When the rain pours down and it is cold and dark, turning on the oven and baking vegetables dries out the house a bit and adds some warmth and brightness to the day.
I used up a couple of sauces I had left over in the refrigerator and the combination surprised and delighted my taste buds. The natural sweetness of the vegetables pairs perfectly with the sour, spicy and slaty flavours in the sauces. Add the creaminess of the tahini creates a substantial, complex main dish.
Baked Vegetables In Chimicurri Sauce Topped With Spicy Tahini Dressing
Serves 2
Ingredients
Baked Vegetables
! medium sized potato, scrubbed, halved lengthwise and chopped
1 orange sweet potato, scrubbed, thickly sliced and chopped in to quarters
1/2 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut in to chunks
1/2 yellow pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut in to chunks
1-2 tbs homemade chimicurri sauce*
salt and pepper
3-4 tbs spicy tahini dressing*
fresh coriander, finely chopped (for topping)
1 scallion,finely sliced (for topping)
*Chimichurri Sauce
1/4 cup dried oregano + 1 tbs (or 1/4 fresh oregano, finely chopped if you have it.)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
8 medium garlic cloves
2 tablespoons virgin cold pressed olive oil
1 tightly packed cup fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
*Spicy Tahini Dressing
½ cup tahini
4 tbs Redboat fish sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha (for recipe, see blog dated 13 February 2022) or 1 red chilli, stem trimmed and finely chopped
2-3 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1-2 tbs lemon juice
fresh coriander, finely chopped (for topping)
1 scallion,finely sliced (for topping)
Method
Preheat oven to 200 c.
Make the chimichurri sauce. Combine dried oregano, paprika, red-pepper flakes and cumin in a large bowl. Add hot water, salt and stir with a fork. Squeeze lemon and add juice; stir to combine.
Smash garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle to form a rough paste, then drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and work the garlic and oil around the mortar until it emulsifies and no loose oil remains. Scrape this garlic mixture into the bowl with the oregano mixture and mix together..
Very finely chop the parsley and oregano leaves. If you do not have fresh oregano leaves, use 1 tbs of dried. Add to the sauce. . Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the vegetables to allow the dried oregano to rehydrate and the flavours and texture to develop. Stir vigorously before tasting, then adjust seasoning with salt and fresh black pepper. Set aside.
Prepare the vegetables. Line a round, low rimmed Dutch oven with baking paper and put in all the cut up vegetables. Stir in 1-2 tbs chimichurri sauce throughout the vegetables. Store the remaining chimichurri vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it will last for several weeks.
Bake the vegetables covered for 30-mnutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.
While the vegetables cook, prepare the spicy tahini dressing. In a medium bowl. combine the tahini, fish sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, sesame oil, sriracha, and garlic. Mis thoroughly. Juice a half lemon and add to the sauce for the desired tartness and pouring consistency. Set aside.
After 30 minutes, take the vegetables out of the oven and if cooked, return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes uncovered so the vegetables crisp up a bit.
Finely chop the fresh coriander and slice the scallion.
Serve hot with spicy tahini dressing dribbled over the vegetables and sprinkled with fresh herbs. Store any extra tahini dressing in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator; it will last for several weeks.
Enjoy!