Vegetarian Recipe

Roast Vegetables with Asian Pesto

Vegetarians, and non vegetarians, will love this recipe. Its a great way to use up your harvest of Spring/Summer vegetables. The pesto can also be served with pasta or noodles. The vegetables used are probably regarded as Mediterranean but the Asian pesto completely transforms them.

For the roast vegetables

2 courgettes, peeled and thickly sliced, at an angle

1 aubergine, halved thickly sliced

8 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

2 red peppers, cut into chunks

2 yellow peppers, cut into chunks

250g large mushrooms, quartered

4tbsp vegetable oil

2tsp roasted sesame oil

Prepare your vegetables and place them all, except the mushrooms, in a deep roasting tin. Mix the vegetable oil with the sesame oil and drizzle them over the vegetables. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes then add the mushrooms, return them to the oven and roast for a further 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and starting to colour at the edges.

For the pesto

200g fresh coriander, with stalks

250ml olive oil

45g fresh mint

salt and freshly ground black pepper

45g unsalted roasted peanuts

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Place the peanuts, garlic, herbs and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor, at medium speed. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture, until it forms a smooth paste. Season to taste.

To serve

Drizzle half the pesto over the vegetables and mix to combine, put the rest of the pesto in a jug to serve at the table with toasted crusty bread and the roasted vegetables.