LOCALadk Magazine

Made at Home | LOCALadk Sweet Potato Bisque With Roasted Vegetables and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds By Tammy Loewy and Wynde Kate Reese Growing up in the Adirondacks, I had no idea that sweet potatoes could grow here. They had always been a symbol of southern cuisine for me, yet now I associate them with a warm, homecooked dinner on a chilly autumn evening in the Adirondacks. Around the same time I was eating my first Adirondack sweet potato, I also learned that sweet potatoes are not potatoes at all, but rather the root of a vine related to the Morning Glory and the garden nuisance vine, bindweed. They aren't even a relative of the yam, a starchy tuber native to Africa and grown in subtropical and tropical climates. However, dark sweet potatoes, such as Jewel and Garnet, are called yams, which further confuses us and makes us wonder, "Am I eating a yam or a sweet potato?" The answer is that most of us have never had a true yam. While potatoes are part of the nightshade family, a group of plants characterized by their poisonous parts, sweet potatos are not; their leaves and shoots can be eaten along with the root. Sweet potatoes are propagated by vine cuttings, rather than by seed. While working on a farm in Costa Rica, I participated in the transplanting of hundreds of sweet potato cuttings brought to us from a neighboring farm. Just days after we carefully planted the cuttings in the hot, tropical sunshine, beautiful flowers formed that greatly resembled Morning Glories, reminding me of the commonality between these species. Nutritionally, sweet potatoes are high in fiber and rich in antioxidants such as Vitamin A and C. They are also a source of calcium, manganese, Vitamin B6 and potassium. Their smooth texture and sweet taste make them the perfect base for a hearty bisque, like the one below. We hope you enjoy this recipe while sitting around a warm fire with family and friends. Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and chop coarsely. Put them in a large pot of water with all the cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat and let simmer 15 minutes (until sweet potatoes are soft). While sweet potatoes are boiling, roast your vegetables. Cut off eyes on potatoes and chop into 1/2" pieces. Peel carrots and cut into 1/2" cubes. Dice onion. In a bowl toss onion, potato and carrot with olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are tender. In a blender put cooked sweet potatoes, garlic, cooking broth, canola oil, maple syrup, fresh thyme and salt. Blend until smooth; you may have to do this in batches. Put blended soup back into pot. If you have some corn that you froze from the August harvest, put it into the pot now. Add fresh cream and roasted vegetables. Heat until warm. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds and serve with fresh whole grain bread or brown rice. Let this bisque be the highlight of your Fall Harvest Dinner. LOCALadk Magazine Fall into Winter 2013 39

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