Roasted Vegetable Recipe

We're going to Open The Kimono today.

Three people have asked me for my recipe for the Roasted Vegetables. It's so simple, I'm a little embarassed.

I went to BJs and bought a package of 25 of the roasting pans. If you entertain, they're good for lots of things, and when you buy the 25 pack, they're cheap. And people are impressed that you have "Catering Equipment" in your house.

I'm lucky in that I LIKE vegetables... pretty much any of them. I walk the produce section of the Supermarket and grab a combination of Whats on Sale and What I Like. It seems to work out.

The most recent batch featured:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Regular Potatoes
• Broccoli Crowns
• Onions
• Celery 
• Eggplant
• Zucchini Squash
• Yellow Squash
• Red Pepper
• Green Pepper
• Cubanelle Peppers
• Baby Carrots
• A couple of Jalepenos
• Garlic Cloves

Not included this time:

• Okra (they were $5 per pound, and I don't like them that much)
• String Beans (I forgot about them in my shopping frenzy)
• Whole Mushroom Caps (The sliced ones were on sale this time. The Whole ones look better, especially since mushrooms cook down much smaller than they start)

I'm not a big Sweet Potato fan, but they add color and are a different flavor than the regular ones. I don't use very many potatoes, because they are one of the few vegetables that Weight Watchers assigns Point Values. I cut them into small-ish pieces. If carrots never existed, I would be OK with that, too, but they're good for you and add some color.

I slice the squashes into rings. I cut up the Eggplant, and depending on the size and shape, either rings or chunks. I take the onion, and cut it up, sort of like I was cutting an orange into sections. Then I separate the pieces, so I have lots of Onion 'Leaves' for the mix. Then, I DO NOT rub my eyes. Except when I do.

I make strips out of the peppers (there's some work there, Maureen - you have to remove the seeds). They have slightly different flavors, but mostly they add color. And I cut the Jalapenos into small pieces.

Whole mushrooms need to be rinsed off and trimmed; the sliced ones can just get tossed into the mix. Broccoli just gets cut into florets (I use a scissor for that), and String Beans and Okras just get rinsed. I cut the celery into small pieces. This week was the first appearance for Celery; I'm not sure if it added anything to the dish, but it didn't hurt. This was also a first for the Garlic Cloves. I just cut the cloves in half or thirds and toss them in. As far as I'm concerned, you can't have too much garlic.

That's just what I use; you can throw in whatever vegetables float your boat.

I OVERfill the metal tray with the vegetables. (When I remember) I spray a few squirts of Olive Oil, mostly because I have a spray bottle of Olive Oil, and I sprinkle a little seasoning on the top of the whole thing. I have this garlic/pepper/salt mix in a grinder, and it works for me.

Before - I need a better camera on my phone.

Then I close the whole package TIGHTLY with Aluminum Foil. I triple cover it, making sure that it is pretty much all sealed so that the air and steam can't escape. They're called Roasted Vegetables, but when I make them, they're really Steamed Vegetables, kind of.

I pre-heat the oven to 425 and just shove it in there for three hours. It makes the house smell good.

The Eggplant doesn't hold up well under the extreme heat, but everything else comes out looking like the pictures in the blog. It cooks down A LOT. As a side dish, you can probably serve six people from the tray. I get two and a half large bowls out of a tray, but I usually eat that as a meal.

After - Still need a better phone

My friend Phyllis (who invented roasting vegetables) cooks it at a lower heat (or less time, I don't remember), and removes the cover for the last hour. This makes them crunchier and caramelizes the Onions and stuff. It's probably better that way, but I never remember to try it.