A plate of vegetables doesn’t really sound enticing especially on a menu.

However.

If you add the word “roasted” in front and ending with haloumi…that will be a whole different story.

And if you add a small dollop of garlicky mayo and basil pesto (homemade is ideal for this dish) on the side, a plate of vegetables or the bistro way of naming, vegetables plate couldn’t be any fancier. I’ve order a vegetables plate from my favourite bistro in Bathurst – The Hub not too long ago and I have been craving for this dish ever since. Purely driven by my desire to taste this again, I have decided to take things into my own hand and recreated this in my kitchen.

Roasted Vegetables Plate with Haloumi

(Inspired by a dish I’ve ordered from The Hub, Bathurst NSW)

What you need (for two people as mains):-

• A bunch of 8 Dutch carrots, peeled and trim the stalks
• One half of a small butternut pumpkin, cut into one inched cubes
• About 8 button mushrooms
• 2 French shallots, halved
• A handful of rocket leaves (aka arugula)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 tbsp store-bought mayo
• A small clove of garlic, grated
• 2 tbsps homemade or store-bought basil pesto
• 2 slices of haloumi, pan-fried

Let’s get started:

(1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/ 356 degrees F.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Drizzle some olive oil on the parchment paper. Arrange pumpkin, mushrooms, French shallots and carrots on the tray and drizzle more olive oil all over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tenders. (2) Meanwhile, rinse and dry the rocket leaves. Set aside. (3) If you are making your own basil pesto, now will be a good time to whisk’em up while waiting for the vegetables to be cooked. Set aside. (5) Pour some mayo (I used Heinz whole egg mayo) and add grated garlic and mix well – this is my garlic ‘aioli’. (6) When the vegetables are almost done, pan fry some sliced haloumi. (7) To plate – scatter rocket leaves on a flat plate, followed by the roasted vegetables and top with a slice (or slices) haloumi. Add dollop of garlic mayo and basil pesto on the side of the plate. Bon appetit!