The return of the -30° C weather has me roasting up the storm. Our drafty 102 year old house warms considerably when the oven is on for long periods, so I have been all too happy to roast often. Food that warms the home as well as the tummy is the theme of this winter. I did my first solo roast (feeling quite grown up about that) and roasted a chicken as well, but what I’m here to talk about is balsamic roasted vegetables. Because really, what could be better?
The roasted vegetables release all kinds of sugars that brown and are so luscious, the balsamic vinegar reduces away into syrup and absorbs into the aforementioned vegetables. Thyme lends woodsiness to the earthy vegetables, and black pepper some notes of pungency to round it all out.
It’s a side dish that takes center stage (and keeps the kitchen warm while I do dishes). If I were a vegetable, I’d like to spend some time getting cozy with balsamic vinegar in a nice warm oven.
Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients1/2 a butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and roughly chopped
1-2 red bell peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
1 small onion, also roughly chopped
12-15 baby carrots (2-3 regular sized) cut into ~2 inch long sticks
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp salt
Directions- Put all of the vegetables together in a bowl.
- Pour over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, tossing to coat.
- Sprinkle on the pepper, thyme and salt, tossing to distribute evenly.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into a glass or nonreactive metal roasting dish, and pop it into a 375° F oven until all of the vegetables are cooked through (~45 minutes, depending on how roughly you chop), the squash will take the longest to cook, so use it to check for doneness.
- Serve hot from the oven.
Next time I’m thinking I’ll include a clove of garlic or two to roast with it, or maybe some mushrooms. We’ve addressed balsamic vinegar before on The Funky Kitchen, so if you are a balsamophile like myself, be sure to check out: balsamic vinaigrette, summer tomatoes, caramelized onion marmalade, or this super cool pavlova!
Mister says that he liked the way the acid counterpointed the caramelized sweetness of the vegetables and that there should have been more red pepper because they were the best part.
…And! Happy day! Photo quality will be returning to The Funky Kitchen as soon as I get through my backlog of pictures and recipes. Somehow my camera battery charger became a casualty of the move, but the new one off of ebay got here today! Hurray for no more phone pictures!
