Root Vegetables with Toasted Hazelnuts
You know when you eat something at a restaurant, and it’s so good you can’t stop thinking about it for days? You consider going back to the restaurant just days later so you can order it again. Maybe you even look at the menu and think, I could make this. When you try to mimic it you realize you have craving for the real version all over again. The constant battle.
A friend and I recently had dinner at the 3 Arts Club Cafe in Chicago. It’s this little gem of a place in a renovated building that Restoration Hardware restored. If you live in Chicago and have never been I highly recommend it. The building was built in 1914 as a home for women studying in the arts. Restoration Hardware has maintained some of the building’s layout of when the rooms were used as dormitories. Now it’s filled with elegant chandeliers, grandiose decor and a tree filled atrium that is best taken in while sipping a cocktail and touring the halls. The restaurant is cozy and a perfect spot for a delicious meal. My friend and I chatted so long that she and I realized we were the last ones in the restaurant.
We ordered a side of roasted vegetables as an appetizer. Who knew we would have been so taken back by a plate of roasted vegetables. They were delicious! Maybe it was the toasted hazelnuts piled on top (I think toasted nuts have the same effect on food that bacon does. They make everything better). Or the sweetness of the root vegetables with the drizzle of vinaigrette. I suppose it could have been our growling stomachs, but I’m still dreaming about the delectable plate of veggies. I did my best to recreate this recipe at home. I think I did a pretty good job, but I’ll let you be the judge of that!
Root Vegetables with Toasted Hazelnuts Recipe
Makes to 2 large or 4 small servings.
Ingredients
- 3 beets
- 1 and 1/2 cups butternut squash cubes
- 3 parsnips, cubed
- 1/2 cup farro
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup whole hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Olive oil
Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
- Zest of one lemon
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Rub 3 beets with olive oil and wrap each tightly in foil. Bake the beets for 20 minutes.
- While the beets roast, peel and dice the butternut squash into 1 and 1/2 cups. Dice 3 parsnips into cubes.
- Toss the squash and parsnip cubes in olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- After the beets have roasted and cooled enough to handle, remove the skin and dice into cubes.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Add the squash/parsnips in a single layer on one side of the baking sheet and the diced beets on the other. (You can stir them together, but everything will turn purple from the beets.) Bake for 20 minutes until the cubes are fork tender.
- In a small sauce pan add 1/2 cup farro and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 25 minutes until the farro is tender and the water is absorbed.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup of whole hazelnuts and toast for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Place the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped, but not powdery.
- In a small bowl whisk together 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice (juice of half a lemon), the zest from 1 lemon, 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp olive oil and pinch of both salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and toss with 2 Tbsp honey. (Again, keep the beets separate if you don’t want everything to turn purple.)
- Serve the vegetables over farro. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with the hazelnuts and chopped fresh parsley.
This recipe is very filling so it can work as a main course or as a side dish. You can swap the veggies for any wintry, root vegetable you like best. Try carrots, Brussel sprouts, fennel, cauliflower or sweet potato.
Use the Extra Ingredients
Save the extra butternut squash either as cubes or a half squash in the refrigerator. Toss the cubes in olive oil, cumin, cinnamon and roast for an easy side dish.
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