When the Spanish came to the New World in search of spices and treasures they found three new crops: corn, white potato and the sweet potato. The sweet potato was originally cultivated by the Incan and pre-Incan races for thousands of years, named a “batata”. This recipe is a sweet potato puree used as a pasta sauce, perfect for the winter months.
- 2 medium sweet potato
- 1/4 sweet onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 cup of water to thin sauce
- Egg Pappardelle or any pasta
- ¼ cup chives
- a few pinches of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato and slice into quarters. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat in the microwave with potato setting until soft, covered. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta until al dente, keep some pasta water for the sauce.
- In a food processor add sweet potato, onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic, tomato paste, rosemary, salt and pepper. Puree, adding water to thin. I also added a tablespoon of spicy hot oil.
- In a large skillet add cooked pasta with some of the water to the sauce until it is the right thickness. Add chopped chives, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings and serve.
Mangia!
Prateek Wali 