Monthly Archives: April 2012

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Late Night Snack Attack: Crunchy Sweet Potato Chips

It’s no lie. I’m a fan of late night snacks. I don’t always have store-bought versions of what I crave on my shelf; but, sometimes I do have the raw ingredients. In fact, a few days ago I was able to purchase what we call a Japanese mandolin (it is really called a Benriner). What is cool about these machines is that they make quick work of thin slicing root vegetables for chips.

I am still pretty addicted to fried foods, one of my food weaknesses. And last night when I was making the Sweet Potato Fennel Salad, I just had to slice up another sweet potato to cure the craving for the sweet crunchiness provided by Sweet Potato Chips.

All you need is a mandolin, 2 or 3 sweet potatoes, a wok or other deep pan to fry (unless you own a fry daddy!), and several cups of oil, like canola, or a blend. I found a pretty cheap blend at a local store called 1-2-3. It’s a pretty good oil. I’d love to use corn oil, but can’t due to allergies.

With the mandolin it just takes a minute or two to slice the potatoes. You then soak them in water and pat them dry. While doing this, have your oil heating up on the stove top. Drop the sliced chips in and fry until they turn crisp. There’s a fine line between crisp and burnt. If the chips start turning brown, pull them out fast. Drain onto a cookie sheet, or something similar lined with paper towel.

Lightly salt, and enjoy with a good t.v. show or movie. Better than the store-bought versions because there’s no additives or chemicals.

Sweet Potato or Yam, which one do you eat?

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The terms sweet potato and yam seem to be used interchangeably, but are they the same plant? The answer is no. The sweet potato comes from the Americas (Peru and Ecuador), and the yam is indigenous to Africa and Asia.

Yams are such a staple food that they are celebrated in East African culture. Most of the world’s yam crops are grown in Africa. They can get as large as 150 lbs or so, and have a scaly outer skin. They are starchier and drier than the sweet potato. And unless you are shopping in an international market, chances are what are labeled yams here in the U.S. are really sweet potatoes.

The sweet potato is indigenous to the South American continent. And like its distant cousin the potato, originally comes from Peru. Eventually it made its way to North America. When it was introduced in the South, the slaves at the time called it nyami because of it’s similarity to the yam. The name was shortened to yam, and it stuck. So much so that in the U.S.D.A made it mandatory that any product labeled sweet potato must also have the label yam.

Sweet potatoes are sweet, and usually moist. They are best roasted and mashed. Or chopped into cubes, roasted, and made into salads. They can be pureed like a regular potato. Of course, American holiday dinners include Candied Yams, which are mashed sweet potatoes baked with a marshmallow topping.

A sweet potato can also be fried, but whatever way you serve it, they are just darn good for you. They have high vitamin A content, are high in fiber, vitamin B6, and manganese. When eaten with complimentary foods, a complete protein can be achieved, in the same manner as eating rice and beans. Personally, I like to bake them in the oven until they are mushy inside, and just eat them with salt and Earth Balance margarine. Delicious.

Links

Spices Make the Pantry Go Round

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I’m trying to figure out how many dried spices I use. In the spirit of reducing, reusing, and recycling, I’ve been using the small jars that jams come in, and the jars that the nut butters I buy come in. However, I’ve run out of the small jars because I make my own jam now. I’ve broken some, and some of them are in use.

I’m looking at needing to buy spice jars to organize the pantry. I’ve looked at Anchor Hocking, Oxo, Sur La Table, Bed Bath and Beyond, along with several on-line companies. I really really like the Anchor Hocking square jar. Problem: there is no price on their website. How can you be selling something and not show a price? Are they really that expensive?

I really need to organize the storage in my pantry. Every time I think it’s organized, it becomes a mess again. I’ve been having an argument with the teeny tiny kitchen, but I’ve made a lot of really good food in it, and I don’t want to be disgruntled, I just want to be able to be comfortable cooking.

I’m wondering if any of you who read this blog have any ideas about spice storage and pantry shelving. I’d really appreciate it.

Sweet Potato and Fennel Salad

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I never know where a recipe will come from. Some days it is a trip to the market. Other days, it is just thinking about food and flavor. Sometimes, my job pushes me to think outside the box and come up with Amuse Bouche, the one bite wonder that represents the chef and the restaurant.

This little gem came from one of those days when I had enough left over ingredients from Sunday Brunch to create this amazing flavor packed salad. I hope you enjoy it.

Curried Sweet Potato & Fennel Salad

Ingredients

2 Sweet Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 bulb fennel thinly sliced
1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
2 tbsp Mint chopped
3 tbsp Curry powder (or make your own)
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
Salt to taste
1-2 tsp Black Pepper

Process

Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Toss in olive oil and lay out on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft, but not mushy.

Cool down the sweet potatoes and set aside.

Julienne the fennel and red onion, as thin as you can. If you have a Japanese mandoline, they make fast work of this task. If not, use a very sharp knife to get as thin as you can.

Fine chop the cilantro and mint.

In a large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes, fennel, red onion, cilantro, mint, curry powder, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

Taste, adjust seasoning accordingly.

Serve for lunch with soups, or wraps. It makes a great snack too.

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New Favorite Chili Sauce: Ancho Tamarind

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I love a good chili sauce. One that has punch, and a bit of acid, with salt to balance the heat and the sour. I’ve been making chili sauces for a few years now, some with dried, and some with fresh chilis. I don’t make them all the time, but when I do watch out. Your taste buds won’t be able to forgive you for seconds in the heat. You can find my basic chili sauce recipe here.

So when we were channel surfing the other night, and “One Plate at a Time” with Chef Rick Bayless was on, I watched in fascination as he combined three of my favorite things: ancho chilis, raisins, and tamarind. “I must make this sauce!” I thought to myself. The partner quickly looked up the recipe, and I rushed out to gather all the ingredients.

In his recipe Chef Bayless uses eggplant, and his protein is fish. Since fish is not an option in our household, I wondered what would go well with the heat of chilis and sweet of piloncillo? Ah, smoked tofu. The smokiness of the tofu and the hint of sour tamarind seemed like a brilliant idea.

Once the tofu was smoked, and the eggplant and ancho tamarind sauce were sufficiently blended and cooked, I served the dish with baby vegetable pickle, and caramelized poblano and fennel chutney. It left a tingle and buzz in the mouth that I won’t soon forget.

I will say that making chili sauce is a messy business. The red can get on everything, and go everywhere. It also likes to stain. Wear an apron, and, if you are not used to handling chilis, wear gloves. Please be very, very careful when cooking the sauce, when it bubbles, it will explode little tiny balls onto the stove, the counters, and even the walls. The quote after the cooking process was, “Do I want to know how chili sauce got on the microwave?” The Simple answer was, ‘The sauce did it.” Clean up right away so you don’t stain your equipment (and so the accusations don’t fly). And especially wash your hands after handling the chilis, the residue can be damaging to sensitive skin.

Kitchen Shaman

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