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Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
I
n essence, roasting is cooking, over flame or heat, without adding
liquid to the food and without covering it during the cooking
process. This method of cooking is also considered "dry heat"
The beauty of roasting is a crust — a caramelization of the "skin" of
the food. It is what many consider the best eating (imagine a steak, dark
and almost crisp on the outside and pink inside).
In the oven, heat circulates around the meats, vegetables, whatever we
cook, to cook all sides of the food. Convection ovens do even better jobs of
obtaining that desired crust, since the fans that define them circulate the
heat over and around what you're cooking.
An aside: Don't be afraid of your convection oven — once you learn its
powers, you'll never go back to roasting any other way. While you may not
feel comfortable making your signature dessert this way, roasting is a nat-
ural. Note that since foods cook quicker in convection ovens, you may
wish to reduce the temperature of your oven about 5-15 degrees below
what's stated in a particular recipe.
The recipes below all use the roasting method.
Roast Beef and Lamb
Patties with Warm
Roasted Pepper Salsa
Salsa:
1 bell pepper, any color,
chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
kosher salt and pepper to
taste
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
Patties:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground lamb
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup breadcrumbs
22
January 5 • 2006
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
(or 1 Tbsp. dried)
1/4 cup pinenuts or slivered
almonds
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Make salsa: Preheat oven to
400F. Spray a baking dish with
nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the bell pepper, onion
and garlic and tomatoes in a
medium bowl. Season with salt
and pepper, toss with the olive oil
and transfer to the baking dish.
Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Set aside to cool (do not turn off
oven). Transfer the mixture to a
small bowl and toss with lemon
juice.
Meanwhile, combine all patty
ingredients in a large bowl and,
using your hands, mash together
until uniform. Using wet hands,
divide the mixture into 8 pieces
and form into flattened patties.
Spray a baking dish with non-
stick cooking spray. Arrange the
patties in the prepared pan and
roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes
(do not overcook). Serve hot with
the sauce spooned over.
Roasted Zucchini,
Artichoke and Heart of
Palm Salad
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium zucchini, halved
lengthwise
1 jar or can (about 15 oz.)
hearts of palm, drained
1 jar or can (about 15 oz.)
artichoke hearts drained
(not marinated)
1 Tbsp. capers
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
sea salt and fresh ground pep-
per to taste
2 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley,
garnish
Preheat oven to 425F. Rub the
zucchini halves very lightly with
olive oil and place in a baking
dish. Place the hearts of palm
and artichokes in a large bowl
and add remaining olive oil and
toss well.
Arrange the vegetables next to
zucchini in the baking dish.
Roast the vegetables, uncovered,
for 20 minutes. Remove from the
oven and allow to cool to the
touch. Slice the zucchini slightly
diagonally and arrange on a
serving plate, repeat with the
hearts of palm.
Chop the artichokes lightly and
arrange. Sprinkle the capers over
and drizzle the oil and vinegar
over. Season with salt and pepper
to taste and sprinkle the parsley
over. Chill or serve at room tem-
perature. Makes 6 servings.
Roasted Eggplant Salad
with Shallots, Apricots
1 medium eggplant (about
1 pound), sliced into thin cir-
cles
1 cup thin sliced shallots
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pep-
per to taste
8 dried apricots, quartered and
soaked in warm water for 2
hours and drained
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a
low-sided, attractive baking dish
with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange the eggplant, overlap-
ping, in the baking dish. Sprinkle
the shallots over and drizzle with
olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper and roast for 20 minutes.
Arrange the apricots over the
dish and cook for five minutes
more. Sprinkle with parsley and
serve. Makes 4 servings. Li
More recipes can be found
at JNonline.us.