# Roasting veggies



## Dina (Oct 19, 2005)

Which are the best veggies to roast, and why?  I want to start roasting more vegetables instead of blanching or steaming.  Suggestions?


----------



## pdswife (Oct 19, 2005)

I like to take cherry tomatoes, corn and zucchini mix them all up with a little
olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and throw them all in the oven.   When I take them out I put them in a bowl and add a small amount of butter.


----------



## Dina (Oct 19, 2005)

Mmmm...sounds great, thanks.  But what temperature and for how long?


----------



## pdswife (Oct 19, 2005)

350 degrees.

and I think I do it for about 20-25 minutes. Can be less or more depending on how "mushy" you like your veggies. I like them crisp. Paul likes them very very very soft.


----------



## GB (Oct 19, 2005)

I love roasting root veggies. Lately I have been using sweet potatoes, celery roots, and parsnips. I toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and thyme then roast at 400-450 stirring every 20 minutes until done to my liking.


----------



## urmaniac13 (Oct 19, 2005)

bell peppers are wonderful roasted... either on bbq, or in the oven (180C/350F, takes about 40 minutes, turning over once)... peel off the outer skin which most of it is probably burnt black, tear them into several strips, enjoy with a drizzle of good evoo, some pine nuts and caper.


----------



## Lizannd (Oct 19, 2005)

*I like to roast asparagus, brussel sprouts, onions, eggplant,*

beets, and cauliflower. I do them all at a high temperature,
about 450, and just toss them with olive oil and salt and pepper. The asparagus takes about 10 minutes, the brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onions and cut up eggplant about 30 to 45, and the whole beets and whole eggplant for about 1 hour.
I check the beets for doneness just like I would a potato.


----------



## GB (Oct 19, 2005)

Oh I forgot the most important part of my roasted veggies...GARLIC. Peel as many cloves as you like (the more the better as far as I am concerned) and throw those in too


----------



## jennyema (Oct 19, 2005)

I also roast at higher heat 425-450 with evoo, s and p and garlic/rosemary/thyme, etc.

It depends on what I feel like or have on hand.  Usually FALL veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, turnips, carrots.  Cauliflower is good, too.

IMO these hardier veggies stand up to roasting better than more delicate ones or ones with more water content.

Here's something that people seem to like when I make it for T-giving.  I wont give amounts, as you can adjust that to your liking.

Yams or Sweet Potatoes
An apple (any non-mealy variety) for every 2 sweet potatoes
evoo
Dijon mustard
Maple syrup (grade b is best)
Soy sauce
salt and pepper

Peel sweet potatoes and apples and cut into bite-sized chunks.  Toss with a little evoo, sprinkle with pepper and just a wee bit of salt.  Put in baking dish or roasting pan.  Roast at 450 for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine mustard, syrup and soy sauce.  Ratio is maybe 2T mustard -- 1T syrup -- 1/2T soy sauce.  I just made this up, so increase or decrease to your taste.  You should have enough sauce to evenly coat the veggies -- you don't want to drench them.

After 15 min., check veggies.  They should be just short of done.  Stir them up to prevent sticking, then drizzle on the sauce and stir to coat.  Put back in oven and cook until done.  You don't sauce them at the beginning because you risk the sugar burning at 450.

You can also add herbs like sage or rosemary to the mix.


----------



## pdswife (Oct 19, 2005)

Since I do mine at a lower heat.. would it be baking instead of roasting??


----------



## Dina (Oct 19, 2005)

WOW!  I love how you all respond so quickly.  Thanks so much for the suggestions.  

Jennyema,
Your recipe sounds awsome!  I never thought of combining mustard and soy sauce with apples but I'll have to try it this Thanksgiving.  Sweet potatoes are a staple at our T-giving table every year only that I use them as dessert with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, pineapple and marshmallows.

Dina


----------



## Zereh (Oct 19, 2005)

Roasting is my favorite way to do veggies! I do them all that way. 

Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom, sweet onions, sweet potatoes, baby beets, peppers, brussel sprouts (cut off the end and make a nice deep X cut across that end so they cook more evenly and a bit faster), parsnips, turnips, leeks, etc. etc! Anything goes, really. 

I also use a higher temp ~ 450 degrees. The idea is to  carmelize them and get those little browned bits on them which add a whole new dimension to the flavor.

Roasted chopped nuts (pine, walnut, pecan, hazlenuts, almonds), sea salt and a dash of lemon juice are ways I like to dress them up before they hit the table.


Z


----------



## Robo410 (Oct 19, 2005)

asparagus is great roasted with evoo a little fresh garlic salt and pepper.  15 min at 400* shake every 5 min

brussel sprouts: halve them evoo and bacon or pancetta chopped, pepper, (thyme, balsamic vinegar)...roast 20 min at 400-450* shaking turning every 5 min, add herb and vinegar last 5 minutes

shallots, small onions or wedges, sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, beets, parsnips, carrots,  mix and match cut in equal sizes, evoo garlic thyme salt and pepper roast 425* for 25-40 minutes  test with knife blade.  delish as a side, or over a rice pilaf.  on a bed of such veggies roast chicken parts or turkey parts or pork chops etc...these go great with meat juices.  a splash of dry white wine half way through, etc.  so good this time of year and through the winter.

roasted cauliflower (florettes and evoo, garlic, salt and pepper) when done toss with cashews!  yum


----------



## kats (Jul 25, 2006)

I toss broccolis with evoo, salt, pepper, smashed garlic and, sometimes, rosemary. And roast them for half an hour, around 420 degrees. Great!


----------



## ironchef (Jul 25, 2006)

pdswife said:
			
		

> Since I do mine at a lower heat.. would it be baking instead of roasting??


 
PDS, no it's still considered roasting.

The temperature at which I roast veggies depends on what type they are. Vegetables with a higher sugar content like tomatoes, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, parsnips, etc. benefit from a lower and slower roasting temperature because it helps to develop the flavors better.


----------



## Andy M. (Jul 25, 2006)

Check out the book, _Roasting,_ by Barbara Kafka.  She covers how to roast all kinds of different vegetables.


----------



## BigDog (Jul 25, 2006)

I'm just experimenting with roasting so far. I roasted a poblano in the oven. Peeled the skin off afterwards, and found the texture to be mushy, which I didn't really care for. At least for peppers, I like the crisp texture of fresh peppers, or at least diced/chopped and pan fried/sweated with onions, etc. for various uses.

That's my only experience thus far. Don't know if I messed up or what. I slathered VOO over them prior to roasting. I don't recall what I roasted at, but it was something like the temps mentioned here.


----------



## SizzlininIN (Jul 25, 2006)

I love roasted veggies......your in for a treat Dina!  I also love to grill them......give that a try to.  I just discovered cherry tomatoes on the grill yesterday. I can't wait to try them out in the oven also. I can't tell you how wonderful they were grilled.  I made some kaboobs with green/red/yellow bell peppers, red onion, chicken and cherry tomatoes.  Tossed them with EVOO and sprinkled on some salt and lemon pepper and let them marinate for 30 minutes.  Skewer them and spray your grid on the grill and grill away.  Turn about every 2 minutes.  All in all it takes about 20 minutes. But you can just grill veggies this way without the meat. In fact, I'm fixing more veggies tonight to go along with our bugers.  NOTE:  If you use wooden skewers then soak them for 30 minutes.  I prefer the metal ones. 

Let us know what your first roasting attemp is and how it turns out.


----------



## VeraBlue (Jul 25, 2006)

*ummm, all of them..*

I roast all vegetables, some tossed with olive oil and herbs, and others tossed with balsamic, a bit of sugar and oil.

Beets with olive oil, honey and orange zest are superb.


----------



## mudbug (Jul 25, 2006)

I stole this from marmalady a long time ago:

*Roasted veggie chart - marmalady*
 
This is from Roseanne Gold's book on roasting; although she recommends roasting at 500 degrees F !! - most of the time I'm happy with the results at 425 or 450. 

ROASTED VEGETABLE TIMES AND TIPS 

- Add dry herbs and seasonings along with oil before roasting. 
- Add fresh herbs the last 10-15 minutes. 
- After roasting, a small amount of vinegar, stock, fruit juice, cream, yogurt or butter can be added to make a moister serving. 
- Seasonings such as Worchestershire or hot pepper sauce should be stirred in after roasting. 

Pan sizes: 
4 cups veggies - 12x8 pan 8 cups veggies - 14x12 pan 12 cups veggies- 18x13 pan 

Cooking times: 

30 MINUTES 
Small beets 
Parsnips 
Cherry tomatoes 
Potato wedges 
Fennel 
Whole large shallots 
Garlic 
Sweet potato wedge 
Leeks cut in 1 inch 
Turnip wedges 
Onion wedges 
Parsnips 
Zucchini halves 
Carrot chunks 
Eggplant 
Endive/chicory 

20 MINUTES 
Tomatoes 
Trevisio 
Zucchini chunks 
Shallots,whole,med. 

15 MINUTES 
Broccoli 
Mushrooms 
Jerusalem artichokes 
Italian fry peppers 
1-2in.square bell pepper 
Cauliflower 

11 MINUTES 
Asparagus 
Scallions


----------



## AllenOK (Jul 25, 2006)

It doesn't matter.  "Baking" is usually meant for breads and pastries.  "Roasting" is meant to describe meats that are cooked in the oven.


----------



## skilletlicker (Jul 25, 2006)

BigDog said:
			
		

> ... I roasted a poblano in the oven. Peeled the skin off afterwards, and found the texture to be mushy, which I didn't really care for. At least for peppers, I like the crisp texture of fresh peppers, or at least diced/chopped and pan fried/sweated with onions, etc. for various uses.
> 
> That's my only experience thus far. Don't know if I messed up or what. I slathered VOO over them prior to roasting. I don't recall what I roasted at, but it was something like the temps mentioned here.


Roasted peppers will not have the "crisp texture of fresh peppers."
They will be sweeter and more tender.


----------



## Aunt Lisa's Kitchen (Aug 25, 2006)

*evoo, huh?*

Hi All,
 Love the veggie recipes I've found here, especially the roasted ones. Can someone tell me what "evoo" is?  You all seem to recommend it.

  thanks!
   Lisa


----------



## Lynan (Aug 25, 2006)

Hi Lisa. EVOO is extra virgin olive oil.  

Doe NOBODY roast pumpkin/squash in the States??? Here in NZ we would not have a roast dinner without!!!


----------



## BreezyCooking (Aug 25, 2006)

It's just an abbreviations for "e"tra "v"irgin "o"live "o"il.


----------



## Aunt Lisa's Kitchen (Aug 25, 2006)

Ah-Ha!!!!  Now _that_ I have in my cupboard!
many thanks on the evoo definition,
 Lisa


----------



## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2006)

I roast butternut squash regularly.  I think it has a better flavor than when it's boiled.


----------



## GB (Aug 25, 2006)

Lynan said:
			
		

> Doe NOBODY roast pumpkin/squash in the States??? Here in NZ we would not have a roast dinner without!!!


My wife and I LOVE roasted squash. When I make it she has been known to eat only that for dinner sometimes.


----------

