Roasted vegetables are basic, but we make them so often that we have picked up a few tips that make them extra special:
General tips
- Can't go wrong with olive oil, salt and pepper: I recommend using a silicone brush for the olive oil so you can use the minimum amount needed to stop them drying out.
- The less oil the better.
- Crispier or more caramelized veggies: cook veggies well-spaced out on a shallow cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Softer veggies: cook in a high sided dish, more crowded together
- Soft but caramelized: cook cut side down down.
- Other things we do with roast veggies:
- Use leftovers in small chunks in a green salad or quinoa salad the next day.
- Roast in smaller slices to use as sandwich filler - with hummus or pesto.
Specific veggies:
- Sweet potatoes - soft, sweet and caramelized: Cut in half lengthwise, cook face down around 200 C / 400 F until brown caramelized juices bubble out from under them. No added flavours needed.
- Sweet potatoes: peeled wedges are good. Disks too. The more spaced out and the fewer 'wet' veggies like zucchini and tomatoes go in the oven at the same time the crispier they will be.
- Parsnips: delicious if parboiled first so they don't dry out while roasting
- Eggplant: 2cm rounds, 35 min at 230 C / 425 F. See vinaigrette under flavor mix 5 below.
- Brussels sprouts: in half, cut side down, 15-20 minutes at 230 C / 425 F
- Gnocchi? Yes, they get crispy: Roast a tray of chunks of red bell pepper and cherry tomatoes with some boiled gnocchi - add flavor mix 2 below). (From Green Roasting Tin cookbook.)
- Charred cherry tomatoes - see flavor mix 3 below.
- Shallots! Leave the skin on and slice lengthwise, roast face down in a mix with wedges of sweet potato, big chunks of carrots, pieces of courgette -- adds lots of flavour - and can be eaten straight out of the skin - soft and caramelized.
- Onion - takes longer than you think to get it soft and caramelized. Shallots are better, in my opinion.
- Celery root: surprisingly good. Takes a similar amount of time as carrots.
- Asparagus: not recommended! Seems a waste to char those lovely tops - we prefer them boiled/steamed.
- Green beans - can be roasted surprisingly well! See the salmon with green beans, cherry tomatoes and black olives recipe.
- Butternut squash: don't waste your time cutting and peeling! Just cut in half lengthwise, scoop the seeds out, cook face down until soft. To peel for intact chunks, score the skin lengthwise to create strips that you can can slice off without losing too much flesh. To peel for mashing (e.g. for soup or risotto), flip them over and just scoop the flesh out. Great with goats cheese, sage, chestnuts, bacon.
- Zucchini / courgette and yellow summer squash: cut in disks or long strips and spread out one layer thick, brush with oil, add a few sprigs of thyme and slices of garlic, -- cooks very quickly. If on parchment the bottom sides will brown nicely. Always pick small ones, to avoid getting bitter zucchini. Tends to make other things in the oven a little softer.
- Spaghetti squash - cut side down, takes a while - can be used as 'boats' for other fillings, including chili or taco meat and toppings.
- Bell peppers: roast as halves to make it easy to peel off the charred / hard-to-digest skin.
- A good classic mix for 2 people (to serve with lentils or chicken): we fill one big tray or two medium trays with: 1-2 small sweet potatoes, 1 small courgette, 2-3 shallots, 2 carrots, 1/2 red bell pepper in chunks (eat the other half raw while you wait for it to cook). Actually, we just put as much as we can fit in the oven so that we have leftovers!
Favorite flavors / seasonings:
- Avoid over-flavouring, but for some variety, these things work well:
- Shallots on the tray - adds flavour to everything else.
- Spicy rosemary: mix some chili pepper, minced garlic, rosemary, salt and olive oil together. and brush on. (with the roasted gnocchi)
- For cherry tomatoes, Ottolenghi mixes up olive oil, strips of lemon peel, cumin seeds (ground cumin works too), fresh thyme sprigs, some chili flakes, small spoon of brown sugar and salt and pepper - great flavour when combined (the lemon peel softens - use Meyer lemons if you can, extra sweet). Serves on bed of yogurt mixed with lemon peel.
- Vinaigrette: anchovies, garlic, white wine vinegar, olive oil
- Creamy ricotta bed or dip: whip some olive oil, flaky salt and lemon zest into ricotta. Or as dollops on top of a tray of veggies.
- Dollops of soft goat cheese.
- Fried sage leaves - make sure they are coated in oil - bake them in the oven. Especially good with butternut squash.
- Sprigs of thyme or rosemary - adds a lot - but we almost never do it because it can be easily overpowering.
