Sweet And Sour Roasted Vegetables

Robert and I have had a very healthy summer of salads and vegetables. We have almost exclusively plant based in our diet for a couple of months (I do say almost because we did have the occasional treat during our family holiday in Derbyshire). It feels great to have had so much delicious vegetarian produce.

My eyes are trained to find new recipes for vegetable dishes to provides some variety to our cuisine. I noticed this gem of a recipe in a recent Waitrose magazine and could not wait to try it. We have had it four times this past month and we love it!!

INGREDIENTS

• 50g flame raisins
• 11⁄2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 31⁄2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 400g baby courgettes, trimmed and halved
• 1 large cauliflower, trimmed and sliced 2-3cm thick
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 30g pine nuts
• 60g pimento-stuffed olives, roughly chopped
• 25g pack flat leaf parsley, chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200˚C , gas mark 6. Put the raisins in a medium-sized bowl with 1 tbsp boiling water. Add the sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil set aside to allow time for the raisins to soak up the liquid.

Divide the halved courgettes and cauliflower florets between two baking trays. Drizzle evenly with the olive oil, then dust with the smoked paprika and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for twenty minutes, until tender and browned.

Spread the pine nuts out in a small baking tray and add to the oven for a couple minutes. They should turn a rich golden-brown, but keep a close eye on them as they burn easily.

Stir the pine nuts into the raisin mixture, along with the olives and most of the chopped parsley. Season to make a dressing, remembering that the olives will be salty.

Arrange the warm vegetables on a serving platter and spoon the dressing over them, scattering with the remaining parsley to finish.

The combination of raisins with olives and parsley is wonderful! Who would have thought!!! Thanks again Waitrose for another delicious recipe!!!

• The Topic On The Table