A craving satisfied with a miracle.

Sometimes I really miss summer.  Not the warm weather, really, but the Farmers’ Market, the smell of fresh vegetables, juicy, fire-engine read tomatoes, bunches of crisp greens.  The produce at the store in the winter leaves a lot to be desired.  Tomatoes are pale.  Nothing is as fresh or local as it is in the summer.

But the oven is kind of a miracle worker.  It can intensify flavors and make everything just a little bit more delicious.  It works wonders on winter vegetables flown in from California or Mexico and all the other sunny places that grow vegetables all year round.

Today I was craving beef.  And some good vegetables.  And I made this delicious thing for lunch.  Take a look:

I got some high-quality, cheaper cut steak.  A baguette from Ken’s Artisan Bakery.  And then.  Then.  I made the best part.

Roasted Winter Vegetable Gold

I couldn’t decide if this was a salsa, a pesto, or what.  So I just decided to call it gold.  Because it was so valuable.  In my sandwich.

5 carrots

5 large leaves of kale

1 bunch of green onions

2 cloves garlic

1 lime

1 red chili pepper

Olive oil

Kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Trim the ends off the carrots and chop into 1 inch pieces.  Place on a baking sheet with the cloves of garlic and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for about 25 – 30 minutes, until you can pierce the carrots with a fork.

Cut the stems out of the kale and roughly chop the leaves into thirds.  Place on another baking sheet.  Trim the white ends off the green onions.  Place on the baking sheet, along with the chili pepper.  Cut the lime in half and place on the sheet as well.  Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over everything.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for about 15 minutes.  The kale will shrink down, the green onions will be limp.  The chili pepper will be slightly charred and the lime will be a little swollen.

Let everything cool slightly.  Peel the outer skin off of the chili pepper and cut off the stem.  Place it in the food processor, along with the carrots, garlic, kale, and onions.  Squeeze the limes into the food processor (notice how juicy they get in the oven!) Drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and process for about 30 seconds, or to desired consistency.  Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.

Makes about two cups.

It’s sweet from the carrots, spicy from the chili pepper, a little bitter from the kale and all those flavors, brought together with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, well, they dance together.  Quite nicely.  And even though it’s NOT summer tomatoes, it is a different kind of farm-fresh goodness.  The kind you get from your oven.

You could serve this on a sandwich, like I did, or serve it on top of a steak, stuff chicken breasts with it, smear it on bread,  use it as a dip, or toss it with pasta.  This is like 81 meals in one recipe.  IT IS A MIRACLE.   See?  I told you.  Miracles.