Host with a roast. ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor of the awardwinning

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1 Host with a roast Pop a tray of roasted veg in the oven to make entertaining so easy, says chef and cookery school tutor Rachel Demuth. Just add plenty of fresh herbs, storecupboard spices and a zingy dip or dressing to reinvent your party platter every time. ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor of the awardwinning Demuths restaurant in Bath for 25 years, Rachel Demuth is now dedicated to running Demuths Cookery School, which offers a range of themed workshops, guest chef events, cookery holidays in France and Italy, and the Demuths Vegetarian and Vegan Diplomas for professional chefs and keen cooks. As a well-travelled foodie, Rachel loves to combine her passion for global cuisine with locally grown produce. Find out more at It s now the time of year for lighting the wood burner and drawing the curtains, and on dark evenings there s nothing better than inviting friends round for an impromptu fireside supper. My crowd-pleasing go-to quick dinner is roasted vegetables. Crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside and strongly flavoured, they are the ultimate in comfort food. It may not sound that quick as the vegetables need to be in a hot oven for at least 30 minutes, but the joy is that the oven does all the work. After the chopping and seasoning, the oven will take over, giving you time to go and get ready before your friends arrive. If I m entertaining on a work night, I like to prepare all the vegetables the night before, so that when I come home all I have to do is heat the oven and pop the veg inside. The variety of vegetables you can roast is limitless and with different combinations you ll never get bored. Flavour the vegetables up with different spices and dressings and choose a selection of dips, and you ll never have to serve the same dish twice! Make sure you cut each type of vegetable into same-size pieces so that they take the same amount of time to roast; the larger the pieces the longer they will take in the oven, and the denser the vegetable the longer they will take too. Beetroot takes the longest, followed by carrots, potatoes, then squash, sweet potatoes and parsnips. If you are going to mix vegetables together, it is best to choose ones that will take the same amount of time to roast, or alternatively you can stagger the cooking times, adding the vegetables that cook quicker later. Which oil to use is a continual debate. Sunflower oil is a good all-rounder which doesn t have much flavour and you can cook at high temperatures, but cold-pressed rapeseed oil is my favourite for roasting as it _VL100[RD_StyleParty]NTSJ.indd 40 11/10/ :51

2 ALL IMAGES ROB WICKS/EAT PICTURES UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE FOOD STYLING: HELEN LAWRENCE has a lovely nutty flavour and doesn t burn at high temperatures. It also makes the best roast potatoes! When you ve chosen your vegetables to roast, flavour them up with herbs and spices. The best ones to use are woody herbs which won t disintegrate when cooked and have strong flavours, such as sage, rosemary and thyme. For spices I like to add Aleppo chilli pepper, cumin seeds and, for an unusual autumnal flavour, try juniper berries. The roasted dishes I ve created this month are perfect for sharing and the dips go well with any or all of the dishes. Just add some sourdough bread and perhaps a tankard of warming mulled cider and you ll have a perfect autumn feast! Roasted beetroot and Puy lentil salad with a yogurt and saffron dip This is a lovely coloured salad with purple beetroot, bright green watercress and a bright yellow saffron yogurt dip. Serves 4 Prep 30 mins Cook 45 mins 4 small beetroot, peeled and cut into small wedges 6 banana shallots, peeled and quartered 4 cloves garlic, left whole and in their skins 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 10 thyme sprigs 250g Puy lentils or speckled lentils 1 small onion, peeled and halved 1 bay leaf 250g watercress For the dressing: 3 tbsp olive oil 1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley ROASTED BEETROOT AND PUY LENTIL SALAD WITH A YOGURT AND SAFFRON DIP For the yogurt and saffron dip: large pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp hot water for 15 minutes 250g thick plain yogurt (dairy or non-dairy) 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the beetroot wedges, shallots and garlic in the oil and add the thyme. Roast for minutes until the beetroot is soft; be careful it doesn t burn, cover with foil if needed. When cooked, peel the garlic and cut into halves, and discard the thyme stalks. 2 Cook the lentils in plenty of water with the onion and bay leaf for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. 3 Make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together. For the yogurt and saffron dip, mix the saffron and the soaking liquid into the yogurt, stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. 4 Drain the lentils and discard the onion and bay leaf. While they are still warm, stir in the dressing and leave to marinate. 5 Serve the lentils on a pile of watercress with the roasted beetroot and shallots scattered over, together with the yogurt and saffron dip on the side. PER SERVING 473 cals, fat 20g, sat fat 6g, carbs 44g, sugars 14g, protein 24g, salt 0.39g, fibre 14g Top roasting veg POTATOES For the best roasties, you need maincrop potatoes look for red-skinned ones for roasting, to add colour to your plate. To get that extra crispiness use rapeseed oil. First boil them for 5 minutes, strain and return to the dry saucepan. Shake the pan so they have scuffed edges, then roast in a metal baking tray that has been preheated with the oil first in a hot oven. SWEET POTATOES With sweet potatoes, choose pink-fleshed or purple varieties. The white-fleshed ones are starchier and not as sweet. CARROTS My favourite way of cooking carrots is to roast them, and I like to use different-coloured varieties the purple ones are the most striking. PARSNIPS Choose small parsnips, as the large ones turn woody. Roast them in rapeseed oil and add saffron for a vibrant yellow look. BEETROOT These earthy-flavoured vegetables come in many colours, but the traditional red beetroots are best for roasting, have more flavour and keep their dramatic colour best when cooked. CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI Roast until they are beginning to char on the edges of the florets, which will bring out the flavour. Try roasting with sumac and toasted almonds, or with garlic, juniper and rosemary. SQUASH Hard skins mean winter squashes are not so easy to peel, so it s better to roast them with the skin on, then scoop out the soft flesh when cooked. Or simply cut into slices and roast with the skin on, as the roasted skin is surprisingly tender and delicious. One exception is butternut squash, which does have a thin enough skin to peel. SHALLOTS Small round shallots are great roasted but are fiddly to peel! I much prefer banana shallots, which are far bigger, easier to peel and have a similar sweet shallot flavour, which is enhanced by roasting. GARLIC For garlic-lovers, roast a whole head of garlic then squeeze it out of the cloves when it is soft and beginning to caramelise. This tastes rich and sweet and is much milder in taste than raw garlic _VL100[RD_StyleParty]NTSJ.indd 41 11/10/ :52

3 Roasted cauliflower, broccoli and sweet potato with a white miso dressing Cauliflower and broccoli slightly charred with a hint of ginger marries well with the sweet potato and white miso dressing, for a Japanese-inspired dish. Serves 4 Prep 20 mins Cook 35 mins ½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets ½ head of broccoli, cut into florets 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into half-moons 2 cloves garlic, chopped 5cm fresh ginger, peeled and chopped rapeseed oil, for roasting handful of chopped parsley squeeze of lime For the white miso dressing: 2 tbsp white miso 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp fresh ginger juice (see cook s tip) 1 tbsp light sesame oil 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp agave syrup ½ tsp shoyu 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Place the cauliflower, broccoli and sweet potato in a large baking tin or heatproof dish. Add the garlic and ginger and enough rapeseed oil to lightly coat the vegetables, rubbing it in with your hands so that everything is well coated. Place in the oven and roast for minutes, until the cauliflower and broccoli are beginning to caramelise and brown. 2 Meanwhile, make the white miso dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. 3 Remove the vegetables from the oven and stir in the parsley and lime juice. Taste and add salt, pepper, lime or more herbs, if needed. 4 Serve on a bed of salad leaves with the white miso dressing drizzled over the top. COOK S TIP To make the ginger juice, grate a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger with the skin on, take the ginger into the palm of your hand and squeeze the juice into the dressing. PER SERVING 202 cals, fat 12g, sat fat 1g, carbs 17g, sugars 6g, protein 6g, salt 0.76g, fibre 5g _VL100[RD_StyleParty]NTSJ.indd 42 11/10/ :52

4 ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, BROCCOLI AND SWEET POTATO WITH A WHITE MISO DRESSING _VL100[RD_StyleParty]NTSJ.indd 43 11/10/ :52

5 Roasted squash with herby seedy freekeh and zhoug Hot spicy Yemeni zhoug is a lovely addition to one of my favourite salads of roasted squash and very herby seedy freekeh. Among my select winter squashes is the onion squash which, as its name suggests, is shaped liked a giant onion and has fluorescent orange skin with bright orange flesh. If you can t find this variety use butternut. Serves 4 Prep 30 mins Cook 35 mins 1 medium orange-coloured squash 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped sea salt big pinch of Aleppo pepper For the herby seedy freekeh: 100g cracked freekeh (or bulgur wheat) large handful of flat-leaf parsley large handful of mint 50g pumpkin seeds 50g sunflower seeds 25g sesame seeds 25ml olive oil juice of ½ lemon For the zhoug: 3 green jalapeño chillies, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 50g fresh coriander, chopped 25g pumpkin seeds, toasted ¼ tsp ground cardamom 4 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp agave syrup sea salt ROASTED SQUASH WITH HERBY SEEDY FREEKEH AND ZHOUG 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Wash the squash, trim the top and bottom and keep the skin on. Cut into quarters and each quarter in half to make eight wedges. Toss them in the oil along with the garlic and place on a lined baking tray, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with salt and Aleppo pepper, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes until soft but holding their shape well. 2 Meanwhile, make the herby seedy freekeh. Soak the freekeh in cold water for 5 minutes, then rinse and drain well. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain, and return the freekeh to the hot saucepan with the lid on to finish cooking in the residual heat and steam for 5 minutes. 3 Remove the stems from the parsley and mint and chop. Heat a dry frying pan and gently toast the seeds and decant into a bowl. Mix the freekeh with the herbs and seeds. Add the olive oil and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. 4 To make the zhoug, purée all the ingredients together in a blender or use a pestle and mortar. Add more oil until you have a sauce-like consistency. Taste and add more cardamom, salt or agave syrup, if needed. 5 Take the foil off the squash and cook for another 10 minutes, until slightly caramelised. Serve on top of the herby seedy freekeh with a drizzle of zhoug and more on the side. COOK S TIP Here the freekeh is more a herb salad than a grain dish, so don t stint on the herbs! PER SERVING 551 cals, fat 38g, sat fat 5g, carbs 32g, sugars 7g, protein 16g, salt 0.04g, fibre 9g _VL100[RD_StyleParty]NTSJ.indd 44 11/10/ :52