Serves 8
IT MAY SOUND CRAZY, but one of my favorite things to do is food shopping. I love walking through the farmers’ markets in Brooklyn and thinking of all the possibilities. To me, this is as exciting as any adventure. The pride small farmers take in their fruits and vegetables is so personal and so moving. When you’re shopping at your farmers’ market, take a moment to ask questions. You might make a new friend, and also get to hear how those beautiful squashes or tomatoes or root vegetables got that way. Then it’s your turn to transform them into something delicious.
I felt like I was celebrating the late-summer harvest in the best possible way when I found beautiful squashes, carrots, and parsnips at my local farmers’ market, and roasted them. Sometimes I have this recipe as a side dish and sometimes as a dessert, or even a snack. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 days.
2 acorn or butternut squashes
5 or 6 yellow and orange carrots
3 or 4 parsnips
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon real maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Peel and chop all the vegetables into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine, then pour over the veggies. Stir, making sure all of the pieces are well coated.
Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and bake until tender (when you can put a fork through easily), 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve hot.