Roasting is one of our favorite ways to eat vegetables in the winter. We avoid it in the summer because of how it heats up the kitchen, but of course that’s a welcome side affect now that it’s cool outside! It’s an easy way to prepare veggies too, requiring almost no more work than chopping the veggies and setting a timer. And the results are delicious.
Roasted broccoli & cauliflower: This is a new one for us this fall. For some reason it never occurred to us to put these two vegetables in the oven. (Maybe we thought they’d turn to mush?) But once we tried it we were hooked.
We simply chop up the broccoli and cauliflower, spread them out on a baking pan, sprinkle with oil and salt (and garlic cloves or quartered shallots), and bake at 400-450° until the edges begin to get hot and crispy (or to taste, depending on how well cooked you want your veggies). Serve immediately.
A tasty variation: This weekend after roasting a chicken, Casey roasted broccoli and cauliflower in the pan with the drippings. Yummy.
‘Root parade’: This dish earned its name when I once lined up all the ingredients on the table to prep and then said, ‘Look! It’s a root parade!’ I think generally others call it ‘Roasted Winter Vegetables,’ but by any name it’s easy, sweet and warming on a cold night. It’s also good way to convert the skeptical to some of the less beloved much maligned winter vegetables (beets, turnips, parsnips).
To make, gather as many root vegetables as you have. In the case of this week’s share: beets, carrots, turnips and onions (delicata are also good although not technically roots). Chop into large bite-sized pieces and spread onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with oil and salt and stir to coat the veggies. As with the broccoli, roast at 400-450°. Stir at least once mid-roasting (but be warned that stirring will cause the pink to spread beyond the beets). The roots will take longer to roast than broccoli—we like to let them go until they’re soft and beginning to caramelize.
Serve immediately. We enjoy root parade with greens, hearty bread, sausage.
Other roots that are good to include if you have them (leftover from previous shares or in future weeks): potatoes and parsnips.
I Heart Root Parade!