Sweet Potato-Tortilla Pie August 29, 2007

I recommend this recipe for Sweet Potato-Tortilla Pie.  It is an excellent vegetarian, gluten-free meal.  I’ve always loved the rich taste of roasted sweet potatoes.  This recipe is from the cookbook “Vegetarian Planet” by Didi Emmons.  You can roast the sweet potatoes a little in advance because they need to cool before adding them to the rest of the ingredients.  I served the pie with steamed Swiss Chard and fruit salad, a low-fat meal full of delicious vegetables and fruits.

Sweet Potato-Tortilla Pie

If Mexicans had invented quiche, this is the way they might have made it.  The crust of this pie is made of corn tortillas, and the custard is spiked with cumin, cilantro, and pepper Jack cheese.  The roasted sweet potatoes in the custard provide a comforting, sweet flavor.  I suggest serving this pie with Salsa Verde (on page 29 of cookbook) or a good store-bought salsa.  (Serves 4)

1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

2 large garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 Tablespoon olive oil

5 corn tortillas

1 ½ cups whole or low-fat milk

3 eggs

4 scallions, cut into ¼-inch lengths

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh-ground black pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 cup grated pepper Jack cheese (Monterey Jack with chopped jalapenos; about 3 ounces)

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400^o. In a roasting pan, toss the sweet potatoes with the garlic, cumin, and olive oil. Bake the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes, stirring them once during the middle of the baking. Let them cool.
• 2. Butter a 10-inch quiche or cake pan (but not a springform pan). Layer the tortillas so that they cover the entire base and sides of the pan.
• 3. Set the oven to 375^o. In a large bowl, beat together the milk, the eggs, the scallions, the salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. When the sweet potato mixture is no longer hot, spoon it evenly onto the tortillas. Then sprinkle the cheese over the sweet potatoes. Pour the beaten custard mixture over all; do not worry if some of the custard runs underneath the tortillas.
• 4. Bake the pie for 40 minutes or until the custard is set (when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean). Slice the pie, and serve it hot, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro.

About sweet potatoes: 

As a main dish or prepared as a dessert, the sweet potato is a nutritious and economical food. One baked sweet potato (3 1/2 ounce serving) provides over 8,800 IU of vitamin A or about twice the recommended daily allowance, yet it contains only 141 calories making it valuable for the weight watcher. This nutritious vegetable provides 42 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, 6 percent of the RDA for calcium, 10 percent of the RDA for iron, and 8 percent of the RDA for thiamine for healthy adults. It is low in sodium and is a good source of fiber and other important vitamins and minerals. A complex carbohydrate food source, it provides beta carotene which may be a factor in reducing the risk of certain cancers.

For the most food value, choose sweet potatoes of a deep orange color.

When buying sweet potatoes, select sound, firm roots. Handle them carefully to prevent bruising. Storage in a dry, unrefrigerated bin kept at 55-60 degrees F. is best. DO NOT REFRIGERATE, because temperatures below 55 degrees F. will chill this tropical vegetable giving it a hard core and an undesirable taste when cooked.