don't think I ever ate a rutabaga until I started making Cornish Pasties a couple years back...they are delicious, and perfect for roasting. When roasting mixed veggies, you do need to get a mixture of veggies of about the same density, and rutabaga adds another dimension to the harder root veggie mixes (carrots, turnips, parsnips, etc.)

YourPalWill wrote:I love roasted brussel sprouts with a bit of minced prosciutto, some minced garlic, salt pepper and olive oil. I can put away a whole tray of them like they're fresh warm popcorn.

Will, I agree. roasted brussels would stop green-hating kids on a dime.

I rediscovered brussel sprouts with a delectable roasted version at a Belgian restaurant in DC.

I learned to make 'em myself this summer.

So simple, you don't really need a recipe, but some guidance and pretty pictures help:


Courtesy of Bittman and the NY Times

JudyH wrote:Green beans-- my family will eat so many roasted green beans at one sitting it is practically alarming.

How are you roasting your beans?

This is the one vegetable I've thought less than terrific roasted. That is, they're fine, but they aren't notably different or better roasted than prepared by other green-bean cooking methods. I've roasted them the same way I've done other veggies -- hot oven, drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. I remove them when a few have browned and others start to shrivel. But they taste much the same as steamed beans dressed with olive oil.

Mhays wrote:When roasting mixed veggies, you do need to get a mixture of veggies of about the same density

I have been roasting my vegetables together but separately. That is, I put them all in the oven together, but in separate pans. I remove them as they're done. Then I may combine them or dish them separately. As noted above, sometimes I eat some at once and refrigerate the others for later.

Agreed on brussels sprouts. I used to think I didn't like them until I had them cooked by dry-heat methods -- stir-fried or roasted -- and then I realized that what I don't like are mushy boiled brussels sprouts.

LAZ wrote:

JudyH wrote:Green beans-- my family will eat so many roasted green beans at one sitting it is practically alarming.

How are you roasting your beans?

This is the one vegetable I've thought less than terrific roasted. That is, they're fine, but they aren't notably different or better roasted than prepared by other green-bean cooking methods. I've roasted them the same way I've done other veggies -- hot oven, drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. I remove them when a few have browned and others start to shrivel. But they taste much the same as steamed beans dressed with olive oil.

I don't generally roast green beans separately - lately I've been doing them when I grill. I toss a bunch of veggies into a cast iron skillet with olive oil and salt (and maybe some sage or rosemary), close them up in the grill, and stir occasionally. To me, the green beans have a different texture and flavor if they are roasted. They get drier, and shrivel some, and have those slightly caramelized/burnt patches. Completely different than steamed green beans (which I also enjoy). In the winter I do them the same way, just in the oven, and I never separate them out. I will smetimes nuke the potatoes or other very solid veggies for a few minutes to pre-cook them, and generally toss garlic in later in the cooking process so it doesn't burn.

LAZ wrote:Agreed on brussels sprouts. I used to think I didn't like them until I had them cooked by dry-heat methods -- stir-fried or roasted -- and then I realized that what I don't like are mushy boiled brussels sprouts.

I also like them braised. Some people prefer with cream. I like 'em naked with a little bit of butter.

This is more or less courtesy of Cook's Illustrated (though also pretty basic):

A pound of sprouts, halved and trimmed of loose leaves (this is important if you want texture and don't want wilting leaves every which way) put into a saucepan with half a cup or so of simmering salted water. Dollop of butter on top. Cover and cook until sprouts are forgiving to a knife and "sauce" has emulsified. Salt and pepper to taste.

Green beans



Cauliflower



Asparagus and crimini mushrooms



Brussels sprouts and garlic cloves

These were all roasted at one time in a 475-degree oven, along with some ears of sweet corn. Although they were cooked in separate pans, everything except the corn got essentially the same treatment.

I trimmed the ends off the beans and snapped the bottoms off the asparagus and separated the cauliflower into florets. Then they went in the pans and were coated with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse sea salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.

I added a squeeze of lemon and some grated zest to the beans and asparagus. I meant to roast the garlic in its own pan, but I ran out of oven space, so I mixed the cloves in with the sprouts -- that was great.

Everything roasted for 40 minutes, with a stir about halfway through. At that point, I took out everything out except the beans, which got another 10 minutes, but they still tasted pretty regular.

LAZ, that all looks great.

I know you find the green beans to taste 'normal.' I normally take my beans past where you did - until there is more browning and they are more shriveled.

With longer roasting, I think you will find a difference both taste and texture wise. The beans become less crisp and the caramelization makes 'em sweeter too.

It's hard to tell for sure, but I think I do it with skinnier beans. I think longer roasting would work with the fuller 'normal' green beans too.

Recently my daughter and family came for dinner and I left the green beans a little long in the oven to roast. My grandson loved them, my daughter was calling them green bean chips. They have a great flavor when roasted to carmelization and a little crispness. We liked them so much I have been doing this since.
Paulette

Last night, I roasted some very thin haricot verts for about 35 minutes at 350. OK, so I forgot they were in the oven and probaby left them there longer than I would have otherwise. I seasoned them with garlic salt and olive oil before roasting. The result was really good. They had a deep carmelized flavor without being burnt. All of the beans lost significant moisture in the roasting process which intensified their natural sweetness and flavor.

I was surprised that they turned out so well given the LAZ's experience upthread. It seems, as noted by several folks here, that the secret is using thin beans and roasting for a long, slow period.

Cauliflower is next on my list. Thanks for the great pictures. They definitely make me more adventurous.

More and more, I'm finding that the oven is the best way to cook vegetables. Two recent roasted veg experiments were wild successes:

Cabbage. The best 50-cent side dish you'll ever eat. Cut a green cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Put it in a roasting pan with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 475 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, giving it a stir now and then, until tender and browned. I'm not a big fan of cooked cabbage usually, but I loved this. The sugars caramelize and it really turns plain cabbage into something special. My house guest, who does like cooked cabbage, raved about it and went out and bought another cabbage so he could have it again the next day.

Baby bok choy. I didn't have a wok handy and I had a big bag of bok choy. So I put it in the roasting pan with some chopped garlic and drizzled it with a bit of peanut oil, a little roasted sesame oil, some mirin and a touch of soy sauce. I roasted it at 450 degrees for 6 minutes. It came out beautifully, just as good as wok-fried, and far easier.

LAZ-

Some great ideas there with the cabbage and baby bok choy! We love roasted vegetables and will add those to our repetoire.

I did some roast veggies for a pizza this weekend & particularly enjoyed a butternut squash + leeks combo. I didn't have any sage, so instead threw rosemary in with it...was a terrific combo that I'll make again!