Vegetables. Sophie Grigson

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       1 or 2 red chillies, deseeded and cut into strips

       1 sweet potato, weighing around 400g (14oz), peeled, thinly sliced and then quartered

       125g (41/2 oz) green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

       225g (8oz) tender boneless lamb, cut into thin slivers

       3 tablespoons black bean sauce

       1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

      Get all the ingredients fully prepared and measured out, and set them out close to the hob. Put your wok (which should be a good roomy one) over a high heat. Once it starts to smoke, add the sunflower or vegetable oil, then add the ginger, garlic and chillies and stir-fry for 20 seconds or so.

      Next add the sweet potato and stir-fry briskly for 3 minutes. Add the green beans and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender and the beans are patched with brown. Tip all the vegetables out on to a plate and return the wok to the heat. When it is back up to prime heat, add the lamb and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until just barely cooked through. Return the vegetables to the wok and mix them well with the lamb. Add the black bean sauce and stir-fry for a final couple of minutes. Stir in the sesame oil. Taste and add a little more black bean sauce if you think it needs it.

      Sweet potato and red lentil soup with mint

      What a splendid soup this is! Perfect stuff for a spot of cold weather (I’d be tempted to bring it out on Bonfire Night), with just enough lift from the lime and mint to stop it being dull. A whole star anise, by the way, has seven or eight ‘petals’ – useful to know if yours have collapsed in their jar.

      

      Serves 6

      

       1 onion, chopped

       550g (11/4 lb) sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

       3 cloves garlic, chopped

       4 cm (11/2 in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped

       1 whole star anise

       2 tablespoons sunflower oil

       1 tablespoon tomato purée

       1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon

       150g (5 oz) red lentils

       1.5 litres (23/4 pints) water or vegetable stock

       juice of 1–2 limes

       150ml (5 floz) soured cream

       leaves from a small bunch of mint

       salt and pepper

      Put the onion, sweet potato, ginger, garlic, star anise and sunflower oil into a roomy pan and stir around. Place over a low heat, cover tightly and leave to sweat for 10 minutes, then add the tomato purée, cinnamon, lentils and water. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer until the lentils and sweet potato are very tender. Season with salt and pepper.

      Remove the star anise, then liquidise the soup or pass through a mouli-légumes. Stir in as much lime juice as you like. Taste and adjust seasoning.

      Reheat when needed, and spoon into bowls. Finish each one with a little soured cream and a small handful of mint leaves on top.

      Southern sweet potato pie

      This is far better than pumpkin pie. Don’t be scared to line the pastry case with clingfilm – it’s a pastry chef’s trick and it works brilliantly, lifting out perfectly every time. And no, it won’t melt either.

      

      Serves 8

       3 large sweet potatoes, about 1.5 kg (31/4lb) in total

       300 g (11 oz) sweet shortcrust pastry

       30g (1 oz) softened butter

       100 g (31/2 oz) caster sugar

       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

       1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

       a generous grating of nutmeg

       4 tablespoons double cream

       1 egg

       3 egg yolks

       Meringue topping

       3 egg whites

       150g (5oz) caster sugar

      Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Put the sweet potatoes in to bake.

      Meanwhile, line a 23–25 cm (9–10in) tart tin with the pastry, prick the base with a fork, and chill in the fridge for half an hour. Line the pastry case with clingfilm and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and remove the beans and clingfilm. Return the pastry case to the oven and bake for a final 5 minutes. Leave to cool.

      Once the potatoes are done, scoop out the flesh and weigh out 950g (2lb 2 oz). Beat in the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and spices while still hot. Next beat in the cream, then the egg and yolks. Scrape the mixture into the awaiting pastry case, smooth down and return it to the oven. Once the door is closed, turn the heat down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and leave to bake for around 20 minutes, until almost set.

      As it cooks, whisk up the egg whites for the meringue topping until they stand in firm peaks. Sprinkle over half the sugar and whisk again until the meringue is light and glossy and billowing, then fold in the remaining sugar. Spoon the meringue on to the hot baked pie, spreading out right to the edge and completely covering the filling. Make swirls and peaks in the meringue, then return the pie to the oven (last time) and bake for 15 minutes, until the meringue is browned nicely. Serve warm or cold, with plenty of cream.

       Turnips

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