Roasting vegetables? It's a way to intensify their flavors … and provide some surprises - recipes

One secret to making food taste good is to intensify the flavors. Bradley Ogden, a proprietor and chef of The Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, California, has made an art of intensifying the taste of vegetables by roasting them.

Ogden gets help from a large wood-burning brick oven at the restaurant-but you can achieve similar results at home by cooking at high temperatures in a conventional oven. Vegetables will be sweet and have intense flavor. Once in the oven, the vegetables need little attention. All the recipes have make-ahead options.

Roasted onions are real winners because they are so versatile; Ogden cooks them by the panful and serves them plain to go with meats or to use in a variety of dishes. Here, we show ways to incorporate them in soup, in a ham and cheese appetizer salad, and in a butter relish.

One surprise from the oven is artichokes, first steamed, then roasted. Concentrated seasonings blended with vinegar and oil form a flavorful marinade. The artichokes are served cool or at room temperature. Apples and onions roasted with winter squash, then whirled with broth and juice, create a smooth, golden soup. Roasted Artichoke Salad

  4 large (4- to 4 1/2-in.-diameter)
        artichokes
   2 cups regular-strength chicken broth
   1 teaspoon each dry rosemary
        leaves, dry oregano leaves,
        mustard seed, and chili powder
  1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive or salad oil
   4 medium-size (about 3/4 lb. total)
        Roma-type tomatoes, cored,
        seeded, and chopped
  1/2 cup minced red onion
   2 tablespoons chopped italian
        parsley

Break small coarse outer leaves from artichokes. With a sharp knife, cut off thorny top; with scissors, snip any remaining thorny tips off leaves. Using same knife, peel stem and trim base. Immerse artichokes in water, swishing up and down; shake from stem end to remove water. Place artichokes in a 10- by 14-inch roasting pan. Mix broth, 1 cup water, rosemary, oregano, mustard seed, and chili powder; pour into pan. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in a 450 deg oven until artichoke bottoms are tender when pierced, about 50 minutes. Uncover and bake artichokes until just tinged with brown, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

Lift out the artichokes, draining, and put in a rimmed dish; reserve juices in pan. When the artichokes are cool enough to touch, ease the center of each open and pull out a few of the tiny thorn-tipped center leaves. Then scoop out the fuzzy choke in the center with a teaspoon. Discard tiny leaves and choke.

Over high heat, boil pan juices, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from beat, stir in vinegar and oil, and pour liquid over artichokes. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up until next day.

Lift artichokes onto individual rimmed plates. Mix tomato, onion, and parsley into artichoke juices. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the liquid into the center of each artichoke, then divide remaining mixture among the plates. Serve cool or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 245 cal.; 6.4 g protein; 16 g fat,- 26 g carbo.; 168 mg sodium; 0 mg chol. Oven-roasted Onions The onions taste good as is, or in some of the following recipes.

18 small (2-in.-diameter, about 5 lb.
       total) onions, peeled
 2 tablespoons each butter or
       margarine, extra-virgin olive or
       salad oil, and balsamic vinegar
    Salt and pepper

In a 10- by 14-inch roasting pan, combine onions, butter, oil, and vinegar. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 deg oven, gently turning onions over about every 20 minutes, until they are very soft when pressed and cut edges are richly browned, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve onions hot or at room temperature, adding salt, pepper, and pan juices to taste. Or use onions and juices in following recipes (you'll need 2 tablespoons of the juice for ham and cheese with ovenroasted onions). If made ahead, cover and chill up to 1 week. Serves 6 to 9.

Per onion: 63 cal.; 1. 3 g protein; 3. 1 g fat,- 8.4 g carbo.; 15 mg sodium; 3.4 mg chol. Oven-roasted Onion Soup

  1 or 2 ham hocks (about 1 lb. total),
       sawed in half lengthwise, rinsed
   4 slices French bread, each about 1/2
       inch thick and 4 inches wide
     About 2 tablespoons extra-virgin or
       regular olive oil
   8 oven-roasted onions (recipe
       precedes)
   1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
     About 2 ounces parmesan cheese,
       shaved thin with a cheese slicer
     Salt and pepper

In a 3- to 4-quart pan, combine ham hock and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the meat is very tender when pierced, about 2 hours. If made ahead, let cool, then cover and chill up to 2 days; reheat until warm to continue. Meanwhile, lightly brush baguette slices with olive oil and place in a 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Bake in a 400 deg oven until golden, about 5 minutes; let cool, then package airtight up to 8 hours.

Lift hock from pan, reserving liquid. When meat is cool enough to touch, pull it from bone. Set meat aside; discard bone, gristle, skin, and any fat.