Eating locally with help from Sweet Potato Chronicles
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Looking for something to keep the kids entertained after school or for the holidays? Why not have them help in the kitchen? Ceri Marsh and Laura Keogh of the Sweet Potato Chronicles are here with family-friendly dishes that will keep the kids busy as well.
Recipes:
Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Serves 4
Prep Time: 90 minutes
- 8 plum tomatoes, halved
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- sprinkle of sea salt
- pinch of pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 cup of chopped sweet onion
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon spelt flour
- Grilled Cheese Croutons
- two slices of multigrain bread
- 6 shavings of cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon of butter
Method
Preheat oven to 400.
In a large baking dish, arrange tomatoes and garlic and then drizzle with olive oil as well as salt and pep-per. Roast tomatoes for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove dish from oven and allow to cool. In the meantime, put 2 tablespoons butter into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and rosemary and sauté until onions are translucent. Add broth as well as tomato mixture to pan. Cover and allow to simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occa-sionally. Working in batches, transfer soup into a food processor to puree. (You can also use an immer-sion blender.) Return soup to saucepan. In a small, separate frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat. Add flour and whisk continuously until blended and then add to soup. Blend roux into soup and season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for another few minutes.
Meanwhile, butter two slices of bread and arrange cheddar cheese on one slice and then grill sandwich in a warm, greased pan. When cheese has melted and bread is gold brown, remove from pan and slice into small, bite size pieces. Place three grilled cheese cubes on top of each serving of soup.
Vegetarian Chick Pea Chili
Serves 4
Prep Time: 60 minutes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 can (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 can (16 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (16 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
Method
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot, celery and pepper and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are softened, not browned. Add oregano, cumin, chill powder, cinnamon and salt and stir to blend. Add tomatoes and 4 cups of water. Stir in barley. Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add chick peas and black beans. Allow to simmer another 30 minutes.
If desired, serve individual bowls with garnishes of shaved cheddar, sour cream and fresh, chopped cilantro.
Spiced Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread
Makes 8 pieces
Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup fine ground cornmeal
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs, beaten
Method
Preheat the oven to 425. Place a stick of butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and melt it in the oven. Be sure to watch it, you don’t want the butter to brown, just melt. Remove pan and pour off almost all the butter into a medium heat-proof bowl leaving a small amount to grease the skillet. Set melted butter aside allowing it to cool a bit. Swirl around the remaining butter in the pan to coat the bottom and sides.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In the bowl with the melted butter, whisk in the buttermilk, maple syrup, puree and eggs. Mix puree with cornmeal mixture and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased skillet.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cornbread is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then cut and serve.
