Bacon wrapped roast vegetables with garlic and honey glaze

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve felt like I lost my cooking mojo.

What happened?  Well, my adorable and chubby little bubs has suddenly become really active.  She crawls very quickly, pulls herself up on all the furniture, charges up and down the room pushing her walker and follows me EVERYWHERE.  There is no moment of relaxation or peace anymore when she’s awake – even when I go to the toilet, she sits outside, slapping the door and letting out enraged howls.

So lately, when it has been time to cook dinner, I’ve found myself stressed out by the whole process.  Meals have been thrown together with whatever vegetable looked the saddest in the fridge and the cooking itself has been woeful.  I hate turning out meals that are below my usual standard and this has just compounded to make me dread dinner time more and more.

Desperate to feel inspired, I turned to Pinterest (it was that or Food TV, but there was nothing interesting on) and started browsing.  I came across this recipe for bacon wrapped veggie bundles on A Spicy Perspective and there it was – I started to look forward to cooking the next night’s dinner!  It looked like a great idea – something I could prep in advance and wouldn’t take long to cook, but was still a little bit fancy.  And of course, bacon is always a win for me!

The original recipe includes a cider maple glaze which sounds really good, but I decided to use honey instead of maple syrup as that’s what I had in the pantry.  Also, my glaze is a lot simpler.  I served this with crumbed hoki fillets, but it would also be great with grilled or roasted meats.  This would also make a great side dish for a fancy occasion like Christmas or for a dinner party.  If you aren’t so flash with a knife in the kitchen, you could always switch the carrots with baby carrots and just cut them into halves or quarters lengthways.  You could try substituting the vegetables with other ones or adding others – I think some spring onion would be a nice addition.

So here it is – bacon wrapped roast vegetables and the return of my cooking mojo.

 

Bacon wrapped roast vegetables with garlic and honey glaze

 

Makes around 12-15 bundles

 

Ingredients

3 parsnips, peeled

3 carrots, peeled or scrubbed

1 large bunch of asparagus, tough ends snapped off (I used the thinner ones)

streaky bacon

1 bunch rosemary, leaves finely chopped

3 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup)

1 clove garlic, crushed

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius.

Cut the parsnips and carrots into long, thin batons, roughly the same thickness as the asparagus spears.

Separate the vegetables into piles with about 2-3 pieces of carrot, 2-3 pieces of parsnips and 2-3 asparagus spears.

Wrap each pile with a strip of bacon and then tie the ends in a loose knot.

   

Place your bundles on a tray lined with baking paper.

Lightly spray with oil (this step isn’t necessary though).  Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary as well as salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on how thick your batons are cut).  If using two trays, remember to swap their positions halfway through.

Meanwhile, make your glaze by heating up your honey until it is runny (can be done on the stovetop or in a short blast in the microwave).  Add the garlic and stir together.

After 20 minutes, lightly brush the honey mixture over the vegetables and bacon.  Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Serve.