Monday, 30 March 2015

Sweet Potato Fries With Roasted Red Pepper & Ricotta

I had braces once. Being male, I naturally don't remember too much, but I remember I also made the careful choice to have braces, bleached blonde hair, and a relatively high level of acne at the same time. This perhaps explains why I don't remember too many specifics in terms of the awkwardness of having a brace fitted. I do, however, remember enough to know that it was a pain in the ass, or more accurately, the mouth and head. 

Statistically speaking, half the workforce here at Cafe Pump have recently had a brace fitted, which means that crunching into an apple, chewing down on some steak, and snapping into refrigerated chocolate is strictly off-limits. So, in honour of those who are making the sacrifice for better and healthier teeth, this week is 'Soft Food & Soft Music' week here at Cafe Pump.

You would be forgiven for thinking that fries are off-limits, too, but have you ever ordered our sweet potato fries? They're drizzled with just the right amount of extra virgin olive oil, and a tiny amount of honey, and baked for just long enough to be a perfect combination of cooked, soft, and almost succulent. Not bad for something which comes from the ground. The combination of the baked red pepper and ricotta completes the palette for a wonderful light lunch or early dinner.

(to serve two at home)

Ingredients: 1 red pepper, 1 sweet potato, ricotta cheese, mushrooms, black olives, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and fresh basil.

Method: Pre-heat the oven to 250c, and drizzle oil and honey over the halved red pepper. Roast for 30mins. In the meantime, cut a sweet potato into thin strips for the fries. Drizzle them with olive oil and honey, and bake for an undisclosed amount of time. i a small pan, gently warm some black olives and mushrooms. Remove the pepper, and layer the mushrooms and olives, and a generous dollop of ricotta. Add the fries, and garnish with salt, pepper, parmesan, and a fresh basil leaf.

Tips: We're not telling you the perfect timing for the yams, sorry!

Music: Robert Cray - Right Next Door: It's about as soft as it gets, but not in a weak way.