Sweet Potato Salad

The first post is the hardest I guess, but the best way is just to jump in. So far I’ve not told you very much about myself but gradually I expect I’ll reveal all my loves, hates and foibles.

My second great passion, after food is travel, which seems incredibly common with food bloggers, so I make no apologies for my first theme – Morocco. Why? Well, next weekend our ‘Casablanca’ course runs at Cordon Vert, being born with Californian blood I’m also reminiscing about last year’s winter trip to Marrakech and finally my new year present to myself of a digital camera hasn’t turned up yet, so instead of a picture of my recipe you’ll find my photos from the medina.

I’m always fascinated by how simple peasant food becomes an exotic cuisine once transported back to the UK. Is it really just the herbs and spices? Anyway Morocco was no exception, so of course I went with high expectations, which were a little dampened after the 5^th or 6^th vegetable tagine. But you know what? It just reminded me that the most challenging culinary problem in this country is usually vegetables. So here is a fabulously easy warm salad made with one of our favourite vegetables for vegetarians – the sweet potato. It’s not just the colour (we try to avoid too much brown) but it’s also full of beta-carotene (did I tell you I spent 5 years studying nutrition?).

Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad

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Ingredients

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

1  medium onion, finely chopped

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp tumeric

450g/1lb sweet potatoes

½ tsp stock powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 preserved lemon, skin only chopped

8 green olives, stoned & chopped

3 tbsp flat leaf parsley and coriander, finely chopped

Serves 4

Sauté (I prefer that to ‘fry’) the onion gently until soft in a large pan. Then add the spices. We’ll have a whole section on spices soon, but for the moment, trust me, the best way to get the most flavour is to add them at this stage.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into thick wedges (the exact shape isn’t vital, but make sure they’re a similar size so they cook evenly). Add to the pan and coat with the onion and spice mixture.

Then just cover with water and add the stock powder (we like to use Marigold, but we can’t agree on which variety to use – the green label is easiest to find and is also yeast & gluten free, but a wee bit salty). Anyway, bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes have softened but are still keeping their shape.

Add the remaining ingredients. These are what will give the dish it’s wonderful balance of flavours – a bit of saltiness and a bit of sourness (the umami is in the sweet potato – but I digress). Reduce the sauce a little with the lid off and add the herbs. I prefer to serve at room temperature.

ps. Preserved lemons are a wonderful addition to any North African dish but please don’t ever be tempted to use the flesh – no one told me so sadly I avoided them for years.