Author Notes: If you’re looking for a pure, pure vegetable dish with incredible flavors, this recipe is the one. It just won’t get tastier than this.
Last night I was cooking a recipe from Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’ cookbook. It was simple, but almost too good to be true. Sweet potatoes and parsnip where the main ingredients: vegetables, I have to admit, I don’t often cook with. For some reason I never found them very appealing; a bit course and too sweet for my taste. But I decided to try them anyway; in the book they looked amazing, so it couldn’t be that bad. (And of course it was Ottolenghi’s, what was I thinking??)
Guess what; it was amazing. Oh my god, it was! I believe that these roasted vegetables combined with lemon and capers, could really turn a carnivore into a vegetarian! This is vegetarian food 2.0 !!
I added a few ingredients, like fennel (yes!! Fennel!!), zucchini and carrot, but I believe, according to Ottolenghi, that’s not a problem at all. And also the whole garlic’s; sliced in half; you should at least eat one of those by yourself! The roasted garlic cloves become as soft as butter.
So yes, I made it again today, and no-one had anything to complain. My whole family loved it, and they loved me for making it again, for you! With pleasure! —Mirjam Leslie-Pringle
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables Ingredients
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2
parsnips
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4
medium size red onions
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1
large or 2 smaller carrots
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4
stems of rosemary
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1
little hand full of fresh thyme stems
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2
nice and firm garlics (whole)
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1
cup extra virgin olive oil
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1
teaspoon of salt, and freshly ground pepper
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1
medium size sweet potato
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1
fennel
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1
zucchini
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1
can of cherry tomatoes: if you like in different colours
Caper Vinaigrette
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2
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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2
tablespoons lemon juice
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4
tablespoons small capers
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1/2
tablespoon salt
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1/2
teaspoon dijon mustard
Directions
- Preheat the oven at 190C / 375F.
- Peel the parsnips, and according to their sizes cut them in half (lengthwise) or in three. Divide those parts in four.
- Peel the onions, divide them in four as well.
- Do the same with the carrots: peel them and divide them into the same size. (about 5 cm long and 1,5 cm thick)
- Add the vegetables to a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, the tbsp of salt, the rosemary- and thyme stems, and toss the vegetables into a baking dish.
- Slice your garlics in two, carefully add them to the vegetable mix, and pour some oil over them with a spoon.
- Place into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. (just peek now and than)
- In the meantime, cut up your fennel: remove the hard top and end, cut it into even slices and divide the slices in half.
- Wash your sweet potato well, and cut off top and end. Divide it in half, and again, divide those parts into 6 or 8 smaller parts.
- Wash and chop the zucchini into the same sizes.
- After 20 minutes, add the new veggies to the baking dish (if necessary, use two, I did!) Carefully toss them into the hot oil, and place back into the oven for about 40 minutes.
- In the meantime cut the tomatoes in half. And than, finally after 40 minutes, add the tomatoes to the veggies as well, toss them in a bit, and bake for another 10 minutes.
- You can also make the vinaigrette now, by mixing all the ingredients.
- Last but certainly not least: after you have taken out the baking dish, pour the vinaigrette on top, and enjoy these lovely vegetables! But be careful: it’s hot!!