From theguardian.com
I’ve been smitten with Tex-Mex food since the early 90s. This dish moves things along, but it still hits the same flavourful spot
My first taste of Tex-Mex was at the Chiquito in the Kingston Retail Park, Hull, in the early 1990s. The lady on the next table ordered a margarita and a chimichanga, which sounded ludicrously exciting. I watched (along with everyone else in the place) as a sizzling fajita landed on another table. Aged 10, I was smitten. I’ve not been to Texas, but would love to one day; in the meantime, I’m content with reading my favourite Texas tome, The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain, and riffing on the flavours within.
Baked sweet potatoes with chipotle beans and tahini guacamole
You’ll need a wide frying pan for which you have a lid. The sweet potatoes and beans should come together at the same time, but if that doesn’t happen, keep the potatoes warm in the oven with the heat turned off. Chipotle paste can be found in most major supermarkets.
Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4
6 sweet potatoes (about 1.3kg)
Fine sea salt
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
40g dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp chipotle paste – I like the one by Cool Chile
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g tins black beans, not drained
2 ripe avocados
1 tbsp tahini
2 limes, 1 juiced, to get 1½ tbsp, the other cut into wedges, to serve
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Rinse the sweet potatoes, then sprinkle a large pinch of salt on each one. Put the potatoes on an oven tray, then bake for 40 minutes, or until tender.
In the meantime, make the beans. Put the oil in a wide frying pan on a medium heat and, when hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic, cook for two minutes more, then stir in the chocolate, chipotle, tomatoes, black beans and their water, and a half-teaspoon of salt. Bring to a bubble, then turn down the heat, pop on a lid and leave to cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes.
To make the tahini guacamole, halve, stone and peel the avocados, then mash the flesh in a bowl until soft. Stir in the tahini, lime juice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and set aside.
To serve, put a sweet potato on each of four plates, then slit open and pull apart slightly. Generously spoon over the beans and dollop over the guacamole. There’s an extra half a sweet potato each for anyone who’s still hungry.
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