SpiceLines

Of course you could eat the tender carrots, tiny turnips and fresh scallions raw—they would be especially good dipped in a lemon thyme aioli. But oven-roasting root vegetables at high heat caramelizes their natural sugars, eliciting an earthy sweetness that is hard to resist, especially when the vegetables are then slathered with a tangy roasted garlic vinaigrette.

I had my doubts about roasting the scallions, but they were so sweetly delicious with their wilted, browned tops and succulent little bulbs that I became an instant convert to this unusual way of cooking them.

The basic method for roasting vegetables came from one of my favorite cookbooks: Roasting: A Simple Art by Barbara Kafka. Kafka roasts everything—striped bass, Muscovy duck, suckling pig, even cucumbers and endive—in the oven at 500 degrees. Nothing escapes the searing heat, which allows for relatively short cooking times—a boon for the harried cook.

Since the CSA vegetables were so young and tender, I reduced her recommended roasting times by 5 to 10 minutes. Still because beets need more time in the oven than scallions, and the other root vegetables fell somewhere in between, I had to shuttle pans in and out of the oven, making for a fairly complicated afternoon.

So you might want to wait till the weekend to tackle this dish.

Kafka points out that successful roasting requires a little fat—I used olive oil, but canola oil or even butter are OK. You also need pans big enough to comfortably hold the vegetables in a single layer, but not so big that there’s a lot of empty space. If you scatter a few vegetables in a large pan, they will burn to a crisp.

To make this dish, it helps to have at least two pans: a smaller 9” x 9” for the beets and the scallions, and a larger 10”x 14” to hold the other vegetables. Be sure to “slick” the pans with fat: Kafka likes to pour a teaspoon or two of oil into the pan and roll the vegetables around in it before cooking.

Rutabaga? Actually, no. The "weird, unearthly" root vegetable that's been malingering in the
fridge is really a kohlrabi, as one reader reminded me--but it was delicious roasted.

After complaining about the rutabagas, I almost hated to peel them—actually there were only two small ones—because once the leaves were removed, they took on a weird, unearthly beauty, resembling strange purple sea creatures with hard but wavy tentacles. But when roasted, their tough flesh became sweet and creamy, with just a touch of cruciferous bitterness.

[Note: As indicated in the caption, this was really a kohlrabi. Clearly I need to brush on my root vegetables--but the kohlrabi was delicious. Kafka is not overly fond of rutabagas herself, but likes what happens to them when they are roasted at 500 degrees. Both vegetables become soft and creamy when subjected to high heat.]

To serve, arrange the roasted vegetables on a plate, set out a few hunks of country bread and a dish of olive oil for dipping, pour a glass of red wine and you will have the fixings for a memorable late spring supper—one that looks back to winter while edging expectantly into summer.

What’s left to cook? One cauliflower, two zucchini and the first yellow summer squash. I’m in an Indian mood tonight, so the aroma of spices is perfuming the kitchen.

The refrigerator is beginning to look a bit empty. Just in time.

Roasted Root Vegetables and Scallions in a Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
(adapted from various recipes in Barbara Kafka’s Roasting: A Simple Art)

To serve 2

Ingredients:

1 bunch baby beets (about 8)
1 whole head garlic
1 bunch baby carrots (about 12)
1 bunch baby turnips (about 6)
1 bunch very small rutabagas (2 or 3)
12 scallions
Extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for the vinaigrette :

Roasted garlic puree from one whole head of garlic
2 or 3 tablespoons strong red wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Set the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Prepare the beets: Cut off the leaves, leaving ½ inch of the stems. Scrub well and trim the tails. Pour a little olive oil into an 9” x 9” pan, or one large enough to hold the beets comfortably in a single layer. Roll the beets around in the oil, making sure that the pan is also well oiled.
3. Prepare the garlic: Cut off ½ inch from the top of the bulb and trim the dry roots. Leave the bulb whole, but rub off any of the loose papery skins. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap the bulb in two layers of aluminum foil.
4. Put the beets in the oven. Separately place the garlic on the oven rack next to the pan holding the beets. Roast for 15 minutes. Then shake the pan to roll the beets around and roast for another 15 minutes. If you can easily insert the tip of a sharp knife into the beets, they are done. Remove and set aside to cool.
5. Open up the aluminum foil around the garlic and squeeze gently. If the individual cloves are soft and creamy, remove from the oven. But if they are still firm, re-wrap the bulb in the foil and roast for another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. While still warm, squeeze the soft garlic into a bowl and mash with a fork.
6. While the beets and garlic are roasting, prepare the carrots, turnips and rutabagas: Trim the tops of the carrots and scrub well. (You could peel them, but it is unnecessary if they are young and tender.) Peel the turnips and cut them in half vertically. Peel the rutabagas and trim off the tops. Cut them in half and then cut each half into 2 or 3 wedges. Pour a little olive oil into a large roasting pan (I used a 10” x14” pan) just big enough to hold the vegetables comfortably in one layer. Roll them in the oil and arrange them neatly in the pan.
7. When the beets and garlic are done, move to stage 2: put the carrots, turnips and rutabagas in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Turn all the vegetables with tongs and return to the oven for another 7 or 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
8. Prepare the scallions while the root vegetables are roasting: Trim the tops, and the roots, leaving a total of 8 inches of green and white. As before, roll them around in some olive oil in an 9” x 9” pan or one just big enough to hold them comfortably in a single layer.
9. When the root vegetables are done, move to stage 3: Put the scallions in the oven and roast for 8 minutes. Remove the pan and turn the scallions with the tongs. Return to the oven and roast for 3 minutes more. Remove and let cool.
10. Whew! Now you can make the salad: First peel the beets by rubbing off their skins. If they are very small, just cut them in half, otherwise quarter them. Divvy up the vegetables and arrange them in a pleasing fashion on two large plates.
11. Make the vinaigrette: Whisk the garlic puree with 2 to 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle in 4 to 5 tablespoons of olive oil, whisking continuously. Taste: The vinaigrette will be thick and creamy in texture, but should be quite acidic. Correct seasonings if necessary.
12. Spoon the vinaigrette over the vegetables and serve at room temperature.