Vegetables Baked in Parchment

By Hklbrries

This dish is flexible and can serve either as a first or main course. As a main dish, it is complete in itself.

Cooking without fats or oils puts greater pressure on the components of a dish to deliver flavor. This recipe will be most successful if you choose vegetables that are at their peak and freshly picked. Cooking vegetables in parchment is certainly one of the best ways to seal in their flavor as none of the juices can escape. Nor does their combined aroma release until the package is peeled open at the table to the surprised pleasure of your guests.

Due to the ever-changing availability of seasonal vegetables, the following recipe is meant as a guideline. You may wish to forgo the peas (for instance, if they are starchy) in favor of asparagus. Or you could substitute artichokes for the fennel. The recipe is forgiving enough to permit these differences. It is advisable, nevertheless, to cut like-textured vegetables, other than those listed here, similarly - for instance, parsnips like carrots, potatoes like beets, celery like fennel, and so on. This will ensure that they cook properly.

The simplest way to cook vegetables in parchment is in the oven on a preheated baking sheet. However, you may wish to cook the packages in the coals of the fireplace or grill if you are eating outdoors. If so, wrap the vegetables in an additional layer of heavy-duty foil, lay down a bed of ash over the coals, and allow about 25 minutes for the vegetables to cook.

Ingredients

• 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb
• 3/4 cup shelled peas
• 2/3 cup scallions, roots trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths and split vertically
• 1 1/3 cups golden beets, peeled and sliced very thin
• 1 heaping cup yellow or green zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick dice
• 1 heaping cup tender string beans, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 heaping cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup julienned carrots
• 1 cup small turnips, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 heaping tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• Kitchen parchment paper
• 6 tbsp water

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place 2 standard cookie sheet pans in the oven to warm.

Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl, season them with salt and pepper, add the fresh tarragon and chives, and mix well. Cut 6 lengths of parchment paper about 18-by-12-inches. Lay the parchment sheets out on a work surface lengthwise. Distribute the vegetables evenly in a mound about a third of the way from the bottom ends. Pour 1 tbsp of water over each mound of vegetables. Fold the top end over the vegetables to meet the bottom edge. Beginning at either folded corner, make little tight overlapping folds. Proceed all the way around the open side of the parchment until you reach the other corner, then twist the paper to seal the package.

Arrange the packages on the hot pans. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The parchment paper will swell and turn a light brown. Serve on warm oval plates immediately and open at the table.

Nutrition Information:
Per (1 cup) serving
94 calories
.6 g fat
0 mg cholesterol
106.2 mg sodium without added salt