Winter Greens

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

This is a tough time of year if you’re a big fan of fresh vegetables. Green beans, asparagus, corn, and many other vegetables are still available, but they’re not at their best in December. Many of them tend to be overly starchy, with little of the flavor or tenderness that characterizes their peak growing seasons.

But you can still make tasty green beans and other vegetables, even this time of year. The key is to put away that steamer basket and turn on your oven.

Here’s the deal: The dry heat of the roasting process helps convert winter vegetables’ high starch content into sugars. The increase in sugars makes the veggies sweeter, and the decrease in starch makes them more tender. Then, through a chemical process known as the Maillard reaction (named after the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, who discovered it), those sugars help to create a nicely browned exterior.

Roasting works just as well with vegetables that are currently in season, like cauliflower and rutabagas. In fact, it works with just about any vegetable, so you can create a medley. The technique is simple: Just spread your veggies on a rimmed baking sheet (if they’re large, like a big head of cauliflower, cut them down to small- to medium-size pieces first) and drizzle them with some extra virgin olive oil. Add some salt and pepper (I like to use smoked salt, because it provides the aromatic illusion of outdoor cooking), toss to coat, and pop the sheet into a 400-degree oven. After 10 minutes, redistribute the vegetables on the sheet and then let them cook 10 to 15 minutes more. When they start browning along the edges, they’re done. Don’t worry if they start to shrivel or wrinkle. That’s a normal part of the process.

As a bonus, your house will smell wonderful — all the more so if you add a bit of fresh garlic (or, if nobody’s looking, garlic powder) to the mix before putting it in the oven.

If you have a bit more time, here’s a different sort of roasted vegetable recipe, which pairs wonderfully with beef, pork, or chicken and is also an ideal hors d’oeuvre for a New Year’s Eve party:

ROASTED PLUM TOMATOES

8 plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt of freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and arrange, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the tomato tops with the olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place in oven and cook until the tops are nicely browned and the slices begin to collapse upon themselves — about 90 minutes.


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