Andrea Chesman - The Roasted Vegetable: How to Roast Everything from Artichokes to Zucchini for Big, Bold Flavors in Pasta, Pizza, Risotto, Side Dishes, Couscous, Salsas, Dips, Sandwiches, and Salads

The Harvard Common Press
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Boston, Massachusetts 02118

www.harvardcommonpress.com

Copyright 2002 by Andrea Chesman
Illustrations copyright 2002 by Linda Hillel

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Printed on acid-free paper

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chesman, Andrea.
The roasted vegetable : how to roast everything from artichokes to zucchini for big, bold flavors in pasta, pizza, risotto, side dishes, couscous, salsas, dips, sandwiches, and salads / by Andrea Chesman.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-55832-168-3 (hc : alk. paper) - ISBN 1-55832-169-1
(pbk : alk. paper)
1. Cookery (Vegetables) 2. Roasting (Cookery) I. Title.
TX801.C435 2002
641.6'5dc21
2001039593
ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-169-4
ISBN-10: 1-55832-169-1

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10 9 8 7 6

Book design by Richard Oriolo
Book illustrations by Linda Hillel

Cover design by Renato Stanisic
Cover photograph by Alexandra Grablewski

MY DEEPEST APPRECIATION goes to the farmers who grew the vegetables that I have enjoyed so much. My special thanks go to Marian Pollack and Marjorie Susman of Orb Weaver Farm in Monkton, Vermont, and to Will and Judy Stevens of Golden Russet Farm in Shoreham, Vermont. Kira Winslow and Maureen Boksa of the Middlebury Natural Foods Coops were wonderful providers of hard-to-find produce. I thank all the folks at Harvard Common Press for making this book possible. Rory Ruane and Sam Chesman were faithful tasters and kitchen companions, and I am grateful to them for all that they do. Finally, none of this would be possible without the endless support and music. Thanks, Richard.

THIS IS A COOKBOOK FOR VEGETABLE LOVERS and vegetable haters. It is a cookbook for people who want to eat more vegetables but have had their fill of steamed carrots and stir-fried snow peas. It is for busy people who want to make more delicious vegetable recipes, without fuss and without standing over a hot stove following a complicated recipe. This is a cookbook for people who want to enjoy eating vegetableslots of vegetables.

When I started writing this book, I didn't know how much it would change the way my family eats. I never envisioned, for example, that my kids would eat roasted green beans as a snack food or that when I roasted green beans, I would need to allow half a pound per person. Now that is a serving of vegetablesand a striking contrast to the one steamed broccoli stem that the kids will grudgingly eat.

Roasting vegetables brings out their hidden sweet, nutty flavorsmaking them extraordinarily appealing and wondrously versatile. This cookbook begins with techniques for very basic roasted vegetables to be served as side dishes. The rest of the book provides recipes for many of the delicious possibilities for combining roasted vegetables with pasta, rice, and greens and for using them on pizzas and in sandwiches, soups, and salads. A final chapter provides recipes for roasting nuts and grains to transform them into delicious granolas and trail mix.

Happy roasting!

THERE IS NOTHING DIFFICULT about roasting vegetables. All you need is an oven to supply heat, a pan in which to spread out the vegetables, some vegetables (of course), and a little oil or butter to encourage browning. It is that simple. Over the course of roasting a few tons of vegetables, however, I have picked up some techniques that guarantee success.

First, a definition of roasting: Roasting is a dry-heat method of cooking. The food is usually cooked at a fairly high temperature in the oven and without the addition of a liquid or sauce. Roasting is quite similar to baking, but generally roasted vegetables are cooked with a light coating of oil or butter, which helps to brown the vegetables and speed the cooking.

All foods lose volume when they are roasted. But since vegetables are mostly water, they lose a great deal of volume. The first time you roast, you may be dismayed by the sheer amount of vegetables being loaded into the oven. Don't worrythey will all cook down. Forkful by forkful, you will eat more vegetables when they have been roasted. This is a good thing, yes?

Because you are working with such large volumes of raw vegetables, you will need pans big enough to accommodate them. The pans you use should hold the vegetables in a single layer. If the vegetables are stacked on top of each other, they will steam rather than roast. The texture will be mushy, not tender-crisp, and the flavor will be lacking the caramelized sweetness typical of roasted vegetables.

Most of the recipes specify using a large shallow roasting pan or half sheet pan. Roasting pans come in all sizes; yours should be at least the standard 13 16 inches (208 square inches), which easily accommodates a 12-pound roast and fits into most ovens. The sides should be no higher than 2 inches (as opposed to deep roasting pans with 6-inch sides). Even better than a shallow roasting pan is a half sheet pan, which measures 13 18 inches (234 square inches). Its 1-inch sides allow for better air circulation. A standard 11 17-inch jellyroll pan also can be used. When a single pan is used, it is always placed on a rack in the middle of the oven for even roasting, unless otherwise specified.

What do you do if you don't have a large enough pan? Use two pans and place them side by side in the oven. If the pans do not fit side by side, place one pan on the middle rack and the other on the lower rack and rotate the pans every ten minutes or so. You may have to increase the roasting time slightly.

Lightly oiling the pan before adding the vegetables aids in browning the vegetables, prevents them from sticking to the pan, and eases cleanup. If you prefer, you can substitute nonstick cooking spray for oil.

After the vegetables are cut up, they are usually combined in a large bowl and tossed with oil. A large rubber spatula is the best tool for tossing the vegetables without damaging them. You can use the same spatula to scrape the vegetables out of the bowl and into the roasting pan. For stirring or turning the vegetables as they roast, a metal spatula, or pancake turner, does the best job of getting under the vegetables to move them around.

Generally, all the vegetables should be cut to the same size, whether you are dicing ( to -inch dice), slicing (generally - to -inch-thick slices), or cutting into matchsticks (generally inch-wide strips that are 1 to 2 inches long). Some vegetables, such as potatoes, may be cut into 1-inch-thick wedges when a crispy outside and a soft inside are desired. Generally, smaller pieces roast better than large ones. I have been served roasted vegetables that have been cut into large chunks, and I have found them unpleasant and unevenly cooked.

The vegetables are usually lightly coated with oil or melted butter, which may or may not be flavored with herbs, spices, or garlic. This fat helps the vegetables to form a crispy outer coating that seals in flavor. The fat also helps the vegetables to brown. I usually prefer to combine the vegetables in a large bowl with the oil and flavoring ingredients because it is easier to coat them evenly this way. But if you prefer, you can combine everything in the roasting pan and toss until the vegetables are evenly coated.