I’ve mentioned before, I’m a fan of cooking in the oven. That doesn’t just apply to meat. It applies to vegetables too. A little oil, salt, pepper, stick them in a nice hot oven. What comes out is sweet, toasty, tasty and, good for you too. Vegetables are good for you, yet they are the hardest thing to get people to eat enough of. Well roasted vegetables is the key, and that’s what this post is about
The advantages
Vegetables can be eaten in two states; cooked or raw. I know, I’m stating the obvious. But, depending on their state controls how your body processes them. Some vegetables are better raw. Heat affects a lot of things and vitamins are one of them. Vitamin C is lost to heat. However, when cooked, some of their goodness is made more available to our bodies to process. The orange pigment in carrots is called Beta-carotene, it’s a valuable source of vitamin A, when carrots are cooked more Beta-carotene is available. It’s a balance, and at the end of the day, the benefits of cooking vegetables far outweighs anything that’s lost.
There are numerous ways to cook vegetables; boil, steam, microwave and bake are the most common. Unfortunately boiling is the least beneficial, a lot of the goodness dissolves into the cooking water and is thrown out. But, in the case of high starch vegetables like potatoes and yucca, boiling is the easiest way to cook them. Steaming and microwaving are good quick alternatives. All you lose is what gets affected by heat, but all the rest is still there. And finally on to baking. During the cooking process some of the water in the vegetables evaporates. The flavors are concentrated, the natural sugars within the vegetable caramelize, enhancing the sweetness. Hard vegetables are softened to creamy deliciousness, that can be used in other ways. Adding a baked sweet potato to creamy sweet pie pumpkin soup gives it a creamy texture and thickens it up.
The prep
How you prepare vegetables for cooking has to be taken into consideration too. We’re talking skins here. Some people don’t like them, and some do. Vegetable skins contain fiber, which is good for you, but not all skins are edible. Leaving skins on baked potatoes is kind of required. Rub a little oil on them and sprinkle with a little coarse salt will make them crispy. Some skins are not thick and unappetizing. Beet and carrots for example have a very thin skin that can be left on. Just make sure that before you prepare any vegetables to wash them well first. I wrote a post about it, please read this, it’s quite informative.
An example of how roasting a vegetable can turn it into a delicious side is baked brussels sprouts with bacon. Boiled or steamed brussels sprouts can be rather unappetizing, little green brains on the side of the plate. But roast them with bacon and garlic, and you have a complete transformation. Roasted vegetables is not just another side dish. Using roasted vegetables as an ingredient will enhance the flavor of a dish. An example would be creamy butternut squash soup. I bake the squash before I add it to the soup. This creates a depth of flavor you don’t get just adding raw squash to the soup to cook.
I could also add that roasting is for more than vegetables. Chickpeas work well here. Take a can of chickpeas, rinse well, put in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, well actually any spice you like, hot or mild. Spread them out on a sheet tray, bake at 400 till a little crispy, about 20-25 mins. Roasted chickpeas make an awesome crunch to any salad, or even sprinkle on a soup.
How to
So, there really isn’t a specific recipe here. More a guideline. Take a vegetable of your choice, or a medley of vegetables. Cut them into manageable size pieces. Understand that the larger pieces take longer to cook, and hard vegetables take longer to cook than soft. An example would be, don’t try to cook whole carrots and cauliflower at the same time. Mix them with a little oil, sat and pepper, spread them on a baking tray and put in a 400 degree oven till done. That will usually be 1/2hr to 45 mins. I usually just use salt and pepper, but there’s no limit to what you can use, whatever is your preference. You can also sprinkle a little parmesan on during the last 5 mins, comes out delicious, baked cauliflower with parmesan is an example.
Take the opportunity to try some of the ideas I’ve mentioned here. Vegetables are good for you and can be delicious too. Thank you and enjoy