A House Divided

This vegetable dish is one of my favourite new recipes.  I would like to say I can guarantee you’ll love it.  I would like to tell you that serving it will put an end to world strife, global warming, and questions about what you’ll serve for the next meal.

I’d like to, but I can’t.

This recipe has been a source of great division in our house.  Two of us adored it.  And what’s not to love?  As a side dish, it’s a nice accompaniment to whatever is being served.  But as a sandwich filling, it is nonpareil.  Serve it on homemade bread, with hummus and bean sprouts, and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever look for another sandwich filling in your life.  It’s also a wonderful way to use up the odds and ends of vegetables in the fridge.

The other two people in my house – one of whom was the other adult – did not care for these vegetables.  Did not even try them, to the best of my memory.  When I asked them (for the purposes of this blog) what they didn’t like about it, I was greeted with shrugs and retching noises.

So what can I say?  Having failed to achieve unanimity in my own house, I can hardly promise that you’ll achieve it in yours.  But I can promise that you’ll secretly cheer any time one of them rejects it, because that means one more herbed vegetable sandwich for you.

Herbed Vegetable Packets

(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health)

1 cup diced peeled sweet potatoes

1 cup diced bell peppers

2 cups zucchini

1 1/2 cups mushrooms

1 1/2 cups carrots

1 cup diced onions

2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

2 Tbsp copped fresh basil

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tsp salt

8 sheets parchment paper, 12 x 15 inches each

(I used the vegetables I had in my fridge, in the measurements above.  You can use other vegetables, such as diced butternut squash or green beans/asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths. You can also use other proportions of these vegetables.  Just be sure you have 8 cups altogether.)

1. In a large bowl, mix together the vegetables and herbs.  In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.  Pour over the vegetables and herbs and mix well.

2.  To make the packets, fold a sheet of parchment paper in half to form a 12 x 7 ½ inch rectangle.  With a short side of the rectangle nearest you, place a cup of the vegetables in the centre.  Bring the two short sides up like a tent, fold them together, and roll down to the vegetables.  Then fold over and crimp the open sides to form a neat packet to seal in the vegetables.  Place the packet on an unoiled baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining sheets of parchment paper.

3. Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 375 oven.  Remove a packet and carefully unfold it to test the tenderness of the vegetables.  If the vegetables are not quite done, bake for an additional 5 minutes.