Roasting winter vegetables really is a great way to get a whole load of sweetness and nutritional benefit on one plate. Pancetta is the rolled-up, salted belly pork typical to Italian cuisine. If you can’t find pancetta use any ordinary salted bacon cut into small cubed sized pieces. The poached egg on top of this dish makes it a warming, nutritious everyday meal that your family and or friends are going to love.

Ingredients

Any winter-root vegetable that takes your fancy: turnips, swedes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, potatoes, carrots ….

2-3 red onions – or any onion if you don’t have red ones to hand.

Lots of garlic cloves (these beauties are going to be baked so the over-powering taste of garlic is reduced. You can afford to be generous.)

Cumin Seeds and or Caraway Seeds.

Rosemary.

Thyme

Directions

Peel the root vegetables with a vegetable-peeler and cut the root-vegetables into chunks of a similar size.

Pour the vegetables you have chosen into a big pan of salted water and bring to the boil.

Leave to boil for 10-15 minutes until they are partially cooked.

Drain the water and place the vegetable into a large baking-tray.

Sprinkle the cut onion of the vegetables and peeled garlic cloves.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin and/or caraway seeds.

Place the rosemary and thyme over the top.

Pour a generous amount of olive oil over the vegetables and place in a pre-heated oven of approx. 180 degrees centigrade and leave to bake between 45-60 minutes stirring occasionally to disperse the fat and the roasting vegetables.

Whilst the vegetables are baking fry up the cut pancetta until it is nice and crisp. Mix the pancetta in with the root vegetables when they are ready.

Serve in a bowl with a poached egg.