Cooking Lesson
Leaving Candyland
There’s a certain logic to food pairings — mint goes with lamb, apples with pork, lemon with seafood — and it has to do with what was available and what was plentiful, and what techniques were used and by whom. There’s history and agriculture, geography and technology, tradition and religion … except when it comes to sweet potatoes. Then, nothing makes sense. How does anyone explain the flavor principle that governs a candied sweet potato casserole? If ever there was a travesty perpetrated against vegetables, that dish would be it. Most sweet potato recipes have ingredient lists that include such things as maple sugar, molasses, white sugar, raw sugar, honey and even sweetened whipped cream. Discover the not-so-sweet side of sweet potatoes, starting with this recipe:

Sweet Potato Chutney
Chutney is a relish — something to serve alongside a main dish to heighten flavor. Traditionally chutneys bring a sweet and tart element combined with a touch of spice to complement strong-flavored meats such as wild game, but  it works well with beef, pork and chicken. I also found another use for this chutney. I spread a layer of whipped cream cheese on a dinner plate, and then spread the chutney over it to about an inch length from the edge. Then I serve it as a spread with crisp crackers.

INGREDIENTS
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Andes, chopped
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 tbsp. crystallized ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt

PROCEDURE
1 Place all ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
2 Remove from heat. Cool and then ladle into a serving dish, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: When serving this as a relish, I garnish with a few very thin slices of lemon.
Yield: about 1 quart

Wine Notes
Off the beaten path
Located in the northwestern part of Italy between the Alps and Apennines, Italy’s Piedmont region yields great discoveries. Piedmont is one of the country’s major wine-producing areas in terms of numbers of DOC/DOCG* wine-making zones, production and quality of its wines — among them are rich reds, dry whites and exuberant sparkling wines.

Restaurant Spotlight
Small restaurant sets a great table
Not that anyone needs a reason to visit the pleasant little town of Madison, but if they did, Resto would be a good one. This little contemporary French place has a name it lives up to — resto in French means just that — small restaurant. Resto may seat just 26 and serves food prepared in a kitchen so tiny it would fit in your vest pocket, but there’s nothing “small” about the contemporary French fare offered here. It is large with creative ideas, energy and flavors.

 
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