Sunday Supper Sweet Potatoes Galore

smallogo.gif (1284 bytes)

Sweet Potatoes Galore
(from Dawn Nakashima, the farmer's daughter)

Kotobuki

Jewel

Okinawan

Garnet

Golden Sweet Potato Soup

Serves 6 ( about 1 cup servings)

Ingredients

2 TBS butter
Ľ cup finely chopped onions
1 TBS flour
1 tsp curry powder
3 ˝ cups chicken broth
1 lb. sweet potatoes (3 medium) cooked, peeled and mashed (use mostly Kotobuki with a few Jewel for color)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Ľ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup light cream
Chopped parsley

Preparation

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent.

Stir in flour and curry powder. Cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Add mashed sweet potato, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture begins to bubble. Add light cream and heat thoroughly. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Sweet Potato Salad

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

3˝ lbs. sweet potatoes (mixture of Kotobuki, Jewel and/or Okinawan)
Salted water
1 medium onion, cut into thin rings
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
Honey Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe follows)

Preparation

Wash the sweet potatoes. Heat enough salted water to cover the potatoes. Bring water to boil and add potatoes in their jackets. Cover and cook for 20 - 30 minutes until fork tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

When cool enough to handle, peel and halve lengthwise; then cut into 1/4" slices. Combine sweet potato slices, onion rings and green peppers in a large bowl. Pour Honey Vinaigrette Dressing over the salad mixture and toss lightly to coat. Cover and refrigerate 3 - 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

1 cup tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 TBS honey
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
Ľ tsp pepper
Ľ tsp each dried oregano and thyme, crumbled

Combine all ingredients in jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until well-mixed. Let sit 3- 6 hours to let the flavors blend. Then remove garlic cloves and bay leaves and add to the salad mixture.

Spicy Sweet Potato Wontons

Ingredients

1 cup baked sweet potatoes, mashed (Kotobuki or Okinawan for delicate, nutty flavor; Jewel or Garnet for sweet flavor)
3 TBS minced fresh ginger
3 serrano chilies, seeded and minced
2 - 3 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
1 -2 stalks green onion, chopped
˝ tsp soy sauce
Ľ cup roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
16 - 20 wonton wrappers (squares or rounds)
Light oil, such as canola oil, for frying

Dipping sauce: Equal parts of soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Preparation

Bake sweet potatoes in their jackets in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Test for doneness. If still firm, bake 15 minutes longer.

When cool, peel and mash the potatoes and combine them with ginger, chilies, cilantro, green onions, soy sauce, and peanuts and mix well.

Place about 1 tsp of sweet potato mixture onto the corner of each wrapper and fold into a triangle shape, sealing the edges with a little water. As the wontons are filled, set them aside on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and cover with a slightly damp towel until to ready to fry.
In a wok or deep skillet, pour in oil to depth of ˝". Heat oil over medium-heat until it sizzles when a drop of water hits it. Reduce to medium heat.
Place wontons, a few at a time, into the oil. Fry on one side until the skin is golden and puffy, about 1 minute. Turn and fry on the other side until golden, 30 - 40 seconds. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve hot.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

4 cups (packed) coarsely grated Kotobuki sweet potatoes (about 1 - 2 medium size)
1/2 cup grated onion
3 - 4 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste
4 beaten eggs (yolks optional)
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup minced parsley (optional)
Oil or clarified butter (for frying)

Toppings: sour cream, yogurt or applesauce

Preparation

Combine all ingredients (except frying oil) and mix well.

Heat a small amount of oil or clarified butter in s skillet until it is very hot. Use a non-slotted spoon to form thin pancakes, patting the batter down. Fry on both sides until brown, adding small amounts of additional oil, as needed.

Serve hot, with toppings.

Note: Batter stores well for several days if kept in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.