I made the decision a couple winters ago. I'd been treating my vegetables the way everyone else does in the winter, roasting them until they were blistered, sweetened and softened by heat and steam. But after weeks and weeks of the same roasty flavors, my palate got bored. By the time March rolled around, I couldn't handle it anymore. So I boycotted roasted vegetables entirely—I turned off my oven and started to treat winter vegetables the way I treat their summer counterparts.
I didn't know if I'd be able to do it. After all, winter vegetablesneedto be roasted, right? Short answer: no. With a box grater, vegetable peeler, mandolin, and, sometimes, a food processor, I find I can do wondrous things—namely, taste the intricacies (bitter, sharp, crunch, chew) lost upon roasting.
Beets are a lovely gateway: Eaten raw, a slight bitterness counteracts their earthy sweetness. I pulse cubed beets with toasted walnuts, panko, pomegranate molasses and spices for a take on that Middle Eastern pepper dip,muhammara. When left alone, thinly shaved Brussels sprouts are delicate, peppery tendrils that take sharp vinaigrettes with gusto (amazingly, their crunch remains intact). I toss with apples, sunflower seeds, and a mustard-shallot vinaigrette;pecorino and lemonis an equally lively match.
And while I sometimes miss roasted squash, I'm just as happy to shave the squash into ribbons. Prepared this way, butternut and kabocha maintain a light sweetness that goes well with chewy grains, toasted nuts and an herb- and garlic-packed buttermilk dressing.
Shaving works for carrots, too. The Middle East caught onto grated carrot salads eons ago, and the options are seemingly endless: plump raisins, parsley, lemon, tahini; toasted walnuts, pomegranate seeds, red onion, walnut oil;paprika, cumin, harissa, cilantro. Not convinced? Go halfsies with aroasted-raw mashup, wherein sweetly roasted carrots and their crunchy counterparts are offset by creamy avocado, citrus and cumin.
Or turn on your burners and take savory pancakes for a spin. The grilled vegetable pancakes the Japanese callokonomiyakiare simple to prepare on a whim: Grate whatever hardy vegetables you have on hand (I love carrots and purple cabbage) and sauté on low heat until softened. Remove them to a bowl to cool, then stir in a few drops of fish sauce, a beaten egg, a couple spoonfuls of flour, and some salt. Heat a nonstick pan, then press the mixture in and cook over medium-high heat. When the bottom is crisp and well-bound, flip it and cook the other side a few minutes more. Top with scallions and cilantro, or drizzle with sesame oil, Sriracha or, hell, even someKewpie. (Okonomiyakican go gluten-free, too—just sub chickpea flour for all-purpose.)
This isn’t to say that your oven should go forever ignored. When winter rolls around again, I'll turn my oven back on. But until then, I'm going to eat my winter vegetables in a different style. Crunchier. Brighter. A style that tastes like spring.
