The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook - Kim O'Donnel [20]
(optional)I)
Oil spray, for greasing the baking
pan
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half, then slice each half lengthwise. Cut each chunk into “fry” spears, about 4 inches long and 1 inch across. Fries that are too wide will fail to crisp. You should get about thirty pieces from each sweet potato.
Pour the cornstarch into a small, shallow bowl. Dredge the sweet potato spears, tapping off any excess.
Grease a baking pan with oil spray and preheat in the oven for 2 minutes.
Transfer the sweet potatoes to a medium-size bowl and add the oil. With your hands, toss the sweet potatoes to completely coat with the oil. The cornstarch will begin to disappear. Add the salt and cayenne and cumin, if using. Toss the sweet potatoes again to make sure it’s evenly distributed.
Remove the baking pan from the oven and immediately place the sweet potatoes on the hot pan. You may hear a sizzle.
Bake for 20 minutes, removing from the oven at the halfway point to turn the sweet fries onto a second side to ensure even browning. At the 18-minute mark, check for doneness and browning and turn again, if necessary. The fries are done when both tender to the bite and crispy on the outside.
Remove from the oven and eat while hot, as they get soggy quickly.
Makes 4 servings
West Indian-Style Channa Wrap ★ Top-Shelf Potato Salad
WEST INDIAN-STYLE CHANNA WRAP
The farther east you go in the West Indies, the more Indian (as in India) the food gets, the result of a massive import of indentured laborers in the nineteenth century. Curry is a way of life in Trinidad, where 40 percent of the population has South Asian roots. These culinary influences are also felt in neighboring islands such as Grenada and Barbados, where chickpeas are called channa.
In keeping with Indian cookery, the channa are curried and tongue popping, often rolled into a paper-thin roti or cushioned between two pieces of fried bread for a head-spinning sandwich called Doubles.
As a tribute to time spent in countless West Indian gas stations where channa-filled morsels are often sold, I’ve come up with my own take on channa that I reckon would do my island friends proud. Here, I tuck the peas into a whole wheat tortilla that’s wrapped like a parcel. With a cooling cucumber or tomato garnish, and a quick glug of hot sauce, I’m back where the ocean really is blue.
Makes over-the-top lunch leftovers.
NOTE: On a spicy scale, this recipe is 4 stars out of 5. You may tone down the heat by eliminating the cayenne or reducing the curry powder, but I recommend using at least 1½ tablespoons of the curry powder.
INGREDIENTS: Curry
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups diced onions
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ chile pepper of choice, seeded
and diced
1 (2 x 1-inch) hunk fresh ginger,
peeled and minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
(preferably Madras-style)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas,
drained and rinsed thoroughly
1 (17.5-ounce) package 8-inch
whole wheat tortillas (10-inch
tortillas work well, too)
Optional add-ons: Your favorite
hot sauce; ½ red onion, sliced
thinly; ½ cucumber, diced
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
In a deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, chile pepper, and ginger, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the spices and salt, and stir well. You’ll end up with a paste.
Add chickpeas, plus enough water to barely cover (at least 3 cups). Bring to a lively simmer, then lower the heat and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates, 50 to 60 minutes. You’re looking for very soft chickpeas with a thick gravy, not soup.
Taste for salt and season accordingly.
Place a few tablespoons of channa inside a warmed tortilla (one per person to start), with any or all of the optional add-ons, and you’ve got a sandwich of champions. The channa is also great over rice. To heat the