This is the authentic farm to table eats! For me, there's nothing more romantic and alluring than to serve food in its most natural form~~that means skin on for potatoes, the trimmed green stems of fresh organic carrots, whole garlic cloves or even the entire garlic itself gently peeled but intact and roasted. I also like to maintain the integrity of the size of the veggies by not chopping and cutting up into small pieces.
There's a few cuts like with the carrots where I sliced them down the centers (careful, it's kind of tricky...steady hand!)...this helps with cooking time as well as giving the carrots a prissy flair! And, isn't that just part of good eats~~food that is styled and charmingly crafted.
Find a skillet that you love~yep, if you don't have a cast iron one then make that investment~, one that makes you happy when you pull it out of the oven, one that makes the veggies look nestled in and gorgeous~~that's not hard to do either~~nothing is better than black cast iron~~you can pick these up at yard sales, thrift stores and, yes, you can buy one new, but there's nothing like getting an old one that's had decades of seasoning~~oh, if it could talk! I also picked up this oval shaped copper pan at a thrift store~~I knew when I saw it, it was mine! And, I knew it would be a fabulously decorative as well as functional cooking and serving piece. Keep your eyes peeled...you never know when you'll find that treasure!
Serves: 4 (per the size of your skillet used in roasting)
Preheat oven to 425
What you need:Assorted Fresh Vegetables~~your choice~~I chose multi-colored carrots (stems on and sliced through the center), mushrooms, small russet potatoes sliced lenthwise, celery, onions, 6 cloves of whole peeled garlic (enough to fill the skillet size of your choice)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 tbl spice mixture (your choice~~Herb de Provence, Italian, Greek, Za'tar, Ras el Hanut, Harissa, etc.)~~this allows you to decide what flavor profile you'd enjoy most!
Balsamic Glaze
What you do:Clean the veggies and cut as you like. Put on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Mix the salt, red chili flakes and spice mixture in a small bowl, then sprinkle on the veggies and toss again coating all well.
Put in the skillet of your choice. I serve directly from this skillet to table. Roast in a preheated 425 oven about 25-30 minutes or until done (use a toothpick to test for doneness). Remove, cover loosely with foil and let the veggies rest. Drizzle servings with balsamic glaze if desired~~really yummmeeee!!
©alice d'antoni phillips www.allyskitchen.com
comments