Sweet and Savory Veggie Roast with Gorgonzola

Looking for a new vegetable side dish to compliment your holiday dinner?  Look no further than this sweet and savory roasted vegetable dish of nutty, buttery fennel, sweet apple and yellow onion, plump golden raisins with nutrient-packed red kale and creamy Gorgonzola cheese.  This is the perfect combination of beautiful seasonal produce that will pair beautifully with your main course, whether you are serving a roast turkey, honey ham or beef tenderloin. 




Sweet and Savory Veggie Roast with Gorgonzola

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly slice
1 bulb of fennel, cut in half and core, and thinly slice (reserve the fronds for garnish)
3 Gala apples, cut in half and core, and thinly slice
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups red kale, torn into pieces
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese



Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Begin prepping the ingredients by thinly slicing the yellow onion, fennel bulb, and Gala apples.  Place the sliced onion, fennel and apple on a large baking sheet along with a 1/2 cup of golden raisins, extra virgin olive oil (reserving just a bit for the red kale), and a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3.  With tongs or your clean hands, toss these ingredients in order to lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.

4.  Cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes.  With tongs, gently move around ingredients, then cook for another 10 minutes.

5.  Toss red kale with remaining extra virgin olive oil.  Add to baking sheet with other ingredients.  Incorporate well into baked vegetables and apples.  Cook for another 10 minutes.

6.  Transfer to serving dish and top generously with 1/2 cup of Gorgonzola cheese and garnish with fennel fronds. 

Enjoy this beautiful addition to your holiday table.  As this dish sits on your holiday table while your guests leisurely take their seats, the richness of the Gorgonzola cheese will gently melt into the roasted vegetables, making it that much more decadent.  Your guests will be in awe of these complex flavors cooked with simplicity.

Serves 4