So I’ve been even more lazy than usual, covering cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil, then arranging meal items atop to roast, or just putting different items in separate ovenproof dishes and roasting them all at the same time. It’s become my preferred method of dinner making.
This totally works for all the vegetables my dear vegetarian husband craves. Just heat the oven to 425 degrees (or 400 or 450—you’ll have to fiddle with your own oven to see what’s best for you, your timing, and your veggies), toss each veggie with some olive oil and whatever spice you’re using for that particular one. Make sure the veggies are spread out so they brown nicely. Take each veggie out as it’s done—it doesn’t hurt to have some at room temperature, so if you’ve misjudged timing, they can wait till all the laggard veggies are done. The next day, dice all the leftovers together, toss with a little more olive oil and lemon juice, et voila! Salad for lunch.
Win win.
As for the veggies: Potatoes (dice, parboil for two minutes in water boiled with a splash of baking powder and salt, dry out, toss with olive oil and some kind of spicy seasoning, Penzey’s Ethiopian our favorite right now, but smoked paprika works great too). Mushrooms (Halve or quarter if large, toss with olive oil, minced garlic and salt, sprinkle with minced parsley when done to your liking). Carrots (I like these roasted in duck fat, so they get cut into thickish batons, tossed with melted duck fat in a separate ceramic dish, salt, black pepper, roast till caramelized, yum). Onions (cut in wedges, tossed with olive oil and branches of fresh thyme or rosemary, salt). Roasted garlic (cut the top off a head, sprinkle with olive oil, add any fresh herb you feel like—I always feel like thyme or sage here—salt, wrap in foil, roast till you can squeeze out the cloves from the skin).
But what I really like, these days, is roasted zucchini. Or any kind of squash, really. Mainly because unless you roast it to a blackened edges turn, it’s always kind of bland and watery tasting. Not if you roast it to said turn, though. And toss it with whatever flavors you feel like that meal. I like it one of two ways, either as wedges or coins, it doesn’t matter which as long as you roast till the edges are caramelized. Coins obviously take less time than wedges, the thinner the less. Toss with olive oil and maybe some spicing of your choice, though I’ve also just tossed it, roasted it, and then tossed with Asian garlic chile sauce or Korean gochujang paste mixed with a little vinegar and soy sauce, which makes a stir fry without the stir frying. You can do this whatever way you like, with garlic salt, with Mexican seasonings (cumin seed and dried oregano), with chile powder—most recipes for this call for the zucchini to only be salted after roasting, but to tell the truth, I haven’t noticed that much difference, and since I tend to absentmindedly salt indiscriminately as things go in the oven, that’s the way I do it.
The main thing is to roast for about fifteen minutes, then turn over and roast another ten or so—until the veggie is browned, dried, and caramelized. Then toss at will with whatever. Italian style? Toss with parmesan and chopped parsley, some basil leaves if you have them handy. Latin? Toss with chopped cilantro and minced scallion. Asian? Chopped cilantro, minced scallion, and chile crisp. Sometimes if I have cherry tomatoes, I add them to the pan about five minutes before I pull the whole thing out, then toss it all together with some minced garlic.
And all the variations you can think of. Let me know, okay?
Don’t forget you can do this with Japanese eggplant, too. I cut these into thickish rounds and roast until browned on both sides and, as they say, ‘meltingly tender’, which is indeed a good description of how these Japanese eggplant get under this treatment. You can make a kind of modified ratatouille with these, if you mix them with the roasted mushrooms, the onions, the roasted garlic, and the zucchini. Toss them all with diced fresh tomato (or roasted tomato, your call as always), and a handful of basil leaves.
Ta-da!
Roast away.
Because remember, stressing yourself out more than necessary is not good for you, your loved ones, or the planet. Take time for yourself and feed everyone right, both physically and emotionally. Spend the hour you saved reading a good book. I’m working my way through the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters right now. Highly recommended.
Lots of love.