by Ilaria Catizone

I don’t know about you, but I love baking, especially in winter as it adds a lovely cosy feeling to our home and meals. And while the oven is running, you might as well be energy efficient and use it to prepare a few different meals!
So stay tuned, as over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some of my family’s favourite oven recipes, including a delicious gluten-free cake, a super easy bread recipe that can also become pizza and an easy way to use leftovers and eggs.

Today I am sharing my go-to way of dealing with just about any winter veggie: Roasting them!

You will need:
• Enough winter veggies to fill your oven-proof tray, but without crowding them too much!
• A good splash of olive oil
• A light sprinkle of sea salt
• Optional herbs
• Optional spices

Method:
• Pre-heat the oven to about 230C.
• Peel your veggies if needed, then chop them into bite size pieces.
• Toss them on your tray and sprinkle with a generous dash of olive oil, a pinch of salt and any herbs you may be using.
• Mix them really well… hands work best for this.
• Bake for about 20 min – but keep an eye on them, as baking time will depend on your oven as well as the quantity and type of veggie you are using.

I find this recipe works really well with just about any veggie you can find this time of the year. I have used and loved: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots (I prefer cutting them into sticks), pumpkin, swedes, beetroot, parsnips, kohlrabi, onion (I just cut them in half) and even whole garlic.

My kids also seem to be more likely to eat a wide variety of veggies if I make them this way and I sometimes stock up, bake all at once and store in a container in the fridge. They easily last 3 or 4 days and they make for an easy side dish to a mid-week dinner. Pair them with rice and fish, refried beans, some sausages, or any other protein of your choice.
I also find that if they are ready, we tend to eat them as a snack.

Extra flavours: adding a light dusting of dried herbs or some fresh rosemary is an easy way to change up the taste of this dish. My go-to are rosemary and thyme but oregano would also work. A light dusting of cumin or sweet paprika has also been well received at our place.

But the best feature of this recipe is that it is quick, super easy and can be made in bulk!
…and while the veggies are cooking, you can make a cake to go in the oven straight after them, but that’s a story for another day…