Recipe: Baked Vegetables with Citrus (using orange peel, orange juice and honey)

BAKED VEGETABLES WITH CITRUS

"This lovely dish, made even prettier with the ruby juice of the blood orange, is baked "en papillote" - in parchment paper. You can use aluminum foil also, although the presentation won't be quite as elegant."

A selection of the following vegetables to equal 8 to 10 cups: small red onions or shallots, carrots, parsnips, turnips, pumpkins, sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
12 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Sprigs of thyme
Orange peel, zested
2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable stock (or water)
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut aluminum foil or baking paper into
six 12-inch squares, and turn up the edges to form bowl-shaped
containers.

Prepare the vegetables for cooking and set aside.

In a medium frying pan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and saute the garlic, onions and carrots over medium heat until lightly browned.

Add the parsnips, turnips, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and thyme and saute 2 to 3 minutes more. With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the prepared foil containers.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and orange zest to the pan, pour in the brandy, orange juice and stock and add the honey. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until reduced to about 6 tablespoons. Spoon a tablespoon into each foil container and season to taste.

Pull the edges of the foil together and turn them over or tie to seal in the vegetables and their juices completely. Place in a large baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the packets from the oven and serve straight from the foil or transfer to serving plates. The garlic, soft and caramelized, can easily be squeezed from its skin and eaten.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Everyday Epicurean by Catherine Bell