Recipe Wednesday: Tuscan Roasted Vegetables

Tuscan Roasted Vegetables
(Taken from our Culinary Journey: Florence class.)
 The vegetables can be prepared in advance and reheated.

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges, each wedge cut into 3 pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 large fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges, layers separated

2 small to medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into quarters, and then each quarter cut into 3 pieces

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Put all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add thyme leaves in and drizzle olive oil over the mixture. Mix completely.

3. Arrange the mixture on two baking sheets, spreading them in an even layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables and place in the oven.

4. Roast vegetables for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender when pricked with a knife.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or let them cool for later use.

To serve these vegetables as a salad: Cool vegetable to room temperature. Arrange some lettuce leaves on a serving dish, top with the vegetables and make a dressing by whisking together the following:

1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, scallion or chives.

Use spoon to drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and serve at once.