TDG: Desperate Measures: Roasted Broccoli

[julski]

everything's good on the grill--I just cut it large enough that it doesn't fall through, and coat in EVOO. Asparagus is really good--just place it perpendicular to the grate.

[Jake]

I love roasted veggies but I wont roast zuccini again with other veggies. 

I love juliening( sp?) veggies and tossing with pasta, evoo and parm.

Oh and those oven fries i did last week were so good.  I'll be using that trick from now on, blanch first, then roast.

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Didn't like zucchini, or it was cooked too long? Throw it in later, or better yet, brush with EVOO and a fresh cut garlic clove and grill

[andiesenji]

there was an interesting discussion here a couple of months ago, about roasting vegetables and the preference for roasting for a short time at high temp, or for a long time at low temp.

Since then I've been meaning to do a side by side comparison of the two methods, I always do the hight temp/short time myself, but I'm curious about the differences in flavor & texture with the 2 methods.

edited to add: green beans are my favorite thing to roast, the roasting really transforms them.

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I posted a couple of photos of my large batch - long slow roasting at low temp vegetable combo.

I do it this way and package and freeze the finished product in 1 quart freezer bags, some of which I also vacuum seal in a secondary bag if they are going to be stored for more than a couple of weeks. (Freezing up to 4 months works fine)

This way I can have roasted vegetables when I am short of time. Or if I have some leftover meat and want to make an "instant" stew or soup.

This also makes an excellent thickener for soups or stews when pureed after heating in a little liquid. Or tossed into the blender with a little stock - the Vita-Mix blender will puree and heat it for an instant soup and if you use vegetarian stock, it is totally vegetarian. I have vegan friends who drop in unexpectedly and this makes a terrific lunch.

[LizD518]

Last night I made roasted broccoli with shrimp, but I did not roast the broccoli long enough. I was hungry, so I ate it, and I have enough for leftovers tonight. Since I have to heat it up anyway, can I re-roast the broccoli? I was going to just separate out the shrimp - easy enough since it is a dry dish and the pieces of broccoli are large. Then, I guess I would toss the broccoli on an oiled sheet pan and roast until tender, then add the shrimp again to heat up. Should I cover it instead, so it doesn't get too dry?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'd cover the broccoli, but other than that you're probably just fine to re-roast it. You might find that it makes the flavour of the veg more complex, though.

[Franci]

Hello.

Do you have a preferred way to roast your root vegetables?

Do you add vegetables all at once? Use any liquid? Prefer cutting the vegetables of a particular format/size?

Any herbs or seasoning you particuraly like? Cooking temperature and timing?

Any tips for slow roasting?

I cook root vegetables quite often, I think would be convenient for me to be able to slow roasting. The other day I had: jerusalem artichokes, carrots, potatoes, parsnip, celeriac, shallots, with thyme and bay leaves, with a splash of chicken stock. Sometimes I have issues with parsnip, it dries out faster than the other veg. Do you add it later?

Curious to know how you cook them.

[mgaretz]

When I roast them with chicken the chicken is done before the veggies, so I pre-cook the veggies in the microwave a bit before roasting. You could try that kind of approach by pre-cooking the slow cooking ones, and then roast them all for the same time. I roast them in olive oil, salt and pepper.

[Peter the eater]

I ponder this question every time I roast a chunk of meat, which I have learned to do in a separate pan. I want my root veg firm, moist and colourful with a roasty flavour. Oil, salt and pepper helps. Low and slow is good. I usually start uncovered and finish covered.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I normally roast together with my meat, which means cutting the veg into smaller-ish chunks so that it cooks at the same pace. Olive oil, various herbs both dried and fresh, pepper and paprika, depending on the veg and the meat. Covered all the way - I hate when the veg dries out.

[rotuts]

See if you can find this book:

Roasting: a Simple Art Barbara Kafka

Not Modernist, Not Molecular

from 1995. we barely knew what we were doing back then!

maybe your library has it. maybe its in the remainder bin.

its all there!

[Darienne]

My way is really simple. Put all the vegetables: white potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions and Brussels Sprouts into a pan with only olive oil. Then when they are done, back into the bowl and add salt, pepper and thyme. That's it. Love 'em.

Tried adding turnip, but I don't like the way the flavor seems to pull sideways on the mix.

Sorry. I am not a very sophisticated cook.

[andiesenji]

I have posted about my method of preparing slow-roasted "winter" vegetables in previous topics.

I've also posted about it on my blog on this page.

I always have some in the freezer to add to stews, to fill out a skimpy meal when unexpected guests arrive or I just don't feel like cooking.

[Kathyann]

I like to roast veggies separately, except I may add onions to something else. I cut them into uniformly sized pieces, toss with a little olive oil and salt, and spread in a single layer on cookie sheets lined with foil. 425 degree oven, mostly. Love, love, love them. (I did try roasted radishes, and ate the results, but will not be doing that one again!)

[LindaK]

Root vegetables need moisture and really like fat of some type. They can be roasted with meat, or alone tossed with a bit of stock and butter, olive oil, or bacon fat. I think they respond better to braising than roasting, but either way some herbs are always welcome.

[Mjx]

I cut the vegetables into pieces that would more or less ft into a 2cm cube, toss them in olive oil, pepper, and a little salt, then roast them in a single layer, first under foil until the hardest of them may be pierced with a fork, then at high temperature with the foil removed (I can't take credit for this, beautifully as it works: it's one of the techniques CI gives for roasting potatoes). Some of the vegetables do take longer, but the ones that cook more quickly don't seem to suffer from being cooked longer than absolutely necessary, which is one of the nice things about root vegetables.

[Darienne]

I cut the vegetables into pieces that would more or less ft into a 2cm cube, toss them in olive oil, pepper, and a little salt, then roast them in a single layer, first under foil until the hardest of them may be pierced with a fork, then at high temperature with the foil removed (I can't take credit for this, beautifully as it works: it's one of the techniques CI gives for roasting potatoes). Some of the vegetables do take longer, but the ones that cook more quickly don't seem to suffer from being cooked longer than absolutely necessary, which is one of the nice things about root vegetables.

The nice thing about some of the vegetables being cooked longer than necessary is that they caramelize around the edges. Caramelized Brussels Sprouts.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I don't have the recipe at hand, but the best roasted root vegetables I tasted were brought to a Thanksgiving potluck. They included the usual suspects plus Jerusalem artichokes (can be hard to find) and bacon. The bacon added a wonderful complexity.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I don't have the recipe at hand, but the best roasted root vegetables I tasted were brought to a Thanksgiving potluck. They included the usual suspects plus Jerusalem artichokes (can be hard to find) and bacon. The bacon added a wonderful complexity.

I found the recipe here. Again, this is seriously good.

[Franci]

Thanks for posting, sounds very nice, I'll try it!

Yesterday night as a side for pork belly, I roasted some jerusalem artichockes following Nigel Slater Tender, , added some carrots and potatoes. Very nice.

[mm84321]

Anyone a fan of salt-roasting root vegetables? Beets are particularly nice this way.

[Darienne]

Thanks to this topic I have learned a lot about roasting root vegetables which I am doing as we speak. No longer just tossed in oil and into the pan, but seasoned with whatever ahead of time. Makes a difference for certain.

See...I can learn... Thanks again all.

[Emily_R]

I had my most successful root-vegetable roasting ever this weekend. I cut potatoes, carrots, turnips, and one onion into small-ish bite size pieces. Par-boiled the carrots. Dressed them all in olive oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and aleppo pepper. Then I roasted them at 400 for a loooong time -- recipes I have call for 40 minutes, but the baking sheet was full and they weren't near done at that point. More like almost an hour and a half. They turned out amazing -- crispy, flavorful, heaven.

[Emily_R]

Also, meant to add that reynolds non-stick foil is absolute magic for vegetable roasting - no more needing to drown potatoes in oil to keep them, from sticking to the pan...

[Shel_B]

I use a fair amount of frozen vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. I was wondering if such vegetables can be roasted with good results, and, if so, might there be some special techniques to use? Thanks!

... Shel

[weinoo]

The only way to know is to try it, I guess. I would imagine that there would be some loss of texture, since the vegetables are most likely blanched before they are frozen. And there might be some more liquid that leeches out of them.