The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook - Kim O'Donnel [42]
4 medium-size sweet potatoes
(about 12 to 16 ounces each)
Vegetable oil, for brushing
2 medium-size onions
8 tablespoons tahini
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons cayenne or smoked
paprika
2 teaspoons salt
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Inspect the sweet potatoes for blemishes and trim with a knife as necessary. Prick all with a fork, and with a silicone or pastry brush, lightly oil the exterior surface. Place in a baking dish or on a baking tray. Roast until fork tender, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cut the onions in half through the root and remove the skins. Place all four onion halves, cut side down, on a dry griddle or cast-iron skillet, over medium heat. Roast for about 8 minutes, checking periodically to make sure the onion is charring but not completely blackening. With a brush, oil the onions and then either transfer the skillet to the oven or transfer them to the baking dish, right beside the sweet potatoes.
When the sweet potatoes are fork tender, remove them and the onions from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
With a sharp knife and with the protection of an oven mitt or pot holder, make a vertical incision in the midline of each sweet potato to allow steam to release and help speed up the cooling process. Allow the sweet potatoes and onions to cool, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, set up a food processor with the blade attachment. Alternatively, you may use a food mill.
With a teaspoon, scoop out the flesh from the sweet potato, leaving behind a small amount on the bottom to help minimize any tearing of the skin, then transfer to the bowl of the food processor. Add the onions, tahini, and garlic. Puree. Add the lemon juice and your pepper of choice, plus the salt. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.
If using a food mill, mill the onions and garlic along with sweet potato, add the lemon and seasonings, and puree.
Transfer the seasoned puree to a small mixing bowl. With a spoon or rubber spatula, carefully refill the sweet potato skins with the puree and return to the baking dish.
Reheat for about 10 minutes and eat hot.
Makes 4 servings. Amounts may be halved for smaller servings.
PEAR-ARUGULA SALAD
INGREDIENTS
4 to 5 cups arugula (about
1 bunch), washed thoroughly,
dried, and trimmed as needed
⅛ teaspoon salt, plus more to
taste
1 tablespoon juice from a lemon,
lime, or grapefruit
2 ripe Bartlett pears, trimmed as
needed and sliced thinly
½ cup of your favorite blue
cheese, chopped or crumbled
½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans,
chopped
¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds
(optional but really nice)
Extra-virgin olive oil that you love
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Place the arugula in a wide salad bowl. Sprinkle with the ⅛ teaspoon of salt, and with tongs or salad hands, turn to ensure even coverage. Add the citrus juice, and turn with the tools to distribute evenly and moisten.
Add the pears, cheese, nuts, and seeds (if using) and gently toss all the ingredients until well integrated. Drizzle the oil over the salad (a trickle, not a rainfall), gently toss again, and taste for salt-acid-fat balance.
Makes 4 servings. Amounts may be halved for smaller servings.
ROASTED BEANS, GREENS, & SQUASH RINGS
When I discovered delicata squash a few years ago, I felt as if I had hit the autumn produce jackpot. Unlike its winter squash brethren, the oblong delicata is thin and thin-skinned, which means it cooks in a fraction of the time. When sliced into rings and roasted, its creamy flesh—often compared to a cross of sweet potato and corn—caramelizes yet takes on a delightfully surprising “meaty” texture that warrants a steak knife.
Paired with garlicky, rosemary-scented white beans and a bed of kale, this is one gorgeous fall trio that can be on the table in just under 45 minutes.
KITCHEN NOTES: While roasting the squash, prepare the beans and kale. Unlike other varieties of winter squash, which vary greatly in size and weight, the delicata consistently weighs just under a pound and is about 7 inches long.