Conscious Choice: Digging Deep

December 2000 | Cooking with the Seasons

Digging Deep

by Terra Brockman

To take what there is, and use it, without waiting forever in vain for the preconceived — to dig deep into the actual and get something out of that — this doubtless is the right way to live. — Henry James, Notebooks

We’ve reached the time of year when green grass and blue heavens give way to brown earth and gray skies, when leafy greens give way to roots in the seasonal kitchen. There will be no fresh flavorful lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or okra for another six months. But winter has its own rewards, its own rich bounty.

The shorter days mean more quiet time, more time for digging deep into your own interests (my recent ones being philosophy and sweet potatoes, as you shall see). And they signal the cellar season, the season for indulging in the roots that were dug from the earth just before the hard frosts: turnips, parsnips, salsify, celery root, burdock, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and winter radishes.

These are the vegetables that should be at the heart of winter meals here in the temperate zones. Rather than "waiting in vain for the preconceived" — going to Florida or shopping for out-of-season imported lettuces and tomatoes — try digging "deep into the actual." The cold months are perfect for those comforting root vegetables — roasted on their own or made into hearty soups or stews. Henry James and I guarantee that they’ll satisfy your body and soul; you’ll agree that this is indeed "the right way to live."

"Candide" Yams

No, it’s not a typo. It’s just that in a mote of quiet time after six nights of frost in a row, the last line of Voltaire’s Candide, "We must cultivate our garden," came drifting into my mind. It seemed an answer to one of the Big Questions: given all the complexities, all the demands of modern life, what is the best way to live?

Voltaire seems to conclude, as did Simone Weil two centuries later, that simple, hands-on labor that produces something is far more human and rewarding than most salaried work, which produces only a paycheck. Even high-salary work is merely an exchange of the hours of one’s life for a packet of money with which one can buy ready-made items from unknown sources. Weil pointed out something that is perhaps even truer today — that our modern-world jobs can lead to passivity, mental confusion, depression, and despair.

Both Weil and Voltaire felt compelled to report exactly what they saw in the world around them. Weil was a passionate proponent of pacifism and social and religious freedom. Voltaire railed against religious intolerance, the wastefulness of war, and the unnecessary poverty and powerlessness of the average person. He had no time for metaphysical speculations — especially of the ilk of Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz. The whole of Candide is a rollicking and merciless satire of the optimistic creed of Leibnitz. Candide’s tutor, Dr. Pangloss, is the embodiment of Leibnitz’s theory that, since God created this particular world, it follows that this must be the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire trashes Leibnitz’s theory by taking Candide and Pangloss through a long series of disastrous adventures in which fanaticism, intolerance, and superstition feature prominently. In the end Candide concludes, simply, "Il faut cultiver notre jardin."

When a Potato Is Not a Potato

As a writer and thinker, Voltaire was meticulous with language. He pointed out the perils of words most memorably when he noted: "This agglomeration which was called and which still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire." Which leads me to sweet potatoes and candied yams.

Sweet potatoes are indeed sweet, but they are neither potatoes nor yams — potatoes being Solanacea and yams Discorea. Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a member of the Convolvulus or morning glory family. The confusion began when Europeans first encountered sweet potatoes in Haiti in 1492. The fleshy tuber was known by various names, but the one that stuck was the Haitian one, batata. Later this name was inadvertently applied to the ordinary potato. Meanwhile, Portuguese slave traders, watching Africans digging up a large root, asked what it was. The Africans replied that it was "something to eat" — nyami in a language of Guinea. So yam became an alternate term for sweet potato in British and Portuguese colonies. True yams, however, are large starchy roots of the Dioscorea genus. To confuse matters further, when soft, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes were introduced in the United States in the mid-twentieth century, producers and shippers wanted to distinguish them from the lighter colored drier varieties. To do so, they used the word yam. But yams, in the vernacular of the United States, are actually just sweet potatoes with moist texture and orange flesh.

But back to our story. When, after many misadventures, Candide is finally reunited with his friends and his love, who has now grown horribly ugly, they retire to a little farm where they cultivate a garden. It is anathema to our work-as-little-as-possible and get-rich-quick culture, but I agree with Voltaire that any project involving hard work and resulting in modest but practical achievement is a worthy garden to work in. And in honor of that conclusion (while keeping in mind the un-Holy, un-Roman, un-Empire), I give you not Candied Yams, but:

"Candide" Sweet Potatoes

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into half-inch-thick slices
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup bourbon, optional

1. Microwave or steam the potatoes until they are just tender.

2. When they are cool, arrange the potato slices in one layer in a two-quart shallow baking dish, overlapping them slightly.

3. In a small saucepan combine the brown sugar, water, butter, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring, over moderate heat for five minutes. Stir in bourbon to taste.

4. Drizzle the syrup over the potatoes. Bake for about sixty minutes at 350 degrees F, basting the potatoes with the syrup mixture every fifteen minutes, or until the syrup is thickened and the sweet potatoes have deepened in color.

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic and Herbs

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into half-inch slices, then sliced crosswise into half-inch strips
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 garlic clove, minced

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spread oil over large baking sheet.

2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil in large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

3. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about thirty minutes.

4. Transfer sweet potatoes to platter. Mix parsley, thyme and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Toss and serve.

Sweet Potato Soup with Buttered Pecans

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped leek
2 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
3 large carrots, sliced thin (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 bay leaf
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds sweet potatoes
a 1/2-pound baking potato (Kennebec or Irish Cobblers are good)
5 cups chicken broth plus additional for thinning the soup if desired
3/4 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups water

For the buttered pecans:

3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1. In a large saucepan melt the butter. Add the onion, leek, garlic, and carrots with the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are soft.

2. Peel the sweet potatoes and potato. Halve lengthwise, and slice thinly. Add the potatoes, five cups broth, wine, and water. Simmer the mixture, covered, for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.

3. In a blender, purée the mixture in batches until it is very smooth, transferring it to a large saucepan. Add the additional broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a skillet cook the pecans in the butter with salt to taste over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes, or until they are golden brown, and transfer them to paper towels to drain.

5. Divide the soup among bowls and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche and some of the buttered pecans.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Cardamom

3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup whipping cream, heated
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with heavy-duty foil. Place potatoes on baking sheets. Pierce potatoes with fork. Bake until very tender, about one and a half hours. Let cool slightly.

2. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Peel the warm potatoes and place them in the bowl of an electric mixer. First mash the potatoes, then add butter, cream, and cardamom. Whip until smooth and creamy. Season with salt.

3. Transfer potatoes to thirteen- by nine-inch baking dish. Bake until the mixture is heated through and beginning to brown on top, about forty-five minutes.

Sweet Potato Pie

There are many variations on sweet potato pie, with many toppings of various nuts and even corn flakes. This classic recipe is from a 1957 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

3 large sweet potatoes
2 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 standard recipe plain pastry shell
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Peel and mash.

2. Add egg yolks, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar. Beat the mixture until it is creamy.

3. Turn into pastry-lined eight-inch pie pan. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven until crust browns, about twenty to twenty-five minutes.

4. Top with meringue made by beating egg whites with powdered sugar until mixture holds its shape. Brown lightly in a 300 degree F oven.

Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.

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