Side? Salad? Snack? You decide.

Agrodolce, or the well-known Italian sweet-and-sour sauce, is a brilliant marinade for a medley of just-cooked vegetables.

I first had a recipe like this while staying with some friends for a ski weekend (thanks for all the great tastes and inspiration as always, Nancy!) The flavor mash up of hearty and earthy veg with a fresh and zingy sweet-and-sour sauce is irresistible. I immediately went home and created my own version, mixing up a selection of vegetables (although it shouldn’t stop here— you could definitely use carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, celeriac, turnips, rutabaga, beets, green beans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli or broccolini—you get the idea, get creative!). I also added some heat to the syrup, first with some fresh chiles (man, was it fiery! but still so good) then later dialed back with dried chile flakes— use as much or as little as your taste buds desire.

Be sure to cook the vegetables until just tender— I like them even a bit al dente. This will ensure they hold their shape while marinating. The whole lot keeps really well in the fridge (stir occasionally to keep the vegetables evenly marinating) for a week or two. I’d argue it gets even better the longer it sits. Want to make it even more extra? Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and roughly chopped castelveltrano olives.

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Vegetables in Agrodolce

Serves 4 as a side dish

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 fennel bulb (13 oz), cut into ¼ inch thick slices

• 1 pound butternut squash or other winter or summer squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into ¼ -inch thick slices

• ½ pound cauliflower florets (any color), halved or sliced thickly

• 1 small red onion (6 oz), peeled, halved, and cut into ½-inch thick slices

• 3 tablespoons agave nectar (or pure maple syrup or honey)

• Good pinch dried red chile flakes (or a few thin slices of a fresh chile)

• ¾ cup vinegar (red wine or balsamic if you’d like it a bit sweeter)

• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

• A scant ¼ cup fresh mint leaves

• Toasted pine nuts and castelvetrano olives, optional

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

2. Place the vegetables on two baking sheets and drizzle with oil (2 tablespoons per sheet pan). Season each sheet pan with ½ teaspoon salt and season with black pepper. Toss vegetables and lay flat in single layers.

3. Roast until vegetables are just tender and starting to brown on bottoms, flipping all the vegetables half way through (and rotating pans from top to bottom racks), about 20-40 minutes (depending on the exact thickness of your vegetables and the strength of your oven).

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the agave, chile flakes, vinegar, garlic and pinch of salt to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture is reduced to ¼ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. 

5. Layer vegetables in a serving dish, tearing mint leaves between layers. Pour over syrup and allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing gently to combine flavors. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve topped with pine nuts and chopped olives if desired.