The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Roasted rainbow roots Make February fab
Ihear that Sir Paul McCartney has finally ditched the dye bottle to go natural and sport his white hair. He may not be 21 but he is on trend. Gone is the “grey hair is for grannies” look. These days young and old followers of fashion are stripping off and going au naturel.
My memories of glamorous grey hair are of the “blue rinse brigade”. My grandmothers and elderly aunts would spend upwards of three hours a week in the hairdresser’s salon tucked under a heating contraption with spiky rollers waiting to be transformed with a bouffant hairstyle that resembled a voluminous candy floss perched on top of their heads!
It was the same routine with the food they cooked. Their menus went in weekly cycles: leftovers on a Monday through to fish on a Friday and a roast on a Sunday. The seasons were followed, not by choice but by necessity. There was little or no imported food, so what was in season was what was cooked.
In February the choice was dull: sprouts, carrots, turnips or cabbage, all boiled to death.
Today’s fashion is for seasonal vegetables that are as bright and varied as a hairdresser’s colour chart: candy-striped beetroots, rainbow heritage carrots and potatoes like purple Violettas or Shetland Blacks.
Roasted rainbow roots are all the rage, coloured and bright, enhanced with spices and herbs, and make for a very enticing and appetising addition to any menu.
Changed days; but not for me. I’m not on trend.
I’m off to get my roots done!
Roasted rainbow roots
4 large heritage carrots 4-6 candy and yellow beetroots 4 large parsnips 6-8 red/purple/black potatoes 2 red onions
Grated zest of an unwaxed lemon, the flesh cut into quarters 2-3 whole cloves of garlic 4-5 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper Sea salt
Sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh oregano
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Choose a heavy shallow roasting tin.
Wash, peel and roughly chop all the vegetables, onions and potatoes and cut into equal-sized chunks. The beetroot will release a lot of colour so wash your hands well after handling it.
Bash the unpeeled garlic with the back of a spoon, enough to expose the flesh.
Add everything into the roasting tin and drizzle with the oil.
Sprinkle on the cayenne pepper and sea salt. Use your hands to toss everything together to coat with the oil.
Add the fresh herbs.
Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 40-45 minutes until they are cooked and crispy and gorgeous.