Roasted Heirloom Carrots, Beetroot, Parsnips with Vino Cotto, Polenta and Olive, Caper & Parsley Salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 Purple carrots
  • 4 Gold carrots
  • 4 Orange carrots
  • 4 Parsnip
  • 6 small Gold beetroots
  • 6 small Red beetroots
  • 2 tbspn Lemon thyme

Soft White Polenta

  • 1.8L Full cream milk
  • 560g Instant white polenta
  • 1/2 cup Mascarpone
  • 50g Unsalted butter
  • 2 tspn Sea Salt
  • Pinch Freshly ground nutmeg

Salad

  • 4 tspn Baby capers in salt
  • 24 Kalamata Olives
  • 1 cup Flat leaf parsley leaves
Print Recipe

Place 5 large pots of salted cold water over high heat (if you do not have pots you are able to cook these in batches, but refresh the water between each batch).

Place the purple carrots into 1 pot, the gold and orange carrots into another pot, the parsnip into a pot and the beetroot into their own pots. The reason for this is that the purple carrots and beetroots will leach some of their colour. You also need to make sure that the size of vegetables which you are cooking together are the same.

Bring each of the pots to the boil and cook until the vegetables are cooked through with just a slight bit of bite in the centre. You are able to check this by inserting the tip of a sharp knife- if the tip goes in easy, the vegetables are cooked. Remove from the heat and strain.

Allow to cool just enough so that you can handle them. Peel the beetroot and then cut each of the vegetables in half lengthways. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with Vino Cotto, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and thyme leaves, set aside.

Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 230C.

To make the polenta, place the milk into a large pot and put over a medium high heat. Bring to simmering point and once it has come to the simmer, slowly pour in the polenta while whisking so that no lumps form.

Reduce the heat to low, continue to cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, then add the Verjuice, mascarpone, butter, salt and nutmeg and mix together well. Set aside and keep warm.

Place the olives and capers onto a baking tray and place into preheated oven with the vegetables and roast for 8 to 10 minutes until they start to caramelise.

Meanwhile make a vinaigrette by combining the Extra Virgin Olive oil and Red Wine Vinegar and whisk together well and set aside.

Remove from the oven and place the roasted vegetables onto a serving platter with the soft white polenta. Toss the roasted olives and capers with the parsley and dress with the vinaigrette and serve with the polenta and roasted vegetables. Evenly divide between 4 plates.