Monday 15 December 2014

Rocket & Roses Festive Citrus Roasted Roots on Cavolo Kale/Cannellini Bed (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Joan Jett ~ Treadin' Water
Don Williams ~ You're My Best Fried
The Vaccines ~ We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Ella Fitzgerald ~ I Love Paris
Fleetwood Mac ~ Little Lies
Suzi Quatro ~ Born To Run
The Dead Daisies ~ Lock n Load
Melissa Etheridge ~ Nervous
Sting ~ Message In A Bottle (live)
Santana ~ (Da Le) Yaleo
Fun Lovin' Criminals ~ Bump
Wild Cherry ~ Play That Funky Music
Thunder ~ I Hear You Knocking (Live acoustic)
Chris Cornell ~ Your Soul Today

Whoa...how was your weekend? Mine? Oh it was busy but thankfully for all the right reasons and not the stressful festive madness although I saw plenty of people out and about who would have benefited from a shot of valium or a large pot of chamomile tea. I am always staggered by the stress that the 'holidays' causes some people. Isn't supposed to be about fun, laughter and happiness...spending time with those you love and enduring some of those you don't! Maybe it's because I cook for large amounts of people often and it is a pleasure to do so...I actually enjoy the planning and the opportunity to spoil those I love. Ok..ok...I'm a freak. Whatever floats your boat, right? Oh hush!...anyway....

The recipe today was a last minute moment of madness inspiration. I had a stash of beautiful root veggies and a bag of lush dark Cavolo kale leaves and decided to give into a craving for some comforting roasted roots. I didn't want the old faithful white potatoes as I wanted colour and sweetness to balance out the slight bitterness of the cavolo and wholesome cannellini bean. One of my favourite festive foods is the succulent citruses and I love nothing more than sitting down with a large Navel orange and peeling away the thick skin and then devouring every sweet and juicy segment. Sometimes I get so lost in this moment that I find myself peeling away the segment skin and then letting the little pearls of juice burst over my tongue..love them. So it seemed natural to me to add some of that delicious citrus to the roasting dish. 

I cut the parsnips and swede on a uniform cube but cut slightly large cubes out of the sweet potatoes and the celery root. I also trimmed and cut 3 leeks into 1" slices. Once chopped I placed them into a large bowl and poured over the roasting liquid and made sure every piece was coated and then left them to soak for a few hours. I then roasted them very slowly in the oven for the latter part of the afternoon and quickly sauteed the cavolo and beans in a tiny amount of garlic oil. I must say now that this is a High Days & Holidays dish as I don't usually use these amounts of oil. But sometimes...its just necessary. 

We ate this dish as our evening meal but we also agreed it would be a great festive side dish too. The roasted celeriac root was a revelation and I greatly enjoyed the caramelised outer shell and the soft roasted center of every piece. The root vegetables were surprisingly light and the citrus flavours really lifted the traditional root vegetables to another level. The kale and bean bed was beautifully bitter and worked perfectly with the sweet veggies. When I was finished eating I didn't feel that usual post roast veggies bloating or stodginess...I felt satisfied and like I had eaten something a little decadent yet still wholesome. Give it try and let me know what you think? 

Rocket & Roses Festive Citrus Roasted Roots on Cavolo Kale/Cannellini Bed
 
Rocket & Roses Festive Citrus Roasted Roots on Cavolo Kale/Cannelini Bed
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

2 med/large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 celeriac root, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" cubes
3 med/large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 large swede/rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
3 large leeks, trimmed well and cut into 1" slices 
1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil
juice of one large orange
juice of one small lemon
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
generous amounts of freshly grated black pepper
sprinkle of low sodium salt 

10 Cavolo kale leaves, stalks removed and sliced into 1" thick slices
1 14oz tin of cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained 
scant amount of garlic oil or water to steam saute

Place all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl and set to one side. In a jug whisk together the oil, orange juice and apple cider vinegar until emulsified. Then pour over the vegetables and using your hands toss the vegetables until every piece is coated. Then cover and leave to soak for a minimum of 1 hour. 

Pre-heat the oven to 200'C/400'F/GM  6 and make ready a large baking dish. I used an extremely large lasagna pyrex baking dish. Uncover the vegetables and season generously with the freshly cracked black pepper and a little salt. Toss one more time to evenly distribute the seasonings. Pour the vegetables into the baking dish and even them out. Cover with a layer of foil and place in the hot oven. Immediately turn the oven down to 175'C/325'F/GM 3/4 and leave to roast for 45 minutes. 

Take the vegetables out of the oven and remove the foil lid. Vigorously turn them over in the dish and place back in the oven for another 30 minutes.  Repeat one more time making sure that the well roasted pieces are moved to the bottom and the less so to the top and roast for another 30 minutes. Repeat this action one more time but placing them back into the oven for 15 minutes more. If you find they are adequately roasted them leave them to keep warm in the oven with the oven switched off. 

During the final roasting time or warming time...take a medium skillet and heat a small amount of garlic oil and place the cavolo kale and cannelini beans into the warmed skillet. Toss briefly and place the lid on tightly and leave to steam saute until the cavolo is soft and the beans warmed through. 

Place some cavolo and beans onto a plate and top with a generous mound of the roasted roots. Make sure you get every colour in there folks...you don't want to miss those flavours. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week gets off the a cracking start...

~Red~ 

NB: This is my creation and I have no problem with you using it. I simply ask that you give credit where it is due by linking it back to this posting. Many thanks...Namaste ~R~