The word ' bruschetta ' comes from the Italian word 'bruscare', which basically means to char . As long as you've got some raw garlic to rub on the ' pane bruscato' (toasted bread) and some good olive oil you can make bruschetta. Anything you put on top after that, from leftover meat, shellfish or even simple anchovies - will be delicious. One of my favourite combos is leftover lamb , fresh mint and a splash of sherry vinegar ... come on!
These roasted vegetable bruschetta are delicious and easy. All you have to do is season and dress the leftover roasted veggies carefully to bring them back to life and you've got a perfect snack or light lunch. Gennaro has his way, and I have mine!
Pop the bread on a hot griddle pan and toast it on both sides. While that's happening, use the back of a fork or knife to roughly mash up the beetroot, turnip, and parsnip on a wooden board. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle over some extra-virgin olive oil and a little splash of balsamic, then mash again. Once your bread has nice char marks on both sides, rub the cut garlic clove all over it for flavour, then spoon the mashed vegetables on top. Finely chop the parsley and scatter that on top.
Toss the salad and mint leaves in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, a splash of extra-virgin olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic and a squeeze of lemon juice. Put a pinch of the salad leaves on top of the bruschetta then shave over some Parmesan. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve right away with the rest of the salad on the side.
For bruschetta:
Put your bread slices onto a hot griddle and toast on both sides. Add the fennel to a bowl with the chopped basil leaves and most of the chile. Squeeze in the lemon juice , add a good drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and a few shavings of Parmesan, then toss everything together. Have a quick taste to make sure the seasoning is right and add a bit more lemon juice or salt, if needed.
When the bread is nice and charred, rub the cut side of the garlic all over it. Drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil then top with a small handful of your fennel mixture. Tear the mozzarella into quarters and place one on each bruschetta. Top with some thin shavings of Parmesan, a few little sprinkles of chile and the reserved basil. And just like that you've got a lovely lunch.
For the vegetables:
If any of your carrots, parsnips or turnips are particularly big, chop them in 1/2. You can parboil the carrots, fennel, parsnips , and baby turnips together-everything except the beets, as they'll turn everything else red! The beets also take quite a bit longer to cook, around 20 to 25 minutes.
Put the rest of the vegetables into a large pot, cover with cold water and season well. Bring to the boil and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes until you've got part-cooked, softened bendy vegetables, and then drain in a colander and leave to steam dry.
Get yourself a small tray, and use it to mix up each set of vegetables with their own gorgeous flavours, a few good lugs of oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the carrots, clementines and rosemary together first and move them to a larger roasting tray so they're all together.
Then mix your fennel with its flavours and do the same... When you get to the parsnips, keep the honey back for later. Make sure each vegetable group is separate in the roasting tray. Cover the tray with tin foil and keep in the refrigerator or the garage until your turkey is out of the oven and resting.
When you are ready to cook them, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C/ Gas 5. Roast the vegetables in the hot oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour until they are golden, crispy and beautiful looking. Five minutes before they are ready to come out of the oven take the tray out, drizzle the honey over the parsnips and jiggle the tray so they are nicely coated.
Pile all the vegetables up on a platter so they sprawl and hang all over the place. That platter is like winter in a nutshell, and every single mouthful will taste different and exciting - you'll definitely want to keep it close to you at the table.
