Recipes

Article & Recipes written by Pascale Beale-Groom

for Coastal View News- January 2010

Winter is root vegetable season. I like to think of it as the time when the earth digs deep, searching for nourishment and as a result of all that hard work produces delicious vegetables, rich in minerals and with a wonderful array of flavors.

My current favorite, parsnips, are delicious when roasted as they tend to caramelize on the outside but remain tender on the inside. They are also versatile. They add an extra dimension pureed with potatoes, added in soups they bring an extra earthiness in flavor and texture to the mixture and in a ragout of vegetables they will enhance the complexity of the dish.

I recently made a huge plate of roasted parsnips with butternut squash and zucchini, tossed the mixture with some arrugula and watercress and the result was delicious. Serve this alongside a roasted chicken and it is a scrumptious way to showcase one of the season’s most delicious – if somewhat overlooked – vegetables.

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Serves 8 people as a large side dish

Olive oil

2 lbs parsnips – peeled, halved, and each half cut into eighths lengthwise

1 butternut squash – ends trimmed, cut in half, seeds removed, peeled and then cut into similar sized strips as the parsnips

4 medium sized zucchini – end trimmed, and cut into eighths lengthwise.

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence

Coarse sea salt

Black Pepper

8 oz fresh arrugula

8 oz fresh watercress leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Pour some olive oil onto a large baking sheet and then add all the chopped vegetables, thyme, Herbes de Provence and a good sprinkling of sea salt and some black pepper. Toss to coat all the ingredients well.
Roast the vegetables for 1 hour, turning them once or twice so that they do not stick to the pan.
Whilst they are roasting, combine the arrugula and watercress in a large shallow dish. When the vegetables are cooked and caramelized, place all of them on top of the combined greens. Toss to combine all the vegetables and greens together.

If you want the vegetable to be the star of the show, try this tajine. All the vegetable juices combine into a heady mixture. Add some of the yogurt sauce and it’s a little bite of winter heaven.

WINTER VEGETABLE TAJINE

Serves 8 people

3 red onions – peeled and sliced

Olive oil

1 tablespoon Ras al Hanout

1 lb yellow carrots – peeled and sliced lengthwise

1 lb red carrots – peeled and sliced lengthwise

1 lb parsnips – peeled and cut into slices

1 small head cauliflower – leaves trimmed away and florets broken off and left whole. If they are very large then but them in half.

1 bunch beets – peeled and cut into slices

2-3 leeks – peeled, washed carefully and cut into 2 inch pieces

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Lemon zest and the same lemon quartered

Coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour a little olive oil into a medium sized saucepan and add the sliced red onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add in the Ras al Hanout. Stir well and continue cooking over low heat for 15 minutes so that the onions are very soft and slightly caramelized.
Place all the onion mixture in the bottom of a Tajine. Place all the sliced vegetables on top of the onions. Drizzle with some olive oil, add the thyme, lemon zest and lemon quarters and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt. Cover with the Tajine lid and place in the middle of the oven.
Cook for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place directly on the dinner table. Be careful when you remove the lid as some steam will be released. Serve onto warmed dinner plates – be sure to get some of each of the vegetables, especially the onions at the bottom of the dish.
Serve with the onion and chive yogurt. (see recipe below)

For the onion and chive yogurt:

8 oz Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 green onions – finely chopped

1 bunch chives – finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Serve alongside the vegetables. Marcona almonds and pieces of feta are also delicious with this dish.