I’ve always thought it would be so wonderful to live like people in Italy, Mexico and Thailand, where one visits the local fresh markets in the morning to see what is being offered by the various food vendors.  This traditional, cultural experience influences what one will prepare for that day’s meal by what is available in the market.

The only thing fresher than a local or farmers’ market is to take a stroll through your own garden and harvest what is ready to use that day  . . . and that’s just what I did yesterday!  I just love going out to my vegetable gardens that are right next to my kitchen.  All I have to do is walk out the side door with a basket and a pair of clippers and I’m able to return with nature’s freshness to cook with!  It’s such a rewarding feeling!

And I always, ALWAYS think about my grandparents and great-grandparents who were avid gardeners whenever I’m in the garden!

Currently, my bell peppers are growing very well, so I knew I needed to include red, green, and orange bell peppers in a side dish.  The herbs are going strong and so something from that garden bed could join in for added flavor.  I already had on hand some new baby red potatoes, a red onion, and garlic (purchased from the local farmers’ market).

A cookbook or a recipe is not always referred to in my Italian family.  The cooks in my family, more often than not, cook and add ingredients as they go.

With that said, I poured some olive oil into a large mixing bowl . . . about 2 Tbsp.  Into the olive oil went two very huge minced cloves of garlic and I gave it a whirl.  Then I cut up the red potatoes into wedges and threw them into the olive oil – garlic mixture, stirring so that they were all evenly covered with oil and garlic.   Then I added the chopped peppers and onions.  Finally, I tossed in about 3 Tbsp. freshly snipped, and finely chopped rosemary.  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper were sprinkled liberally all over these ingredients.

 

After tossing well, I just placed everything in a medium-sized baking dish and baked them in the oven for about 40 minutes on 375 degrees.  To brown the potatoes, the oven was switched to “Broil” for about 5 – 10 more minutes, with a constant eye on things so that they wouldn’t burn and to pull the baking dish out of the oven and toss everything around once to brown everything evenly.

A colorful mixture of the fresh veggies before baking in the oven.
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Golden brown and ready to enjoy!

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Roasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary

Roasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 very huge, minced cloves of garlic
  • 10 – 15 red potatoes, cut into wedges
  • 1 each of green, red, and orange bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, cut into small 1/2″ pieces
  • 1/2 an onion (I used red simply because that’s what I had on hand), chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. freshly snipped, and finely chopped rosemary
  • Generously amounts of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Instructions

Place oil and garlic in a large mixing bowl.

Toss in all of the ingredients and mix well for everything to be thoroughly covered with oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Put everything in a medium baking dish.

Bake on 375 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily be inserted.

Turn oven to “Broil”, with a watchful eye, brown the veggies for about 5 – 10 minutes, stirring once, and then brown for another 5 – 10 minutes.

Do not let these burn under the broiler.

 
Roasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary on FoodistaRoasted Garden Vegetables with Garlic and Rosemary
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