Olive-Oil Roasted Vegetables by Alison Roman

​​Life is often a lot like making roasted tomatoes. You cannot decide you want it an hour beforehand. You must plan ahead. In the morning, you turn on the oven and set it to preheat. On a snowy day, this is a welcome action. The summer is a different matter. It’s true that your feelings change depending on the season you’re in. Don’t let that inconsistency throw you, let seasons be seasons.

To prepare the tomatoes, you first must cut them in half. Expose their insides, full of juices and seeds, membranes and pith. You place them in a deep, wide pan, putting all of your fruits in one proverbial basket. Their cut-sides look up, revealing their nearly identical designs. Fresh tomato faces, all in a row, giving you their full attention. You take it in. You choose to notice their beauty. To really look is always a choice. You’re tempted to bask in their fixation, but you know you must move on.

You reach for the large bottle of olive oil and pour it generously over the tomato faces. It is generous because olive oil is costly, and you can’t avoid the fact of expense, even when it comes to tomato sauce. A sprinkle of salt, a toss of thyme sprigs and garlic, and they’re ready for the oven.

Like many worthy endeavors, waiting is most of the effort. Active preparation took only a modicum of time. Now the world watches for your self control. The world of your apartment kitchen, that is. The scents of garlic and thyme perfume your apartment, making it hard not to salivate every time you pass the oven on your way to the sink. You drink way more water than normal. And just when you think you can’t wait any longer, the timer buzzes.

The shriveled, tender tomatoes keep sizzling in the golden glow of olive oil as you take out the pan. With great care, you spoon a tomato onto a piece of sourdough toast. The final touch, flaky sea salt. Some people might think you’re crazy for waiting three hours for this meal. But you know the truth. Waiting makes it all the more delicious.

124 recipes cooked, 101 to go.

Smashed Cucumbers with Sizzled Turmeric and Garlic by Alison Roman

This is one of those salad recipes that I wasn’t totally looking forward to, but since my pal Kearci requested it for our Friendship Weekend meal, I acquiesced. And good thing I did too, because this is one I’ll be making again and again. 

The first step requires sizzling some garlic and turmeric in oil over medium heat for only a few minutes, until the oil is infused with the spices. Alison says that either turmeric root or powdered turmeric work fine here. I’ve never cooked with turmeric root, and I’d be interested how that might affect the flavor. Maybe it’s a bit earthier? Total guess, but it’d be fun to try. 

Next step is the fun step – smash the cucumbers. Kearci cut the cucumbers into 1-inch pieces, then placed them in a plastic bag and smashed them with the bottom of a heavy skillet. They softened and released some of their juices. Next time you want an “outlet,” try smashing some cucumbers? 

At this point, you’re ready to mix it up, baby! The cucumbers, chopped scallions, distilled vinegar, and turmeric-garlic oil have a really great party – a party that could go well with anything. 

96 recipes cooked, 129 to go.

Fried Eggplant with Harissa and Dill by Alison Roman

I made seven Alison Roman recipes last week. All of them, except one, were very good. But for whatever reason, this eggplant dish is the one I can’t stop thinking about! 

Through this project, I’ve grown to really like eggplant, which is saying something considering where I started. I used to shutter at the soggy appearance of cooked eggplant in the cafeteria, and wondered how anyone could want to eat it instead of the always-available pizza and salad bar. I now realize that my college cafeteria, as exemplary for the circumstances as it was, did not treat eggplant with the care and flavors that it is due. 

I started to appreciate eggplant for all its creamy and flavor-soaking qualities when I first made Alison’s Long-Roasted Eggplant with Garlic, Labne, and Tiny Chile Croutons. There especially I learned how well eggplant goes with spice. Which is exactly what this fried eggplant recipe does so nicely. 

The eggplant is sliced into ½-inch rounds and fried in a boat load of olive oil (I probably used 1½ cups when all was said and done). The eggplant gets a nice toasted surface and soaks in all the yummy oil. It took about 20 minutes to fry it, since I could only fit so many rounds in my large skillet. Once the frying is complete, the pan is removed from heat and filled with a spicy sauce made of water, harissa paste, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and vinegar. The sauce immediately bubbles in the pan, inviting the eggplant back into the skillet for tossing. Though 2 tbsp. of harissa and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes are used, the spiciness was quite tolerable and the heat more acidic than dry. The creamy eggplant played well with the tangy spices. Finally, the whole plate is topped with dill and flaky salt. 

I made this dish for dinner on a night when my brother-in-law was coming over. I could see his polite skepticism as soon as I brought out the plate. He reached for only two pieces and began eating the rest of his meal. But after a few bites, I could tell he had changed his mind. He and Jordan both helped to finish off the eggplant, which I count as a real victory. The leftover oily juices also made a lovely dipping spread for sourdough bread. 

70 recipes cooked, 155 to go.

Roasted Broccolini and Lemon with Crispy Parmesan by Alison Roman

There are recipes I feel jazzed to write about. There are recipes about which I have not much to say. This is one of the latter. 

I didn’t begin to love vegetables as an adult until I learned how to oven roast them. I learned the vegetable to oil and salt ratio, a general oven temperature range, a sense for how to time it, and I haven’t looked back. Here is a great example of one vegetable to roast and how to pair it with other flavors. Broccolini roasted with lemon and some parmesan that gets all crispy. Everything you need to know is in the title.

My pal Margaret, who I reference often, encouraged me to keep it real here. I think I’ve done that thus far, but it’s a post like this that tempts me to embellish more than is necessary. So for brevity and clarity sake, I’ll bring this to a close. If you like roasted broccolini, and you think pairing it with lemon or parmesan sounds nice, then you my friend, should make some. 

44 recipes cooked, 181 to go.

Caramelized Winter Squash with Toasted Coconut Gremolata by Alison Roman

“What in the world is gremolata?” I asked myself. I asked the Internet. “Gremolata is an Italian green sauce made of chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic.” Oh, okay. Simple enough. 

Now that we’ve got that looming question out of the way, let’s talk about squash! For the very first time in my 27 years, I purchased an acorn squash. I felt very sophisticated as I searched the 6'x6' cardboard box of squashes at the grocery store. I found one in the right weight range and that had some fun orange coloring at the top and called it a day. 

Slicing the squash into equally thick, ½” rings was another matter entirely. If you don’t have a reliable chef’s knife, then tread cautiously. I struggled to hold onto the rolly squash and maintain a straight line as I sawed through its ridges. 

It was here that I missed an opportunity. Alison tells you that you can either scoop out the squash’s center, filled with pulp and seeds, or you can leave it all in and let the seeds toast on the pan with everything else. (Acorn squash seeds are slightly smaller and rounder than pumpkin seeds). I should have listened to her recommendation. I chose to scoop my squash out and discard the center, but one lone seed made it onto my baking sheet in the process. It was oven roasted along with the squash rings. When it was all done, I decided to try it and see what I had missed… of course, Alison was right. The seed was perfectly golden and crunchy and would have made for the best snack. Let’s just say, I will not make this mistake again. 

I roasted the squash rings in coconut oil, flipping them halfway through. They became soft and slightly sweet after 30 minutes in the oven. And the gremolata brought it all together: toasted coconut chips, finely chopped chives and cilantro, lemon zest, salt, and Aleppo pepper. This dish is very unlike any vegetable dish I’ve made before, both visually and in flavor. It was so delightful and could be served alongside a number of other things. I made mine with Buttermilk-Brined Chicken, but it would do just as well with something bolder. 

25 recipes cooked, 200 to go.