The Roasted Vegetable

Something magical happens when you roast vegetables. The ordinary becomes exquisite. I can hardly believe that for 40 years of my life, cooking vegetables consisted of little more than boiling and buttering. How easily life becomes an auto-pilot experience with beauty lost. We can grumble about more snow or glide through the breathtaking beauty on cross-country skis. I recommend skiing.  One of my favorite sayings from Why the Chinese Don't Count Calories is "The vegetables are the dishes."  According to the author who lived in China for years and learned the art of cooking in an ordinary Chinese kitchen, this is a common saying. It roughly amounts to reversing the idea of meat as  the main entree and veggies a lame side dish. The vegetables become the main dish, receiving the primary attention. I know this will sound weird, but I now find a ridiculous amount of pleasure when filling my grocery cart with all kinds of fresh veggies. I walk through the store imagining the good things I'm going to make. I'm not sure that could have happened without unloading the toxic chemical dump I'd collected in my body for the previous 40 years. I'm absolutely convinced that those things completely pervert the taste buds. But that's honestly what happens now. I just love vegetables. I love to stir-fry them and I love to roast them. So today I'm dedicating this space to the roasted vegetable. First, however, I must mention the "Nicer Dicer." It is one of those frivolous kitchen gadgets which I have become very attached to. It dices things in seconds (thus the name) and comes in really handy when you're forever chopping veggies into little pieces. I use it all the time and it can be bought on line if you're interested. The recipes below are just a start. You can pretty much roast anything. Enjoy!

Roasted Roots
Dice carrots, potatoes (I'm partial to yukon gold) & parsnips.
Mix them altogether on a baking sheet and generously drizzle olive oil over them.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and snipped chives (I snip all herbs with kitchen scissors).
Roast them at 425 until they are golden brown. Check them frequently.

Roasted Green Beans
Snip the ends off of fresh green beans, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Roast at 425 till a little krinkley and browned. I eat these as finger food.

It's also good to add goodies such as red onion, garlic, red pepper etc.

Roasted Cauliflower
I did not care much about cauliflower till I roasted it. Same drill. Chop, oil, salt & roast.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Credit for this recipe goes to my friend Bonnie. These have become a favorite at our house. Scrub sweet potatoes and thinly slice them. Spread out as close to one layer as possible on a couple baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and bake at 350 till browned. Turn and brown on  the other side.

Roasted Red Pepper
Cut out the insides. Put cut side down on the baking sheet and roast at 425 till blackened. Take it out a let sit for awhile with a towel over it to steam. Take the peels off and add to anything. They're wonderful.

Roasted Garlic
Take an entire bulb of garlic and cut all the tips off so that the garlic cloves are exposed but it doesn't fall apart. Drizzle the exposed cloves with olive oil (beginning to sound familiar) and cover. I have this cool little pottery garlic roaster, but covering any kind of baking dish/sheet with foil will work. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes. Once it cools squeeze the roasted garlic out of the papery shells. It is great as a spread, dip, or added to other cooking.