Fall and root vegetables go hand in hand.
Jane Hornby proves it in her first cookbook What to Cook and How to Cook it? (Phaidon).
The following recipe is one that requires the least steps (3), a topic we covered in Our Interview with Sunny Jane Hornby. It is suitable for side dishes or a main for vegetarian guests
Maple Roast Vegetables
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves 4-6
Boiling winter root vegetables can mean they lose their flavor and goodness, but roasting intensifies their flavor, and the skins crisp up, too. Celery root, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and Jerusalem artichokes could all be substituted if you prefer.
Ingredients:
1 medium rutabaga, about 1 lb 5 oz in total
4 medium parsnips, about 1 lb 5 oz in total
5 medium carrots, about 1 lb 5 oz in total
¼ cup light olive oil
6 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey, or more if you like
salt and pepper
Instructions:
1
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Peel the rutabaga, but simply scrub the parsnips and carrots, leaving the skins on. Cut all of the root vegetables into large pieces, all about 1 ¼ inches across. Put into a large (ideally nonstick) roasting pan. It looks like a lot of vegetables, but they will shrink considerably in the oven as they roast. Spoon the olive oil over the top, then rub the oil all over the vegetables with your hands. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes, until starting to soften.
2
Meanwhile, pick the needles from the rosemary sprigs, then chop them finely. Stir the garlic cloves (still in their skins) and rosemary into the vegetables. Return the pan to the oven, then roast for 20 more minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and golden around the edges. The garlic cloves will be tender within their papery skins.
3
While the vegetables are still sizzling hot, drizzle the maple syrup or honey over them. Serve the vegetables immediately, making sure everyone gets a garlic clove, ready to squeeze.
Details for our What to Cook and How to Cook It Contest will be announced on December 17, 2010
(* Recipe from What to Cook and How to Cook It (November 2010) by Jane Hornby, Phaidon Press, reproduced by permission of the publisher, Photo by Angela Moore)