From Ahlam Saeid at the Hubb Community Kitchen:
To me, the way the table looks is as important as how the food tastes. I make sure there are always flowers on the tables at Al-Manaar. And I make this dish often because it adds beautiful colour to any meal.
Rainbow Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
- 250g purple or waxy potatoes, scrubbed, cut into wedges
- 200g each beetroot and golden beetroot, peeled and cut into thin wedges
- 350g kabocha or butternut squash, de-seeded and cut into 2cm wedges
- 120g baby carrots, scrubbed, or regular carrots, peeled and cut into chunky strips
- 175g baby parsnips, scrubbed and halved, or regular parsnips, peeled and cut into chunky strips
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 small red and/or yellow peppers, de-seeded, cut into chunky strips or rings
- 1 courgette, sliced
- 150g Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 watermelon radish, halved, slices into half-moons
or: - 120g mooli, scrubbed and cut into 3cm slices
- 12 asparagus tips
- Salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C. You will need two large baking tins: the vegetables need to be baked separately because of their different cooking times.
Arrange the potatoes, beetroot, squash, carrots and parsnips in one of the tins, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil, sprinkle with half the chilli flakes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes.
Arrange the rest of the vegetables in the second baking tin in a single layer, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with the remaining chilli flakes and oregano, and season.
When the first tin of vegetables has cooked for 20 minutes, move it to the middle shelf and place the second tin on the top shelf. Cook both tins for 15–20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
Tip all the vegetables into a serving dish, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary and then serve.
Cook's note: If you want the vegetables to be more charred, remove from the oven after 10–15 minutes and place each tin under a hot grill for a few minutes, watching carefully so the vegetables don’t burn.
