Dip-a-dee-doo-dah. Dip-a-dee-ay. Plenty of goodness comin’ my way.
Alton Brown has never let me down. (Hmm. . . come to think of it, that could be the name of a country-western song.) When I ran onto his recipe for Roasted Vegetable Spread, it looked easy, as well as veggielicious.
Short Recipe
It’s best not to substitute other ingredients in this recipe. Stick with the red peppers, onions, zucchini and garlic. Wallow the veggies in a bit of olive oil and give the whole shebang a good long stay in a hot oven (400 degrees for about 45 minutes, turning vegetables over a few times). You want some charring, but too much will cause the spread to be bitter.
After about 45 minutes in a hot oven, the vegetables have a slight char.
Roasted vegetables and cream cheese ready for a spin in the food processor.
It Doesn’t Get Any Easier Than This
Blitz the roasted vegetables in the food processor along with a chunk of cream cheese (I used the light variety with 50% less fat). Spread does not need to be perfectly smooth. Some bits make for a desirable crunch. Add seasoning to taste—I cranked it up some with a jolt of hot sauce. Now you have a dip for crudités, crackers, chips and and a spread for sandwiches. Serve at room temperature.
As a bonus you get a wonderful fragrant aroma in your kitchen.
RE: Roasted Vegetable Spread a la Alton Brown
I was gifted a batch of the last of the ugly zucchinis and wilting peppers from a friend’s garden, and as I was wondering what to do with them, besides freezing them for later use, remembered reading this recipe in your blog. I rooted around for half of a red onion I’d spotted in the bottom of the fridge, and unearthed my most softest Vidalia at the bottom of my onion crock. Even used the last of my spring garlic bulbs and tossed all with olive oil and herbs de Provence to season before roasting. I had a handful of fresh cut basil left over from roasting ugly tomatoes for my famous Ugly Tomatta Sauce, so I threw that in the blender after the roasted veggies along with the a full block of Neufchatel cream cheese. So sweet and tangy with the dash of hot sauce! Shared with a friend who is now a subscriber of your blog! Clink!
Lizabeth, it sounds like you are, indeed, a most adventurous cook. You made some great additions to that recipe.
Thanks for the shout out to your friend about the blog.
My next recipe to add from your blog is the marinated tomatoes. You could add pearls of mozzarella and fresh cut basil and have an easy caprese salad!
I agree and do that most of the time. My next post on Thursday features the family’s Labor Day meal using all farm raised vegetable, fruit, and meat. One of the dishes is a Caprese.