Just when we thought winter was loosening its grip on us here in the Pacific Northwest, Mother Nature pulled us back in. Temperatures have dropped; we had a dusting of snow over the weekend, and again on Wednesday, and they’re calling for more snow! It’s like a reminder to hang on to our sweaters and mittens since winter’s here for another month.

The thing is, I don’t really mind the cold when it’s this crisp and sunny, plus I relish hearty wintertime meals, from roasted vegetables to steaming bowls of stews and soups. The later reminds me of the type of food I ate as a kid – thick cozy stews and soups ladled over fragrant rice, banku or starchy root vegetables.

We made roasted cauliflower, potato and peas with tahini dressing last weekend as the cold wind blew and the snow came down in flurries outside – there’s just something comforting about roasting vegetables in winter – and this article made me grateful for fresh produce in winter.

This won’t fit in the title, but I really should have call it “roasted potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, sautéed onions and peas with a garlic tahini dressing”. Yeah, that’s a long one. It’s just a delicious mix of veggies doused in a tangy full-bodied dressing; it’s a wonderful combination of flavours, the kind of meal that’ll really put your CSA allotment to good use or you should try if you want to cook more with a variety of vegetables.
Rich, flavourful and deeply satisfying, you can serve it on its own for dinner or as a side – add a bit of quinoa or pasta for a nutritious weeknight meal; pair it with rice, polenta or jollof, like I plan to do this weekend!

We’ve made some version or other all winter long, it makes the kitchen smell great, like warmth and comfort. While it requires a little organization for the entire setup to come together, I think this will make an ideal weekend meal with just a little bit of preparation.

I start with the dressing, which can be prepared well in advance (and used over salads, slaws, rice/veggie bowls, etc). I roast the potatoes and carrots on one baking sheet and the cauliflower on another; while the veggies are roasting, I’ll sauté the onions with the peas, and then put everything together. Feel free to experiment with other vegetables if you try this, I’m thinking beets, winter squash, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.

We got fresh peas from the market over the summer, shelled and froze them, and we’ve used them throughout the year.

Finally, I have a jar of pipelchuma, vibrant spicy paste from Libya with a heady aroma and heat. I first learnt about in the Jerusalem cookbook; a dollop of pipelchuma over this roasted vegetables is so, so good…

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