Lime Cilantro Sweet Potatoes

I first came across this combination of sweet potatoes with lime juice and cilantro in Alice Water’s book Chez Panisse Vegetables. In it she roasts the sweet potato whole then slices it in half and sprinkles over the lime vinaigrette and cilantro. Up to that point I had never liked sweet potatoes much. Most recipes seemed to make an already sweet vegetable even sweeter, but this was the exact opposite. The natural sweetness of sweet potato was enhanced by the juxtaposition of... Read More

Beet Gazpacho

My only experience of beets growing up was pickled beets in a jar which tasted like textured vinegar to my childish palate. In France when I was sent to do the intimidating task of the weekly family marketing at the Marché I found beets sold in vacu-sealed pouches fully cooked and ready to be tossed in a vinaigrette for a quick and lovely salad. I loved their unique sweet earthiness. They are particularly good served with goat cheese and walnuts. Orange zest is a lovely foil... Read More

Dingle Pies

Barner Books is a treasure of a second hand book store in New Paltz with a large selection of cook books. Many of them seem to have been written by Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet and the editors at Better Homes & Garden. Hidden among them  is an occasional winner and so it was that I found one day a first edition of Myrtle Allen’s Cooking at Ballymaloe House, published in 1990. Full of recipes like Hot Buttered Oysters, Ballymaloe Brown Bread and Lettuce and Mint Soup,... Read More