Roasted French Vegetables in Hot Balsamic and Olive Oil Dressing

French Tart's Note:

A fantastic medley of French vegetables - Fennel Bulb, Onions, Garlic, Red Peppers, Aubergines & Tomatoes; oven roasted in a Balsamic vinegar, Caper & Olive oil dressing! Simple yet impressive and adds a real splash of colour to any meal. I make loads of this, usually with the vegetables listed, but you can add anything you like which is in season, such as Courgettes; It freezes very well and is used in numerous recipes of mine, such as Vegetarian Lasagne, Vegetarian Shepherds Pie, Pasta Bakes, Hot Vegetable Salad and also a great recipe which I will post, called French Roast Chicken & Vegetables in Wine! Great ALL year around, the only proviso is what vegetables you have in season.......however, the Fennel Bulb & Capers really adds that oooh la la!!!

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 red peppers , seeds removed and quartered
• 6 garlic cloves , peeled and halved
• 4 onions , peeled and quartered
• 1 fennel bulb , cut into wedges
• 2 aubergines , cut into chunky cubes
• 6 tomatoes , quartered
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 250°C or 475°F.
2. You need a very strong and rigid roasting tin, one that will not bend in high heat.
3. Place all your prepared vegetables into the roasting tin. The vegetables should be roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
4. Mix together your balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season the dressing well with salt, preferably sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Add the capers.
6. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and then very carefully give them a stir with a wooden spoon.
7. Roast them in a pre-heated HOT oven for about 30-45 minutes or until they are all charred at the edges, are soft but NOT too mushy - they should still hold their shape!
8. Serve alongside your main meal, or use for lasagne, pasta & pasta bakes, hot salads and also couscous salads -- the list is endless!
9. They can be frozen as soon as they are cool in zip-lock bags or rigid plastic containers.
10. P.S. Keep the fennel bulb fronds of greenery as a lovely garnish.

Reviews

[Wendys Kitchen]

This was worth every one of the 5 stars! I did not use fennel (as the family dont like it) so used zucchini instead. Wonderful flavour. Thanks.

[Leggy Peggy]

The capers set this dish apart from other versions of roast vegetables. Don't know why I didn't think of this myself. Also added a sliced leek. Made and enjoyed for Zaar World Tour.

[Kumquat the Cat's friend]

Made about half the recipe (1 fennel bulb, l red pepper, 1 Tbsp capers), and regretted it. These vegetables came out so sweet, and I thought the balsamic vinegar amount was perfect. Contributed to the sweetness but did not end up being too tart. We reduced the oil to about 1/2 tablespoon for half the recipe and we kept this in the oven for 45 minutes and decided it needed 10-15 minutes more. The vegetables held their shape and were nicely charred. We also thought 6 servings was quite generous. The two of us couldn't finish half the recipe even though we had seconds. We served this with a rice side. Really outstanding French Tart, thanks!