Carter Cooks: Roasted Vegetable Dip

With all the beautiful produce coming in I am constantly trying to make something a little different. This dip was something I stumbled across making a few years ago. It’s especially good when you have too many vegetables and some are starting to turn. Because you cook and puree them, the vegetables don’t need to be the cream of the crop.

We are so excited for the market to be gearing up again. Please come and join us this week to meet our new vendors and pick up some vegetables and bread to try this dip. It’s an especially nice alternative to a cream based dip and is great for potlucks or dinner parties.

Roasted Vegetable Dip

From the Market

Eggplant

Zucchini

Tomatoes

Garlic

Onion

Fresh herbs

Focaccia Bread

From your Pantry

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Slice all your vegetables.
3. For the Eggplant and Zucchini, I slice them into about ¼-½ in pieces.  I usually just chunk the tomatoes. The finished product will be pureed; so don’t worry about how they look.
4. After you slice the eggplant, you need to salt it. I usually immerse the eggplant in salt water for 10-15 minutes. Or if I’m in a hurry, I heavily salt each piece and let sit until water appears on the eggplant. Then, I rinse the eggplant with water and pat dry. This is crucial because it pulls the bitterness out of the eggplant.
5. Place all the vegetables on a roasting pan.
6. Most of the time I would say don’t crowd the pan, but for some reason I always do with this recipe. Since I am not concerned about appearance, I just put them all on there. Some times I need more than one pan.
7. Drizzle with olive oil (about 1Tbsp), salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (I typically use parsley or oregano).
8. Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until tender. You should stir the vegetables occasionally.
9. Once tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
10. Pull out your food processor (or blender), put all the vegetables and juices into the food processor and pulse until smooth (maybe 45 seconds).
11. Serve as an appetizer on focaccia bread!
12. I prefer it served warm. It can be made ahead, stored, and reheated in the oven.