Roasted vegetables provençal recipe

I was inspired to make this recipe of roasted vegetables Provençal when the lovely people at Springfield Wine Estate sent me a hamper of the most beautiful produce from their farm last week along with an invite to Constantia Fresh 2017. Its one of my favourite wine events and you can see what past events were like over here and here. It’s all going down this Saturday and with all the delicious food and wine on the day, I simple cannot wait. you can follow along on my Instagram stories as I take you through the event. The winemaker and owner of the farm Abrie Bruwer makes something similar so I couldn’t resist. I adore roasted vegetables in almost any form, and with this recipe you can taste France in every bite.

This is more of a rough guide as it really is a case of layering in your favourite vegetables, adding seasonings and baking until cooked through and delicious. I used aubergine (eggplant) cut into rounds, zucchini (courgette), tomatoes and red and yellow bell peppers. Green peppers would be more traditional but I prefer red. I also fried up a couple of red onions with loads of garlic to line the pan and as it bakes all the juices gather in the bottom adding extra flavour. Fresh bay leaves tucked between the vegetables along with basil leaves and fresh thyme finished off the aromatic side of things. This makes a perfect side dish for any summery feast. Preferably enjoyed outdoors.

Finely slice about 2 red onions and fry them in olive oil until softened. Add the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme, crushed garlic (about 3 – 5 cloves) and salt and pepper. Spread this softened mix on the bottom of a round roasting dish.

Slice your vegetables to around the same size and about a centimeter thick. Layer them almost upright around the pan in a snake-like manner. You want them to be quite tightly packed and not lying flat. I used more tomatoes than any other vegetables as this helps the aubergine soften and provides liquid. Season the vegetables very well as you go with salt and pepper. I prefer white pepper here as its more floral. Tuck your herbs in-between. I used about 12 fresh bay leaves because I love bay leaves.

Cut up a red, yellow or green pepper into fairly large chucks / strips and pile in the middle. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Bake in an oven that has been pre heated to 180C / 350F for about an hour to and hour and 15 minutes. You want the vegetables to be cooked through. Serve at room temperature, as they are better this way.

If you happen to have any left overs, they are delicious cut into salads, served on sandwiches or as a quick tortilla pizza topping.