Italian roasted vegetables in a balsamic dressing
This Italian roasted vegetable recipe originates with Ricky’s Aunt Emma. It is a multi-generational family favorite, and is known throughout the family as Aunt Emma’s roasted vegetables. She uses an interesting mix of vegetables which are roasted in a balsamic vinegar dressing. It is absolutely delicious.
Aunt Emma’s big day
Aunt Emma’s roasted vegetable dish is not her only claim to fame. For many years she held an annual event that brought people from far and wide.
Aunt Emma lived near the parade route of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Boston.
Everyone celebrates St. Patrick in Boston
If I were to say that Saint Patrick’s Day is a really big deal in Boston, anyone that ever lived in the area would scoff at the understatement. The parade is only a small part of the festive rituals that bring hoards of people to Boston. Unless you are in the city 2 days before the big day, it is nearly impossible to get anywhere near the parade. So, having a relative a couple of streets from the route was an enviable situation.
Everyone flocked to Aunt Emma’s on Saint Patrick’s Day. When we were growing up, as far as Ricky’s family was concerned, there was no such thing as too many people at a gathering. Nor could there be too much food! No kidding, there was no end to it.
If you have never been to a big Italian family get together, you may have no frame of reference for the abundant feast that was put out for all to eat.
All families are different
Some families bring their best manners to celebrations
In my family, our biggest annual get together was Easter dinner at Nanny’s house with maybe 10 other family members. The good china came out and we all sat at her big formal dining room table with the Tiffany lamp hanging over the middle. Nanny’s family celebrations were quiet and refined.
I loved my Easter dinners at Nanny’s, with my aunts and uncles and cousins. She was a great cook. Her dinners were always delicious. I wish with my whole heart I could go back and have just one more Easter dinner with Nanny. But it’s safe to say, nothing in my pre-Ricky life prepared me for the Brangiforte family’s celebrations.
Some families are just plain rowdy
I was swept up with Ricky’s family’s vastly different vision of the world, and family gatherings were part of that.
Rooms filled with people, some coming, some going, some laughing, some arguing. Tables and tables of food, there for the taking all day and into the night. There were so many taste treat delights that were new to me, savory and sweet. There was wine and libations stronger than that.
When I celebrated with Ricky’s family I found myself wallowing in the perfection of life fully lived. I was glad to become one of the clan. Gathering at Aunt Emma’s house on Saint Patrick’s Day was a Brangiforte tradition, with all the bells and whistles, and I loved it.
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 2 medium potatoes |
| 1 medium sized yellow onion |
| 1 green pepper |
| 1 red, yellow or orange pepper (a second any color pepper) |
| 3 fresh plum tomatoes |
| 3 tablespoons olive oil |
| 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar |
| 2 teaspoons dry basil |
| 2 teaspoons dry oregano |
| ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper |
This is WHAT TO DO:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Wash
Wash the vegetables before you chop them. If you need convincing about taking the time to wash them, take a look at our Wash before you Eat post. It’s a whimsical look at the life of a vegetable before it gets to your produce department. Germs anyone?
Chop the vegetables
Chop all the vegetables into bite sized pieces and place them in a large, oven safe skillet or a shallow sided, wide bottomed baking dish. The vegetables should only be one or two layers deep when they are spread out.
The baking dish I am using for our post pictures, was my Nanny’s. It is cast iron, with enamel coating and is an excellent conductor of heat.
Grandmother’s and good cooking kind of go together, don’t they? One day at Ricky’s dinner table, his daughter Leah was asking Ricky’s grandson, Jack why he was so gladly eating something at Papa’s house that he would never eat at home. He replied that old people’s food always tastes better. I agree!
Make the vinaigrette dressing
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix up the dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
A balsamic and olive oil dressing with dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper. The basil and oregano in this dressing are my own dried herbs. Read all about using and growing and drying herbs in Claudia’s Cooking Tips.
Pour in the dressing and coat the vegetables
Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Use your hands to mix in the dressing until all the vegetables are coated. Your hands are a valuable cooking tool. Some cooking tasks just can’t be done as effectively and expediently, with a man made cooking tool.
Most probably, the more you cook, the more you will use your hands. I love having my hands under warm running water, so I don’t mind having to wash my hands frequently. I am all about using the cooking tool I was born with. The easier way is the better way in my book.
The dressing has been mixed into the chopped vegetables. It is ready to go in the oven now.
The beautiful array of colors in this vegetable dish is another reason to love this recipe. It is a feast for the belly and the eyes.
Ready to roast
Put the vegetables in a preheated 400 degree oven.
The vegetables will take from 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook, depending on the size of the cut and how large your baking dish is. Check them for tenderness after 45 minutes. When they are tender, they are done.
Be careful removing the skillet or baking dish from the oven
As you get ready to take your roasted vegetables from the oven, remember that your baking dish or skillet is really hot. It is 400 degrees. Use pot holders, heat resistant gloves, or something else to protect you hands.
Let the roasted vegetables rest for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. That will let the rich, caramelized dressing at the bottom soak into the vegetables.
You can make it a meatless meal
This roasted vegetable mix is an all inclusive side dish with potatoes as a starch, or a meatless meal on it’s own. It’s variety of vegetables and flavors make it a guest worthy meal, but it’s quick and easy enough to have for a weeknight dinner.
Italian Roasted Vegetables fresh out of the oven: Courtesy of Aunt Emma’s recipe and Nanny’s baking dish.
The serving dish used in the post is Nanny’s too! It was part of her best set of china. I love using it and remembering the many great meals she served in it.
Serve
Italian Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 green pepper
- 1 yellow pepper a second pepper of any color
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons basil
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Chop the green and yellow peppers, tomatoes, onion and potatoes into bite sized pieces
- In a a small dish or measuring cup, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to make the dressing
- Put the chopped vegetables in a large skillet or large shallow baking dish. Pour the dressing over the chopped vegetables and with clean hands, toss the vegetables around until they are all coated with the dressing.
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Put the vegetables, mixed with the dressing, into a preheated oven. It will take 45 minutes – 1 hour to cook. Because time can vary due to the size of your pieces or the size of your baking dish, check for doneness after 45 minutes. When tender the vegetables are done.
- After coming from the oven let the vegetables rest for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. This lets the juices in the pan soak into the vegetables, to get a rich caramelized balsamic flavor.