Roasted vegetables and rocket salad

Ingredients

2 red onions

1 bunch baby carrots

1 beetroot (approx. 400g)

500g pumpkin                                                                        

200g sweet potato

1 eggplant

Few clusters of small tomatoes on the vine*

4 tbsp olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

100g rocket leaves

Dressing

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

¼ tsp paprika

¼ cup olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 220ºC (200°C fan forced). Cut the onions into 6 wedges each. Scrub the carrots and beetroot, and trim the carrot tops. Cut the beetroot into thick wedges. Peel and cut the pumpkin into large wedges, and the sweet potato into batons. Cut the eggplant into thick slices.

Drizzle the olive oil over three oven trays and arrange the vegetables (except the tomatoes) onto the trays. Sprinkle with sea salt, and toss to distribute the oil and salt evenly.

Bake for 45–60 minutes. Halfway though the cooking time toss the vegetables to allow them to cook and colour evenly. (If not using a fan forced oven, swap the trays from top to bottom shelf halfway through cooking.) For the final 10 minutes add the tomato clusters onto one of the trays of vegetables to cook.

When ready the vegetables will be a caramelized, golden brown colour and be tender when pierced with a small sharp knife. The tomatoes should be warmed and softened but not falling apart.

Spread the rocket leaves onto the base of a serving dish and arrange the roasted vegetables on top, finish with the tomato clusters and a generous drizzle of the dressing.

To make the dressing, place all the ingredients into a small glass jar. Seal tightly and shake to mix thoroughly.

* ‘tomatoes on the vine’ is where the calyx (part of the vine and stem) is left attached, and tomatoes are sold as vine-ripened, cluster tomatoes or truss tomatoes. They are usually not any more flavoursome than common tomatoes, however they do look attractive still attached to the vine. Tomatoes are botanically a fruit, but in the culinary sense a vegetable. They are rich in vitamin A and C, and also have good amounts of calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus. Bright red fruit indicates that it is high in lycopene as well as beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A in the body).

This recipe comes from Jane Grover’s book Our Delicious Adventure – Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel, $59.99.