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Sweet potato pasta with walnut ‘chorizo’
Serves 2 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 3tbsp olive oil
- 3tbsp capers, rinsed and patted dry with kitchen paper
- 1 sweet potato, washed, dried and spiralised or peeled into long thin ribbons
- 1tbsp plant-based butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
For the walnut 'chorizo'
- 1tbsp ground cumin
- 1tbsp fennel seeds
- 200g walnuts, soaked for at least 1 hour and rinsed
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- 100g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (or soaked if dried)
- 2tbsp maple syrup
- 50g pitted black olives
- 1tbsp brown miso
- 2tbsp rosemary oil
- 2tbsp smoked paprika
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C F/Gas 4. Line a small baking tray with baking paper.
To make the walnut 'chorizo', put the cumin and fennel seeds in a small frying pan and cook over a low heat for 1 minute until they are lightly toasted.
Put the walnuts in a food processor or blender with the remaining ingredients and the toasted spices and process into a crumb-like consistency, making sure there are no large pieces remaining.
Spread the walnut mixture on to the prepared tray, in a 1cm thick layer so it is fairly tightly packed – if the mixture is too spread out it will dry out too quickly. Bake for 30 minutes until it looks gooey and darker in colour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium–high heat until hot. Add the capers and cook for 3–4 minutes until crisp, then transfer to a piece of kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
To make the sweet potato pasta, fill a small pan with water and bring it to the boil with a pinch of salt. Add the sweet potato ribbons and cook for 1 minute until slightly soft, then drain.
Put the butter in a frying pan set over a medium heat, add the crushed garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Add the drained sweet potato ribbons and cook until hot and coated in butter, but not too soft.
Turn the heat off and add a few tablespoons of the walnut chorizo to the pan. Twirl the sweet potato pasta on to 2 plates and sprinkle with crispy capers. Serve with the extra ‘chorizo’ on the side.
This recipe is from the May 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.
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