Classic Barbadian Sweet Potato Pie

This sweet potato dish is traditionally served on Sundays or on special occasions. The topping is stunning: pineapple slices and cherries—you have to love that. Feel free to double or triple the recipe, but I prefer this pie in small quantities, served with a bit of Onion Gravy (page 2). Ordinarily, this pie is baked in a baking pan and then cut into squares for serving, but my version calls for making individual pies.

Classic Barbadian Sweet Potato Pie

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound, 6 ounces (620 g) white- or yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• ½ cup (120 ml) pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cassia
• Pink or sea salt
• 2 pineapple slices
• 2 cherries
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the sweet potatoes in boiling salted water until tender.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-ounce (240 ml) ramekins.

3. Drain the sweet potatoes, add the margarine, pineapple juice, and cinnamon, and mash until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

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4. Transfer to the prepared ramekins. Top each pie with a pineapple slice and a cherry and sprinkle with sugar. Broil for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Onion Gravy

Makes 1 cup (240 ml)

This brown, flavorful gravy is used in some parts of the Caribbean by people who don’t eat meat. It’s great on potatoes and other root vegetables and also on plain rice dishes. You can omit the Caribbean Caramel if you don’t care about the brown color.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine or olive oil
• 1 medium-large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram minced, or a scant ½ teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced, or ¼ teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon mild paprika
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon Caribbean Caramel or browning
• ¼ teaspoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon American-style prepared mustard

DIRECTIONS

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1. Heat the margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato, and garlic and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is slightly tender.

2 Add the marjoram, thyme, onion powder, adobo seasoning, and paprika, then stir in the water. Cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the ketchup, soy sauce, Caribbean Caramel, cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water, and the mustard.

3 Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the sauce starts to get slightly thick. Serve hot.

Longtime vegan chef and entrepreneur Taymer Mason is the author of two cookbooks, a natural hair enthusiast, and founder of her own line of natural health and beauty products. A bilingual globetrotter, Mason lives in her home country, Barbados. Pre-order Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion, Expanded Second Edition before November 29, 2016 here. 

Credit line: Recipe from Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion, Expanded Second Edition © Taymer Mason, 2016. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.  theexperimentpublishing.com