Spicy Sweet Potatoe fries with Lime

Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s The New Classics
Serves 6

Strange as it may sound, the sauce really makes this recipe, so don’t skip it!

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. hot paprika (DN: I used smoked paprika.)
1 tsp. ground ginger
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lime wedges, for serving
Yogurt Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a baking sheet in the oven until hot, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise; slice each half into 3 wedges. Place in a medium bowl, and toss with the oil, cumin, paprika, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.

2. When the baking sheet is hot, remove from the oven. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet. Return to the oven; cook until the potatoes are crisp and golden on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Turn, and contiue cooking until golden all over, about 15 minutes more.

3. Remove from the oven; season with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges and sauce.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. chopped toasted walnuts
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Coarse salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

Guacamole

Guacamole

Ingredients


2 ripe avocados
1 lime, juiced
1 chili, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
salt
1 chopped tomato (optional)

Halve the avocados, remove the seed and scoop out the flesh from the skin. Mash the avocados with a fork until you reach your preferred consistency. Add the lime juice, and stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Homemade Butter- Four Flavors

Homemade Butter- Four Flavors

Flavored butters add a touch of elegance, dressing up simple roasts and sautés or jazzing up steamed vegetables or plain pastas. Garlic Butter, Pesto Parmesan Butter, Italian Butter or Mediterranean Butter... the choice is yours.

Ingredients

Garlic Butter

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 3 Tbs. garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Pesto Parmesan Butter

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 4 Tbs. prepared pesto
• 4 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs. garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt, optional

Italian Butter

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 2 1/2 Tbs. fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 Tbs. fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Mediterranean Butter

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 3 Tbs. sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), finely chopped
• 3 Tbs. black olives, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a large food processor (11-cup capacity), add heavy cream. Turn the food processor on, and leave it running for approximately 9 minutes. Within those 9 minutes, the texture / consistency will change several times. For most of the time, it will be the consistency of a very thick whipped cream / soft serve ice cream. At around 8 minutes, you should see the butter starting to form. It happens very quickly, so keep your eye on it. The butter is finished once you see large chunks of butter moving around in water which is actually butter milk.
2. Place the butter on a large piece of cheese cloth and squeeze tightly to remove any excess liquid. It is almost impossible to remove all of the excess liquid, so remove as much as you can. I usually spend around 2 minutes of squeezing to be sure I got almost all of the liquid out.
3. Combine the butter with the ingredients of your choice.

Yields about 2 1/2 cups

Israeli Hummus

Israeli Hummus
adapted from Michael Solomonov and Food and Wine
makes 4 cups

1/2 pound dried chickpeas
1 tablespoon baking soda
7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt
paprika, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish

• In a medium container, cover chickpeas with 2 inches of water, and stir in baking soda. Refridgerate, covered, overnight. Drain, and rinse.
• In a medium pot, add chickpeas and 6 cloves of garlic, and cover with two inches of water. Bring to a boil on the stove, then simmer for 40 minutes, or until beans are tender. Drain, reserving 10 tablespoons of the cooking liquid, and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse beans.
  
• Remove garlic cloves from beans and peel the garlic.
  
• In food processor, puress chickpeas, 8 tablespoons cooking water, 6 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, cumin, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup tahini. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to a serving dish.
  
• Clean out the food processor, then add remaining 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons cooking water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 garlic clove, and puree until smooth.
• Make an indent in the center of the hummus, and spoon tahini and olive oil mixture into center. Garnish with paprika, cumin, parsley, and reserved whole chickpeas.