Roast winter vegetables with pistachio pesto & white beans

Ingredients

• 1 romanesco
• 1 small pumpkin (500g-750g), cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 large leek
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 clementines, halved
• 1 unwaxed lemon, halved
• A few sprigs of garden herbs (thyme, marjoram, rosemary)
• 150ml olive oil 2 tins of cannellini beans (drained) or 250g dried cannellini, soaked overnight and boiled until soft

For the pesto

• 50g shelled pistachios, crushed or chopped into small pieces
• 80g basil, stalks and leaves finely chopped
• 50g parmesan, crumbled or grated
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Method

Heat the oven to 190C. Stand the whole vegetables in a large roasting pan surrounded by the citrus fruit and topped with the garden herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and season, then cover tightly with parchment.

Place in the oven for 45 mins, then remove the parchment. Return to the oven for another 15 mins, or until cooked through. Aim to get a bit of charring on the outside of the vegetables towards the end of the cooking process, adjusting the heat as necessary.

Test that each vegetable is cooked by inserting a knife to check the softness. If one vegetable is cooked and charred nicely before another remove it from the oven until the rest catch up. Return any veg to the oven for a final warm-through before serving.

Meanwhile make the pesto by softly pounding all the ingredients together in a pestle and mortar or by simply mixing them together in a bowl.

When the vegetables are almost ready, heat the beans and season well. Serve the vegetables in their dish with a carving knife in the centre of the table. Serve the beans on main course plates drizzled with olive oil and the pesto in a side bowl for people to help themselves.

Image: Issy Croker