Is there a better combination for a great time? Thanksgiving was all that and more. We traveled "over the pass and across the prairie" to my cousin's house in Central Washington. The snow covered trees and hillsides on Thanksgiving morning made a beautiful and sunny drive. About two dozen people gathered around noon, each with some food to share. In addition, there was all the family updates to collect, interesting people to meet, stories to exchange and laughter to share. Ages ranged from 16 months to 91 years spanning four generations. There was turkey and a beef roast to share center stage and side dishes and desserts that didn't seem to end. It was a great day!
When I asked about what we should bring, vegetables was the request. I needed a recipe that would be road worthy and could be made ahead of time. Roasted Vegetables met both criteria and, having prepared them before, find them very tasty. I consulted a few websites and found a great "how to" in http://www.salon.com/ of March 12, 2010. I had no idea a Brussels sprout could taste so good!
Roasted Vegetables
You can roast just about any vegetable. Each vegetable will respond to different oven temperatures and/or time in the oven. It helps to cut mixed vegetables in sized pieces where they all will cook in the same time. This may take a little trial and error. Think asparagus (whole or two inch pieces), bell peppers (one inch chunks), broccoli and cauliflower (1 1/2 inch diameter florets), Brussels sprouts (halve or quarter), carrots (diagonal 1/4 inch slices), eggplant (1 1/2 inch chunks), green beans (whole), onions (1/2 inch wedges broken apart), yams/sweet potatoes (one inch pieces), tomatoes (Roma type, quartered) and zucchini ( 1/4 inch slices) to name the more common.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the cut vegetables in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper and olive oil --mix thoroughly. The vegetables should have a sheen from the olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Taste a piece. You should be able to taste the salt, pepper and olive oil. Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a foil or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Place in the oven and check in 10 minutes. The vegetables should start to show browning. That is the caramelizing taking place. Flip the vegetables over and return to the oven. Check every few minutes and taste a piece--it should be tender-crisp to fully tender, depending upon your preference. They may need five to 10 minutes more after flipping.
Roasted vegetables taste great as is, but enhancements are nice too. Balsamic vinegar, toasted nuts, fresh herbs, dried fruit and, of course, grated cheese. This is an amazingly tasty and easy way to cook vegetables--I've been a "roasting fool" since Thanksgiving! Enjoy getting your recommended daily vegetable servings!
