Baked and roasted vegetables have a depth of flavor that boiled and steamed vegetables can never match. Once baked, vegetables need only a little seasoning, perhaps some chopped fresh herbs sprinkled over them, and a quick turn in melted butter or oil, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar. Or top them with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Since it's the season for them, let's look specifically at squashes for a minute. Acorn, buttercup, butternut, and golden nugget squashes - universal favorites because of their nut-sweet flesh - are small enough to halve and bake. Their hollows, moreover, hold seasonings well. Giant Hubbard and banana squashes are difficult to split and cut, so you'll see them usually available by the piece in your produce departments.

Plan on 1/2 of a small squash or 6 ounces of chunked large squash per person. They are best baked at 350 degrees F. Just brush the cut squash or squash chunks with melted butter or extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

So general directions for hard shell squashes: Arrange the squash, hollow or cut sides up, in an ungreased shallow roasting pan and bake, uncovered, 30 to 60 minutes until fork-tender.

Now, here are some specific directions, per vegetable variety, that I found in one of my Aunt Annie's favorite cookbooks, Reader Digest's Kitchen Secrets.

Other wonderful outcomes with show up when baking:

Asparagus: Arrange trimmed, peeled or unpeeled stalks in a shallow baking dish, drizzle with melted butter or extra virgin olive oil, and shake pan to coat each speak. I like to sprinkle with coarse salt and then bake, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes at 425 degrees F until lightly browned.

Beets: No kidding - they're wonderful when baked. Arrange scrubbed, unpeeled, small whole beets in a shallow baking dish, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and turn beats to cover in oil. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes at 375 degrees F, turning occasionally. Raise heat to 425 degrees F and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, or until tender.

Carrots: Cooking them in water hasn't done them any favors. Too many times they turn mushy this way. Instead, turn whole or chunked peeled or unpeeled medium-sized carrots in 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted butter in a shallow baking dish. Bake uncovered, 30 minutes at 375 degrees F, turning occasionally. Raise heat to 425 degrees F and bake 20 minutes more until tender.

Onions: Peel silverskin onions, turn in extra virgin olive oil in a shallow baking dish, and bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees F until tender and brown. NOTE: Large onions can be peeled, halved, and placed cut side up in a baking dish. Brush them with extra virgin olive oil and bake, uncovered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F until soft and brown.

Parsnips: Turn whole or chunked peeled medium-sized parsnips in 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted butter in a shallow baking pan and bake as directed for carrots (see above).

Summer Squash (pattypan, yellow, zucchini): Scrub, cut yellow squash and zucchini in 1- to 2-inch chunks, pattypan into wedges, and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes at 450 degrees F until fork-tender and nicely browned.

Turnips: Peel and quarter medium-sized white turnips, then bake as directed for carrots (see above).

Sources:
www.hellinahandbasket.net
www.kalynskitchen.com
www.tennessean.com
www.guiltykitchen.com
www.foodnetwork.com
www.whatscookingamerica.net
www.trialx.org
www.kalynskitchen.com
www.simpledailyrecipes.com