Grilled Root Vegetables with Cilantro Dressing

Winter veggies done right! Grill thinly sliced root vegetables, like beets, turnips and sweet potatoes and drizzle with a cilantro dressing. ~ by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD 

Do you hoard cookbooks?

I have been guilty of this in the past – along with holding onto many, many back issues of Cooking Light, Gourmet, Saveur and Cook’s Illustrated.

But nowadays, I rarely buy new cookbooks (and the magazine pile is much thinner) – thanks to the abundance of recipes available at our fingers tips online. And if I do purchase a cookbook, it’s gotta be one that really speaks to me.

Enter Plenty.

I’m a bit late to the Ottolenghi party. I had heard about Plenty for years (Plenty More just came out a few months ago) but it wasn’t until the release of Jerusalem when I realized how special Yotam Ottolenghi’s cuisine and recipes are.

It’s like he’s breathed new life into basic foods, relying on his Israeli upbringing and throwing Syrian, Turkish, Lebanese, Iranian and Armenian flavors into the mix while making recipes not too daunting for us Westerners.

After flipping through Plenty, I wanted to make just about every recipe in the book and this “mixed veggie grill” rose to the top when I had some root veggies from my fall CSA on hand.

I put my own spin on Ottolengh’s original recipe – he featured zucchini, kohlrabi and eggplant while I went with sweet potatoes and beets. You could also use parsnips, turnips, potatoes, rutabagas – just about any sturdy vegetable you can slice thinly.

I also used cilantro instead of parsley for the oil drizzle but I have to say, it’s delicious either way.

Grilled Root Vegetables with Cilantro Dressing

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• Author: by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
• Yield: 4 - 6 servings 1x

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Description

Winter veggies done right! Grill thinly sliced root vegetables, like beets, turnips and sweet potatoes and drizzle with a cilantro dressing.

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Ingredients

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For grilled vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 sweet potatoes, sliced thinly (leave skins on)
• 2 root vegetables (like beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas), peeled and sliced thinly

For dressing:

• 1 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• Zest and juice from one small orange or large lemon
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 –2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. To grill the vegetables, coat grill pan with olive oil and place over medium high heat. Layer vegetables (cook in batches) on grill and cook for 2 – 3 minutes per side (5 minutes per side for sweet potatoes.) Place on ovenproof serving plate.
3. When all vegetables are grilled, put plate in the oven and cook for another 5 – 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
4. While vegetables are in the oven, make dressing by adding cilantro, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, orange (or lemon) zest, orange (or lemon) juice and honey into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water to get the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and blend one final time.
5. Remove vegetables from oven and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle gorgonzola on top and serve hot or warm.

Notes

Adapted from “Mixed Grill” with Parsley Oil found in Ottolenghi’s Plenty cookbook

This is one of those vegetable recipes that’s going to get me through the winter along with these dishes that I cook when the wind chill kicks in:

Asian Style Winter Greens
Cheesy Broccoli Greens Soup
Rutabaga Carrot Mash

Do you own any Ottolenghi cookbooks? What are your go-to winter recipes once the cold weather kicks in?