This warming festive favourite was suggested by Kate from Down to Earth Community Cafe in Wantage. Based in the The Old Stables (OX12 7AU), the cafe serves delicious, healthy and affordable food, using as much surplus as possible. This includes the most amazing cakes – pop in for a sweet treat after a winter walk.
The tomato sauce takes a couple of hours to reduce to a thick sauce, so save your future self some time by batch cooking double or triple the amount and freezing it. Harissa paste is made from chilli, herbs and spices and often used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking – you can find it at most supermarkets. The spiciness of the harissa compliments the fruity tang of the cranberries and the mild creaminess of the feta cheese.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized sweet potatoes
- 500g sweet ripe tomatoes
- 1 x 250ml tub of tomato passata
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp harissa
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tablespoons of ground almonds
Image by Yulyasha from Pixabay
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or other preferred nuts – you could use roasted chestnuts for an extra festive twist)
- 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries (or chopped dates / dried apricots)
- 1 block of feta/vegan feta crumbled or cut into small cubes
Method
Fry the onions and garlic lightly until soft, add the chopped tomatoes, harissa, salt, pepper, sugar and cook for a couple of hours on medium heat until the liquid has reduced down to a thick sauce. Add the passata. Blend to form a sauce and add the ground almonds – the almonds will thicken the sauce. Taste and add more salt, pepper or harissa if needed.
Cut the sweet potatoes in half and make cross hatchings halfway through the thickness of each half. Place cross hatch side up on a baking tray and brush each side with oil. Season with salt, pepper and ground coriander.
Bake for half an hour at 160 degrees Celsius. Turn the potatoes over and bake for another half an hour. Make sure there is enough oil on the bottom of the baking tray to stop the potatoes sticking.
Mix the chopped nuts and dates/apricots. Serve by putting the tomato sauce in a bowl, place the baked sweet potatoes ontop, and sprinkle over the nuts and cranberries, and finally the chopped feta. Add a dollop of yoghurt if the harissa is too spicy.
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