Roast Vegetables
Hot Summer Salad – good in Winter and Suitable for Passover
This is one of those really versatile vegetarian dishes. It can be served as an accompaniment to a main meal or as a meal in its own right.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes (approximately)
This is one of those highly versatile vegetarian dishes that is very easy to prepare. It can be served as an accompaniment to a main meal or as a meal in its own right. It’s good any time of year. There is no end to the choice of vegetables that can be used.
The following are suggested for the basic dish. You could also add butternut, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes and mange tout. In fact, almost any vegetable will add variety and colour to your cooking.
Suggested Basic Ingredients – but of course the choice is yours.
As a vegetable accompaniment to a main course this will serve at least eight.
All ingredients must be thoroughly washed
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
- 3 red onions – cut into large chunks
- 1 large courgette (zucchini) – cut lengthwise into two inch fingers
- 2 peppers, any colour – cut similarly to courgettes (Red, orange or yellow peppers give a sweeter taste to the finished dish)
- Half a kilo of butternut. Peel the butternut, remove the pips and cut into one inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar - leave this out if the dish is to be eaten during Passover
Optional:
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Chick Peas, Mange Tout,Feta Cheese to sprinkle over cooked vegetables.
Variations: If using broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes or carrots cut these into chunks and add at Step One (see below). If using vegetables that need less time to cook add them at Step Two.
Method:
Step One
- Place the chopped onions, courgettes, peppers, and butternut and place in a large casserole dish.
- Pour half the oil and half the Balsamic vinegar over the vegetables
- Cover the casserole dish and cook ingredients for 25 minutes.
- Stir the vegetables gently. They should be just beginning to soften.
- Replace the lid and cook for another 10 minutes.
Step Two
- Cut the mushrooms into large chunks.
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters.
- Place these ingredients on the top of the partly-cooked vegetables in the casserole. Do not mix them in.
- Leave the lid off and cook for another 10 minutes. If the vegetables are not soft enough return to oven for another 5 minutes and then check again.
Variations on a theme
At the end of the cooking time you can place mange tout over the cooked food – return to a hot oven for an extra five minutes but no longer. That way the mange tout stay crunchy and give the dish a really refreshing feel.
Canned chick peas can be added in place of, or as well as, the mange tout. Don’t add the chick peas too early. The last five minutes of the cooking time is the best time to add them.
The basic roast vegetable dish can also be varied by adding Feta cheese at the end of the cooking time.
Another good combination is to serve Borsht as a starter followed by roast vegetables as an accompaniment to couscous or Butternut Burgers. Some families like the roast vegetables as an accompaniment to Cholent (Jewish beef stew). This makes a very filling and heart warming meal.
Cheese Cake or Rhubarb and Apricot Crumble make a good dessert with this meal.
