When all else fails, roast some vegetables. I’m only halfway joking. Since this past week has been so busy with work, not to mention preparation for holidays and visitors, the thought of dirtying up a bunch of pans to make myself dinner is the last thing I want to do. At least it’s easy to throw some vegetables in the oven, ignore them for a while, and come back to something pretty darn tasty.

As I’m staring at this photo of those selfsame vegetables, though, it seems to me that the parsnips look a little like bananas due to the color they acquired after being roasted. I now kind of want to make something that involves roasted sweet potatoes, bananas, with maybe some cream and crunchy demerara sugar. I can’t seem to do anything without thinking of sweets, can I? This dish is decidedly healthy, though, and although the title is a bit long-winded, it’s a fine thing to put together when you’re short on patience (who, me? never!). It also doubles as a dish that’s as worthy of serving to guests as it is for lazy cooking nights. The bright flavor of orange pairs so well with rosemary, and also highlights the subtle sweetness of the parsnips. Toasted hazelnuts on top add a lovely crunch for some textural interest. For any last-minute planners, this would even make a nice addition to a holiday spread; just double the quantities for a large group. As is, the recipe will feed 3 to 4 people as a side dish.

Orange and Rosemary-Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

1 lb parsnips, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 lb sweet potatoes (aka yams, e.g. jewel yams), peeled and chopped into cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
grated zest of 1 small orange
1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped blanched hazelnuts
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Spread chopped hazelnuts in a pan and toast for 5 minutes or until fragrant and a shade darker in color. Set aside.
Toss parsnips, yams, orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and peppper together in a bowl, then spoon into a small baking dish. Dot butter pieces evenly over vegetable mixture. Cover loosely with foil and roast for 10-15 minutes minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Remove foil and roast until completely tender, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts.

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This is without a doubt my favorite tomato salad…something about the combination of lemon and cumin with the sweet tomatoes just makes me go insane with delight. I first tasted it from a friend and former roommate who made this often for our dinner parties (let me tell you how lucky it was to have a roommate who was not only a great cook but whose tastes in food were very compatible with my own).

What about this salad is Moroccan? I don’t think this dish is especially traditional to Moroccan cooking, but the original recipe called for harissa - a spicy, garlicky paste common to North African cooking. If you happen to have harissa on hand, you can use a few tablespoons of it in place of the garlic, cumin, and crushed red pepper. Otherwise, this version is pretty much identical in flavor and also faster if you aren’t up for making a batch of harissa (I personally need to psych myself up a bit before seeding all those red peppers that are required).

I make this tomato salad very frequently in the summer, and it doesn’t last more than a day or two as I can hardly stop myself from wolfing it down and drinking the spicy liquid that remains. It’s also a nice way to get some tomato action in non-summery months when the supermarket specimens are less than inviting. A package of grape tomatoes are usually sweet enough even when not in season, and the dressing is zippy enough to disguise the mediocre and enhance those in their prime (i’ll let you choose your own metaphor there ;). The salad is a perfect complement to grilled meats such as lamb or with rice and other grain dishes (like the Uppama from last week - I ate a whole batch that night and made another for this week). Quantities are approximate, so feel free to use less or more of an ingredient if you are sensitive (I like lots of cayenne, but some may not like it so spicy-hot).

Moroccan Tomato Salad

1 pint package of red grape or small cherry tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons onion, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
salt

Roast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
Toss cumin and all other ingredients except cilantro together and taste for balance of flavors. Add more salt, pepper, or cayenne as needed. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. This salad is good either cold or room temperature. If you have time, let it sit for a while to develop a bit and it will be even better.

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Re-posted from Gastronomicon.org - original post date 16 November 2006

Holidays are just around the corner, and I’ve recently signed up for Blogging by Mail, Holiday Edition , and am looking forward to giving (and receiving!) fun food items in the mail. In the meantime, I’ve been busy, which translates into making simple meals: salads, pasta…stuff that can be made quickly, will feed me for a few days, and won’t require too much time in the kitchen.

I think wheat berries are really overlooked in the US, at least outside of health-food stores. These chewy little nuggets, which are whole unprocessed kernels of wheat, are a terrific source of B vitamins and fiber. They are a medium shade of brown and have a nutty flavor which is particularly welcome in winter and autumnal dishes. They are lovely in salads and stuffings, and you could even have them for breakfast- drizzle with warm milk or cream, add a bit of honey, and top with fruit. The only negative is that they do take a rather long time to cook - between an hour and an hour and a half (they don’t need to be watched, though - just set a timer and do something else for a while). Many recipes call for soaking overnight, but I’ve found that to be unnecessary as long as they’re cooked long enough and in a proper amount of water.

For each cup of wheatberries, boil them in at least 4 quarts of water, as you might for pasta. It’s very important to be generous with the water. If you don’t use enough, they will happily soak it all up and form a burnt crust on the bottom of your saucepan, causing a horrible stench which will ruin even the unburnt top layer by smell alone. Overcooked wheat berries, on the other hand, will lose their shape and become mushy. The goal here is to retain a pleasant chew without making your jaw ache. After boiling, drain them and use as you wish. They will also keep, refrigerated, for about 5 days or may be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed in the refrigerator.

The quantities are pretty loose for this salad I made, so feel free to mix things up a bit and make it your own…

Wheat Berry Salad with Pecans and Dill
2 cups hard winter wheat berries, cooked in boiling water for 1-1.5 hours, until tender but chewy
1 small red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove minced garlic
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a few tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, adjusting amounts to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature. This will serve about 4-6 as a side dish.

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