Roasting Ain't Just for Winter Anymore

Last week I went to the Eagle Rock Farmer's Market (Friday nights between 5-9 p.m.) and discovered that it has a lot to offer. Not only does it offer a decent variety of street food (roasted chicken, tacos, kebabs, roasted corn) and a petting zoo with the cutest little pig I've ever seen in my life, it has an impressive array of vegetables and fruits - both standard and exotic.

I'm not usually impressed by the standard veg, but for some reason, the gigantic carrots being sold at one stand stood out. I hardly ever eat carrots outside of a salad, but seeing these reminded me of a fabulous batch of roasted carrots I made a long time ago for a family dinner. Without any hesitation, I decided to grab a few and get roastin'.

Like the age rings of a tree, so are the innards of our carrots

I had purchased some leeks from another stand, and decided that it would be a nice mix with the carrots. I simply washed and cut the veg and spread them out on a roasting pan. I then hit it with some olive oil, cracked pepper and sea salt then used my hands to make sure each nugget was touched by the oil. Sounds like a twisted version of that religious TV show..."Touched By The Oil."

Carrot and leek oil wrestling match - round one!

I then put the pan in a preheated 500 degree oven for 20 minutes. The result? Caramelized, tender, flavorful vegetables perfect alone or as a side dish - all for about $1.50. Why would anyone boil carrots when roasting creates this beautiful array of loveliness? WHY? WHYYYYYYYY????

Ahem...my point is this: Roast, don't toast. I mean, roast, don't boil. Too bad that doesn't rhyme.

Roasting Obsession

It's hard to imagine I ever boiled vegetables, but I did. Like most people, I'd fill up a huge pot with water, throw in a handful of salt, let it come to a bubbling boil, and throw in the veg. Most of the time I'd end up with a slightly watery version of whatever I threw in, but I didn't know any better.

Then I discovered steam. Well, I discovered steaming. I'd put some water into a huge pot, insert the strainer/steamer, then throw the veg in. I'd end up with a slightly steamier version of whatever I threw in, which was OK but nothing noteworthy.

Then I finally discovered roasting. I'd roasted potatoes, and other root vegetables, but it never occured to me to roast any other vegetable. I can't remember what prompted me to try roasting asparagus, but I did it one day and I've never looked back. Ten minutes in a 400 degree oven and I had a bunch of wonderfully caramelized, nutty asparagus.

I now roast just about everything veg-wise. Molly, from Orangette, once had a post about roasted cauliflower, and it forever changed the way I cook one of my favorite veggies.

Roasted cauli with nice brown bits

I simply spray the cookie sheet with some olive oil, slice the cauliflower into thick slices (some crumbling occurs), then spray another layer of olive oil on top, sprinkle a good amount of sea salt and pepper on it, then bake away (400 degrees for 30 minutes for white cauli; 20 for green cauli).

Green cauli with nicely browned bits

Roasting just adds such wonderful (say it with me, Michael Chiarello) caramelization to vegetables, I can't imagine going back to water. But, not everything works; I once tried broccoli and it just singed the edges to a black crisp, and green beans don't seem to hold up well either. And I imagine kale or other leafy greens may not work well, although the thick, dense leaves of the cauliflower roast up nicely.

Roasted cauliflower with sea salt

Roasting - it's the new black.