autumnal food : spinach & sweet potato bake

Now that the clocks have gone back, it’s time to break out the autumnal recipes. We’ve had a wonderful summer of tapas and salads and fresh fish  – light food, which doesn’t leave you feeling too full – but now that the candles are out, and throws are appearing on the sofa, it’s time for heartier, but still healthy – meals. We’re now living in Andalucia and the onset of autumn hasn’t been quite as much a shock, as it used to be back in the UK, and even in Istria. Days here are still very warm in the sunshine – although today we have rain – and even though the clocks have gone back an hour, the sun doesn’t set until well after 7pm. But, when it is dark, and the sun has gone, there’s definitely more of a chill in their air. And, as much as we’d rather have spring and summer, I think our years of having to embrace this time of year, have made us welcome certain aspects of autumn and winter. Like changes in what we eat.

It’s been a while since we enjoyed this very simple Spinach and Sweet Potato Bake. We used to make it a lot back in our West Didsbury kitchen, especially at this time  year, because it is all the colours of autumn, in one tray. The original recipe has been long lost, so we’ve improvised over the years – possibly one of two ingredients may have been forgotten, as it always seemed more complicated and more of a lengthy process, but I think we’ve now nailed a really easy, full of goodness, super tasty, quick and easy dish. If you fancy giving it a go, here’s what we do…

what you’ll need

  • Bag of fresh spinach
  • A couple of large sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  • 2/3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and finely sliced, diced or crushed
  • Medium sized carton of fresh single cream
  • 3/4 fresh chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (or chilli flakes, if you don’t have fresh)
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste

what you’ll need to do

  • Heat the cream in a small pan, with the garlic and chillies – don’t leave to boil;
  • Lightly oil an ovenproof dish and begin layering the ingredients;
  • Layer of sweet potato, layer of fresh spinach, a pouring of the heated cream mixture, salt & pepper to taste;
  • Sprinkle over a layer of grated or sliced parmesan cheese;
  • Repeat the layers of sweet potato, spinach and cream, until all ingredients have been used;
  • Finish with a layer of parmesan to achieve a cheesy crust.

We had a small amount of strong, blue cheese which needed to be used, so this was sprinkled across the top for a bit of an extra kick. Cook for about 40 minutes, in an oven which has been heated to 180°C. Once cooked, leave to rest for about ten minutes, then serve. This works well with a really simple salad or fresh, crusty bread. Perfect for the onset of autumn.

 

Published on 29th October 2024