Sweetest of Potatoes

Winter means its time to dig up the root vegetables and enjoy the comfort of a staple winter food.

Sweet Potatoes. They are what I can only describe as real and essential bliss. Freshly roasted and cooled after a few minutes under the heat of the oven - steam rising from the punctured skin, a soft and sweet middle - I'd have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could, and I'd be happy as a yam to eat them plain.

However, they can surely be glammed up any way you like. And instead of resigning the sweet potato to "side dish status," let's make the sweet potato the center piece of your dinner plate, all forks on set. This luscious dish deserves all these photos, it's definitely center stage (or table) tonight.

I'll take those sweet potatoes any day. Bake them. Stuff them.

Start by halving a fresh sweet potato lengthwise and place it in the hot oven, baking until tender. It should look something like this:

How healthy and delicious are those little sweet potatoes? The bright orange colour just screams out the health benefits. Sweet potatoes are the highest source of beta-carotene - an antioxidant important for giving the carrots and the oranges the orange colour. Sweet potatoes are also bursting with essential vitamins for our diet, such as vitamins A and C.

Did you know that the sporamins in sweet potatoes, or "storage proteins," help the vegetable to heal itself after physical damage? Now I wouldn't mind getting some of that!

While cooking this recipe I thought of all the recipes which involve scraping the cooked sweet potato flesh from the skin to mash it with other flavourful ingredients before re-stuffing it into the skins. I admit, this is a delicious way to enjoy sweet potato, however, what's better than enjoying the sweet potato in all its natural flavours that it has to offer without the added chore of scraping, mashing and re-stuffing. That means following a more minimalistic route, skipping those steps, and simply cracking the golden babies open when they're hot from the oven to scoop a delicious mix of complementing ingredients over top. Or perhaps a Yam Tuna Bake is more pleasing right now?

Quinoa and Chard Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Print recipe here.

Sweet potatoes sing and quinoa dances in this wonderful combination of nature's finest super foods enriched with a delicate chile sauce drizzled over top with spring onions and basil to serve - just sit back and let the health benefits of this delicious dinner take the stage.

Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water

2 cups freshly chopped chard leaves
1 tomato, diced
2 tbsp sliced almonds

2 tbsp of baked sweet potato (taken from potatoes above), mashed
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 pinches chile powder
2 tbsp maple syrup

2 spring onions, sliced
3 basil leaves, chopped finely

Directions

Cook the sweet potatoes in an oven preheated to 400°F. Bake until tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

In a sieve, rinse the dry quinoa under cold running water. This will remove any "mush-promoting" grit remaining on the grain.

Combine the uncooked quinoa and water in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, do not stir as it will disturb the cooking process.

As water begins to bubble, turn off the heat and place a lid over the pan. Allow the quinoa to cook - no peeking or stirring! - for 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the chopped chard into a steamer over boiling water and cook until softened. Alternatively, cook in about 1 inch of water in a wide saucepan. Allow to cool slightly before combining with diced tomatoes and sliced almonds in a small bowl, set aside.

With the sweet potatoes out of the oven, place them in separate serving plates and spread the two halves apart.

Scoop one tablespoon from each sweet potato and mash in a small bowl, combine with mayonnaise, chile powder and maple syrup, blending evenly. To thin out the sauce mix in a dash of liquid - water, vinegar or oil - until the desired consistency has been reached.

Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork before scooping onto the open sweet potato, dividing it equally between the two. Layer the chard salad over top, and drizzle with the sweet potato chile sauce.

Serve with the chopped spring onions and basil leaves sprinkled over.

Dive into the sweetest potato of all comfort food.

xx S.

Starts with a Chip, and Dip!

Last week I perused through recipes, and trying to decide upon what to make as a simple appetizer for mum's dinner party this weekend, every tab on my iPad was open to a different chef. The recipe I eventually chose, a simple Mexican staple (at least our idea of it), was salsa, but one sneaky ingredient that I didn't know left me puzzled.

The ingredients list had one unfamiliar vinegar, white balsamic vinegar.

"Just perfect, another thing to buy that I'll never use again."

I though to myself, and scanning the grocery shop shelves, I couldn't seem to find it anywhere.

I was the list girl in the never-ending aisles, wandering endlessly up and down, up and down. I felt like I was five years old again and even started to feel the panic of losing your mum in a big, unfamiliar place.

I almost gave up at that point to regular balsamic vinegar, already tucked in the cupboard, and also, barely used.

However, I really am glad that I double checked the aisles, because next to the Balsamic de Modena, an Italian vinegar, and White Cider Vinegar, and across the teas and coffees (I thought it was an odd location at the time), there was just what I was looking for - a clear glass bottle with a transparent, white liquid, that could only be balsamic vinegar.

As I stood in the aisle, I wondered how the two, with a very similar name, could be so different. And so, on my iPhone standing there facing the shelves, I did my research: It turns out that Italian vinegar production has been going on for thousands of years with a process very similar to that of vineyards in the production of making wine. Sweeter grapes are used, and of a much whiter colour, and are pressed into what is called "must" before being simmered for long periods of time (hours) until they thicken into a caramel-like substance. This syrup-y liquid is then portioned into many barrels, made from different types of wood to give the vinegar flavour and the "character" that its label boasts, and then aged. What is called "authentic vinegar" requires an ageing time of at least twelve years, however cheaper balsamic vinegars are not aged for nearly as long and in much larger quantities. The cheapest brands will be mixed with wine vinegar and be coloured by additives.

The white grape must is blended with white wine vinegar and then cooked at a very low temperature, this is required to prevent any darkening. The flavours of dark balsamic vinegar, the kind I always seem to have plenty of in the cupboard, and white balsamic vinegar are quite similar in flavour, despite balsamic vinegar being sweeter and having a more syrup texture. I found the white to be less rich, and also to have much less of an after-taste, which was really lovely in the salsa!

A huge reason that many use white balsamic vinegar in cooking rather than the regular balsamic is to prevent a discolouration. Since balsamic vinegar has such a strong colour and will change the appearance of the dish, white balsamic is used with lighter coloured foods, such as tomatoes and other sauces or dressings. Regular balsamic vinegar could work in this recipe, if you don't mind a darker salsa.

I know it seems like a summer recipe, this salsa, an odd pair to the start of Christmas festivities and decorations today, however, as we would start a dinner party, we shall start off December's posts with a little chip and dip.

Roasted Tomato Salsa
Print recipe here.

A colourful array of vegetables in this wholesome salsa makes a perfect appetizer to any party. The complementary herbs and spices bring about authentic flavours of the tomatoes and onions, and with only a subtle pinch of chile spice, everyone can enjoy this salsa whether served with chips, crackers, or on gluten-free bread as a bruschetta dish.

Ingredients

3-4 c roma tomatoes diced into large chunks
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
200 mL corn kernels, sliced from a cooked corn cob, or for a  
      quicker version, use canned corn kernels

2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp chile powder

3 tbsp grape seed oil
1/4 c white balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to season
a few chopped basil leaves to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and place a large baking dish on the side.

Toss the chopped vegetables, corn kernels, dried parsley and chile powder together in the baking dish.

Drizzle the grape seed oil and white balsamic vinegar over top the vegetables, and mix well.

Place the dish in the oven and cook for 30 - 35 minutes, tossing halfway and adding more chile powder if desired upon tasting (Careful! It will be hot!)

Remove from the oven and set aside until completely cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge, and serve at room temperature with chopped basil and salt and pepper on top.