Roast

I love to grill flank steak outdoors, but sometimes it isn’t possible. The convection oven is a wonderful substitute. If you have a cast-iron grill pan long enough to accommodate a flank steak, place it in the oven when you begin to preheat it. Otherwise, use the roasting pan and rack assembly that comes with your oven. I recommend preheating the oven for at least 10 minutes.

Here’s a quick hot-roasted meal that’s as ideal for entertaining as it is for a busy weekday. All you need to add are some tossed greens and crusty bread.

This is definitely a special-occasion meal, but it is so easy to do, and you can “grill” it all year round! I like to use ridged cast-iron grill pans to do everything from hamburgers to tenderloin steaks. I preheat the pan in the oven using the regular bake setting. Once it’s preheated, I set the oven to convection roast or convection broil and use tongs to transfer the meat to the hot grill pan. Turn it over halfway through cooking to get grill marks on both sides. At the same time I bake thick-cut potatoes in a roasting pan on a lower oven rack. Add a simple green salad to the menu and serve with crusty bread.

This is definitely a special-occasion cut of meat, but there is absolutely no better way to cook it than in the convection oven. Cooking time will be reduced by one-third to one-half to achieve the doneness you prefer. Use the probe that comes with your oven, or follow the timing and check doneness with a meat thermometer inserted into the roast or with an instant-read thermometer.

Roast beef tenderloin is a special-occasion meat even though it is about the simplest cut to prepare. Here’s the basic method plus a wonderful variation.

The rib eye is the prime rib of beef minus the bones. It is usually trimmed and tied. I prefer the roast taken from the small end of the loin. In the convection oven, the roast cooks in one-third to one-half the time it takes in a conventional oven. If your oven has a probe, use it for accurate timing.

This roast is an exception to the guidelines in the beef roasting chart. Some butchers call this the least tender of the rounds of beef, the “knuckle cut.” It needs to be cooked long and slow. When it is low-roasted, wrapped in foil, it cooks in its own juices to tender juiciness. Normally, I would cook the roast at 250°F, but in the convection oven, I reduce the temperature to 200°F. This is a convenient way to roast an inexpensive cut of meat for a large number of people. Espresso coffee beans and a bouquet of spices contribute to the deep, rich color of the beef and the juices are transformed into a delicious mahogany-colored sauce.

Chuck roast needs to be tenderized by marinating it in an acidic mixture containing lemon juice, vinegar, beer, or wine. The roast should not be cooked to well-done, as it will not be tender. Cooked in the convection oven, the roast develops a deep, rich brown on the outside while the meat inside stays tender and juicy. For this recipe to work best, be sure to select a roast that is at least 3 inches thick.

Roasting concentrates the flavor of tomatoes in this light, refreshing, easy-to-make soup. It’s irresistible either hot or cold.

This thick and creamy soup gains a rich flavor when the potatoes are roasted in a bit of bacon fat.

Roasting brings out a deep concentrated flavor in foods. This soup tastes incredibly rich, but is low in fat and calories. However, I sometimes garnish the soup with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

Here’s a soup for late summer when eggplants, tomatoes, and red peppers are luscious and ripe. Top the soup with a dollop of plain yogurt and pesto for added zip.

There are two kinds of pumpkins—those intended for carving jack-o’-lanterns, and those that are usually smaller and rounder, with thick, fleshy skins, which are intended for pumpkin pies. Either kind of pumpkin is suitable for soup, though you may need to drain the jack-o’-lantern’s cooked flesh to concentrate the pulp. In the convection oven, you can roast the pumpkin to make pumpkin puree. See the Note below.

Cooking the onions for this hearty soup requires less tending in the convection oven than in a saucepan and the aroma is just as wonderful!

This updated classic soup of Mexico is easier to make when you let the convection oven do the cooking. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to each bowl when you serve it.

Roasting brings out the sweetness of vegetables and intensifies their fresh flavors. Vary the vegetables if you wish, but follow this general pattern: Roast the vegetables, remove skins if necessary, puree, and flavor the puree with fresh herbs or garlic. Serve over hot pasta or use as a sauce for lasagna.

Eggplant, zucchini, sweet onions, and tomatoes all roasted together thicken by themselves to make a deeply flavored sauce for pasta. It’s a meal that’s ready in less than half an hour.

Roasted garlic becomes sweet, losing the sharp pungency that makes raw garlic so powerful. You can spread roasted garlic like butter on bread or vegetables. Add it to soups, sauces, and dressings, or smear it onto a pizza. You can roast a number of whole heads at one time.

Chicken-wing drumsticks are a favorite appetizer and are so quick and easy to prepare and cook in the convection oven. For a bit more fire, add crushed red pepper flakes to the marinade.

These little cubes of chicken resemble chicken nuggets and are perfect when you’re trying to think of something to feed children. Eliminate the hot spices if the kids object (but one of my granddaughters announced, “I like hot!”).