Category: Food

Thank you, sweet potatoes

Posted on by Sylvia Wong Lewis

At my Thanksgiving table, if asked what I am thankful for, I would add the sweet potato to my blessings. During Hurricane Sandy, the simple sweet potato became my survival food.  We had no heat, electric or hot water. But, surprisingly, the gas stove worked! We also had running cold water. We were very lucky.What edible item survived the blackout in my Tribeca kitchen?  Sweet potatoes!  I tried to get everything done during daylight hours. And was surprised how fast the daylight leaves us. In the beginning, I did cook a little bit using flashlights and candlelight. Eventually, we managed our way down dark stairwells and went out foraging for food and power for our phones and computers.

simple, lovely sweet potatoes

My husband and I eat sweet potatoes almost daily since we swore off all ‘white’ foods, especially white potatoes. We mostly eat them simply baked or microwaved. But we also enjoy sweet potatoes in soup, stewed with chicken, as an appetizer, main course, side dish, as pie or muffins. I cook sweet potato home fries and serve with eggs for breakfast. Sometimes I cube pieces and toss in with fried apples and serve this combo with eggs and sausage. For a lunch side-dish or snack, I oven-fry them with a quick spray of olive oil, keep skins on and season with a dash of savory spices. I know that there is a difference between yams and sweet potatoes. But I don’t think it really matters except maybe with soups and stews.

Sweet potatoes are tasty, versatile and very healthy. I am amazed by the variety of flavor, color and texture. I prefer the deep orange variety. For dinner, sometimes I will bake an extra one to use for breakfast. I believe sweet potato home fries taste better if using a baked or steamed one as opposed to a raw potato.

Whether I am mashing sweet potatoes for a casserole or slicing for candied yams, I prepare them with whatever I have on hand: apples with cider; peaches, orange zest with the  juice, pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, topped with bananas or nuts. Since they are naturally sweet, you may adjust the amount of sugar and sweeteners in most recipes.  Here are some of my favorites.

Being a baker’s daughter, I must start with a pie recipe. Notice, I left out the pie crust recipe. Serious pie-people, like my Mississippi-born dad made his own pie crust. It is a high art form that I have yet to master. So, if you are still learning, I suggest that you use frozen pie crust and follow the instructions. There are excellent brands out there. You can substitute half & half milk with evaporated milk or other milks. Here you go. Easy as pie!

Sweet potato pie

Sweet Potato Pie

3 large sweet potatoes

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. sugar

1/2 c.  half & half milk

pie crust

Directions: Boil potatoes with skin on until tender. Remove skin and discard. Mash through a ricer. In a bowl, hand-mix eggs, milk, spices, sugar until smooth, add mashed sweet potato. Mix again until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Fried Apples with Sweet Potatoes for Two A quick meal with only a few ingredients. Another plus to being a baker’s daughter– all the leftover pie ingredients get re-purposed for other meals. Peaches can be substituted for the apples in this recipe.

1 lg apple, sliced with skins

1/2 lg sweet potato, cooked, cubed

1 tbsp. butter

drizzle of honey or small single packet of raw sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 nutmeg

Directions: Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, add apples sweet potatoes, spices. Saute five – ten minutes until apples are tender. Drizzle with honey or few sprinkles of raw sugar. Serve as a side dish with breakfast or dinner.

Quick Sweet Potato Home fries for Two

1 large sweet potato, skins removed, cubed

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 scallion or 1/4 small onion

1 slice green bell pepper

1/2 med. tomato

dash of unsalted herb seasoning

Directions: Spray sweet potato with olive oil spray, microwave for 2 minutes, cool 1 minute, cube into bite-sized pieces. The potato is partially cooked in microwave. Slice, chop onion, scallion, tomato, pepper. Saute all ingredients in skillet in olive oil until onion, pepper, tomato mixture is translucent and potatoes are fully cooked. Sprinkle with herbs,  approx. 5 minutes. Can be serve for breakfast or dinner.

 

sweet potato carrot soup

Curried Sweet Potato Carrot Soup for Two I grew up eating Caribbean food because of my mother’s heritage. This simple, quick, flavorful soup was a staple in our home and is terrific for Meatless Mondays. We sometimes substitute the carrots with an apple.

Blender

1 lg sweet potato, cooked, skin removed, cubed

2 large carrots, peeled, cooked, sliced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil (not olive!)

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 sm. onion, sliced, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, de-seeded, chopped

1 tbsp. curry paste, Madras or Caribbean type

1 tsp. grated ginger

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (1 container)

garnish with red pepper, plain yogurt or sour creme, or herbs

Directions: In soup pot, saute onions, garlic, pepper in oil. Set up blender. Puree all ingredients by first pouring stock into blender, add rest of ingredients in batches. Check for smooth consistency. Add more stock if soup is too thick. Add back into soup pot and keep warm. Garnish with plain yogurt, parsley, or chives.

More Sweet Potato Recipes. Enjoy!

Sakura Festival

Posted on by Sylvia Wong Lewis
In Sakura Park, Kanzan trees, a varietal dark-pink Japanese Cherry tree with Riverside Church in the background.

Sakura Festival 2012 in Harlem was amazing! I was honored to join the media team assembled by New Heritage Theatre Group’s Voza Rivers and Kats Abe and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of NY, Inc., to promote Harlem’s Centennial Celebration, Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival at Sakura Park and Grants Tomb, a two-day event April 14 & 15.

Our collaboration showed stunning results with media placements in the international press, especially Japan television stations and newspapers; New York’s ethnic media, television, radio, print and social media; major media outlets like New York Times, NY Daily News, and NY1.

As you may know, Sakura Japanese Cherry Blossom ceremonies are held annually in Washington DC and throughout New York City. Sakura means cherry blossom tree in Japanese. But the Harlem event was special because it is the most authentic.

Sakura organizers meet with Buddhist monks before blessings.

The original dedication ceremony where the cherry blossom trees were presented by the Japanese government as a friendship gift to New York City, happened in Harlem’s Sakura Park 100 years ago. Unlike Washington DC where all the trees were planted in the same general area, NYC’s gift of over 2000 Japanese trees were divided and planted in several parks across the city — Central Park, Riverside Park, Sakura and other sites. At the time, Sakura Park was known as Claremont Park and owned by the Rockefeller family, who later gifted the re-named park to the city.

To mark this year’s centennial, a two-day celebration was held. The first day was divided into two parts: the morning session featured a formal re-enactment of the original gift presentation and US and Japan dignitaries and speakers; the afternoon presented a music festival with over 25 Japanese and American artists booked to perform.

Traditional Taiko drummer played at blessings of Sakura Park trees.

 

According to a New York Tribune, 1912 article: ”Cherry Trees Planted: Commemorative Tablet Unveiled East of Grant’s Tomb, 8000 Witness Ceremonies…thirteen diminutive kindergarten girls, clad in varicolored kimonos, with their tresses dressed in Japanese style, planted the trees…”

This year’s re-enactment featured a procession of several multicultural female college students wearing colorful kimonos positioned in front of the plants in a mound of earth to be planted later. The tiny trees were descendants of the original trees. Most of the original trees died, as their lifespan is about 65 years or were cut down for various reasons like disease or renovation. Many cuttings were kept and replanted.  This being ‘the Spring that came too soon,’ the centerpiece Yoshinos, a varietal whitish petals—bloomed earlier than usual. So those trees were bare. But on the south end, the Kanzan trees, with its darker-pink flowers, were peaking.

 

The connection between Harlem and Japan became clear from various speakers’ reflections.  For instance, the National Park Service superintendent Shirley McKinney was on hand to discuss Gen. Grant’s Tomb history—President Grant was the first president to visit Japan. Lisa Staino-Coico, City College, explained that the first CUNY president was the first US Japanese ambassador. Takashi Kano, Nippon Club president gave a history of the club for early Japanese Americans in the city. Event MC, Lloyd Williams, Harlem Chamber CEO, in his greetings reminded the audience about “Harlem’s beautiful oasis: Sakura Park, International House, Riverside Church, Columbia and Barnard University, Manhattan School of Music and Grants Tomb. “

Visiting little league team arrived from Los Angeles, posed with their sponsors before blessing ceremonies.

 

On the second day (Sunday, April 15) a baseball tournament was held at Marcus Garvey Park between Harlem Little League and the West Coast Japanese Little League.  All-star Seattle Mariner pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa held a baseball workshop for the neighborhood children

 

Harlem and West Coast Little League Teams, their managers and the organizers of the Sakura Festival posed in Marcus Garvey Park.

The trees are noted for the extreme beauty of its blossoms that die quickly. Symbolically the blossoms have become associated with poetry and Bible verses as they only last a few days. So, let’s cherish our city’s lovely cherry blossom trees wherever you see them this year!

After the game, Harlem and Japanese Little League teams dined together, exchanged gifts and had fun outside Melba’s restaurant in Harlem.

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