Savory and crispy vegetables are great anytime of year especially during the holidays. Terry and Tracy Paulding from PAULDING & CO – a full catering kitchen based in San Francisco – asked me if I would share this delicious recipe with you all.
This is a perfect recipe to share for the upcoming holiday season. It’s a basic recipe that shows how easy it is to roast vegetables. It’s also easily adapted based on what is in season and your personal preference. A balsamic reduction is a great compliment to a roasted vegetable dish, it gives a natural sweetness without adding any sugars or additional sweeteners.
I had to roast these about 10 minutes more than the recipe called for in my oven and at 400 degrees F instead of 375. Remember to use your kitchen intuition because all ovens vary! I also had a balsamic reduction from Trader Joe’s so I used that. =)
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar (not the super expensive kind, but make sure it’s from Modena)
- 1 small, firm globe eggplant
- Handful of small sweet red (or yellow or orange) peppers
- 2 ripe tomatoes, if in season
- 1 red onion or bunch of spring onions
- 12 asparagus, if in season
- 2 medium zucchinis and/or golden zucchinis
- 1 yam
- 1 Portobello mushroom (optional)
- salt & freshly ground pepper
- extra virgin olive oil as needed
- 2 Tbs. chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
- One day in advance, pour the balsamic vinegar into a shallow pan. Let sit uncovered at room temperature overnight. You will have thick balsamic syrup by morning! Pack this into a jar or squeeze bottle. If it’s too thick, thin with a little bit more vinegar. This will keep at room temperature, so feel free to make more and use it on other dishes.
- Prepare several baking sheets, by covering them with parchment and brushing the parchment generously with olive oil. Preheat oven to 375°F
- Wash all the vegetables. Split the peppers in half and seed them Top and tail the eggplant, and slice thickly. Thickly slice tomatoes, trim asparagus by snapping off the bottom fibrous stalks and then cutting them straight. Peel onion and cut into 6 even round slices, or wash spring onions. Wash, trim and slice zucchini lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices; halve these if zucchinis are large. Without peeling, cut yam in thick rounds. Leave Portobello whole, but trim stem. Place tomatoes, onion and mushroom on one oiled sheet. Blot eggplant dry (if salted) with paper towels and place on another oiled baking sheet with the peppers and asparagus. Place zucchini and yam slices on another sheet. Brush or drizzle all the vegetables with oil. Lightly salt each pan of vegetables, and put in the oven to roast.
- Roast until vegetables are lightly golden. Eggplants should be soft, and tomatoes may become very soft. This should take from 15-25 minutes, depending on oven conditions and thickness of slices. Once the mushroom is done, slice it neatly.
- Arrange vegetables into a “tapestry” on a platter. Before serving, dress with the balsamic and garnish with parsley.
- Vegetables can also be grilled, but watch carefully so they don’t burn.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did, we just ate some for lunch!
Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of Zel Allen’s book, Vegan for the Holidays HERE.
Have a great day!
xoxo,
Jen