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NYT Syndicate
When it's cold out there, what could be better than digging into a hearty serving of roasted vegetables or a rich, creamy soup? Serve these tasty side dishes packed with nutrients and tons of flavour. Enjoy!
LOVELY LAYERS
The key to roasting eggplant is presalting it to extract moisture, which prevents it from soaking up too much oil as it cooks. These rounds, seasoned with warming spices like cumin and ginger, and then stacked with cool yogurt and tomato slices, turn almost creamy after a spell in the oven. Adding fresh herbs right before serving brightens up the flavour. Warm naan and some cucumbers also make a nice accompaniment to this dish.
INDIAN-SPICED EGGPLANT STACKS
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants (1 to 1 1/4 pounds each), cut into at least twelve 3/4-inch rounds
Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/3 cup safflower oil, plus more for baking sheet
2 cloves garlic, grated (2 teaspoons)
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 to 3 small tomatoes, cut into twelve 1/4-inch slices
Cilantro leaves, for serving
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 425 F with racks in top and centre. Sprinkle eggplants generously with salt; arrange in a single layer on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet over mediumu8209?high heat, toast cumin seeds until dark brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Finely grind in a spice grinder, or crush with a mortar and pestle. Stir together with 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Rinse eggplants; pat dry with paper towels. Brush baking sheet generously with oil. Brush eggplants on both sides with remaining oil; season lightly with salt. Arrange in a single layer on sheet and roast on centre rack, flipping once, until tender and golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon garlicu8209?ginger mixture over each slice; roast 5 minutes more. Remove; adjust oven to broil.
4. Divide yogurt among eggplant slices, spreading over tops. Top each with a tomato slice; season with salt. Broil on top rack until just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stack slices threeu8209?high, layering cilantro between each. Serve, garnished with more cilantro.
WARM COMFORT
For a more flavourful soup, roast the vegetables to intensify their earthy sweetness before pur`eing. Here, parsnips take on a nutty depth that's complemented by both the smoky notes of sausages and the briny caper tapenade. If you don't want to make soup, just enjoy the roasted parsnips tossed with the sausages and the tangy condiment.
ROASTED-PARSNIP SOUP
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds parsnips (about 7), peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium onion (8 ounces), cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 ounces cured sausages, very thinly sliced (2/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced (1 tablespoon), plus 1 clove, minced (1 teaspoon)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Caper Tapenade (recipe follows), for serving (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 425 F. Toss parsnips and onion with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Flip; roast until golden brown and tender, about 20 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over mediumu8209?high, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add sausages and cook, turning, until crisp and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small plate. Reduce heat to medium and add sliced garlic; cook until just golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to plate with sausages; reserve oil in skillet.
3. Transfer roasted vegetables to a medium saucepan; add broth, 1/2 cup water and minced garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until vegetables are very soft, about 10 minutes. Working in batches, blend until smooth (if necessary, thin with up to 1/4 cup water total).
Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, heat soup through in saucepan over mediumu8209?high. Serve, topping each bowl with a few pieces of sausage and cooked garlic, a spoonful of caper tapenade and a drizzle of reserved sausage oil.
CAPER TAPENADE
One of the best ways to use this bright condiment is spooned over broiled or grilled fish.
Active/Total Time: 5 minutes
Makes: About 1/2 cup
Ingredients
1/3 cup brined capers (from a 3.75-ounce jar), drained and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice (from 2 lemons)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into an airtight container. Tapenade can be refrigerated up to 1 week.
HOW TO ROAST ANY VEGETABLE
For every 2 pounds of vegetables you might have, mix with 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 425 to 450 F, flipping once, until tender and golden brown. (Since all ovens and vegetables are different, begin checking for doneness at the early end of the suggested cooking time.)
ROAST FOR 25 35 MINUTES
PARSNIPS: peeled, thick ends halved if large, or whole.
ONIONS: cut into wedges.
MUSHROOMS: trimmed, halved if large.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS: halved if large (leaves take less time).
CHERRY TOMATOES: whole.
CAULIFLOWER: cut into florets or into planks.
BROCCOLI: cut into florets.
ROAST FOR 35 45 MINUTES
CARROTS: peeled, halved if large, or whole.
SQUASHES: peeled or unpeeled, halved or cut into wedges, seeds removed.
EGGPLANTS: sliced 1-inch thick or cut into wedges, salted 30 minutes, rinsed and patted dry.
FENNEL: trimmed and cut into wedges.
RUSSET POTATOES: peeled or scrubbed, cut into wedges.
NEW POTATOES: scrubbed.
CABBAGES: cut into wedges or planks.
ROAST FOR 45 60 MINUTES
GARLIC: top third removed, drizzled with oil, wrapped in foil and roasted until tender.
BEETS: scrubbed and drizzled with oil, seasoned with salt, wrapped in foil and roasted until tender.
