We have had a lot of company lately. I enjoy all of our friends and family who visit us in Florida. And soon we will have more. It is a pleasurable challenge for me to come up with great meals that everyone will like. I don’t know about you, but one of the things that always has me fretting is – what kind of vegetable dish should I serve with my stupendous main course. I spend so much time with the entree that sometimes the side dishes become whatever is easy or expedient. Easy peasy is green beans or broccoli. A salad would do and usually does. But sometimes I really want vegetables that stand on their own. I love to roast vegies. The caramelization they receive in the oven renders them sweet and succulent. Even cauliflower loses it’s bitter bite. Carrots and sweet potato chunks are beautiful roasted and you can add cumin to them for an unexpected flavor. I like to halve baking potatoes lengthwise, place a pat of butter, fresh rosemary sprigs and salt and pepper on them and bake cut side down until done. The cut side becomes deeply brown with the rosemary embedded decoratively in the flesh. For this particular meal I was looking for something colorful. We had been to the farmers market last week and I had peppers, squash, onions, and asparagus that needed my attention.
Placed on a baking sheet, the vegetables are so colorful and the roasting process maintains their vibrant color. Maybe next time I will experiment with red and yellow beets. What do you think?
ROASTED VEGETABLES
1 Green Pepper, cut into 2″ chunks
1 Red Pepper, cut into 2″ chunks
1 Red Onion, cut into large chunks
4 small Yellow Squash, cut into chunks
12 to 14 Asparagus Spears, trimmed
3 to 4 Tbls. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put all vegetables except the asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 Tbls. of olive oil and salt and pepper and toss to cover. Roast for approximately 20 minutes turning once. Add the asparagus and toss again. Roast an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
