Sweet Potatoes Recife!

Yes.

I do not know what the Portuguese version of "Ole!" is, or I'd say it.

This is a recipe I tried over the last weekend, from that Mennonite cookbook I've referred to in the past. It was one I kept looking at and wondering, "Either this is good, or it's very, very bad."

I finally tried it, and I'm happy to report that it's good. It's also good as leftovers - if anything, it tastes better reheated after sitting in the fridge a couple days, the flavors blend better.

The contributor of the recipe lived in Brazil, hence the name. I do not know if this is a common Brazilian recipe or just one she invented. But it's still good, and it's easy.

For the three servings I made:

2 cups mashed sweet potato (I used a can I had on the shelf that I wanted to use up, I suspect fresh boiled-and-mashed would be even better).

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

2 to 3 Tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whatever spice you like - following the recipe would have called for 1/8 teaspoon cloves; I used about 1/2 teaspoon of the "Cake Spice" (a blend of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and nutmeg) instead.

You mix it all up and put it in either ramekins (I used three of my four Mini-Cocottes) or a small casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until it's hot through.

I think there are a lot of other things you could do with this. You could increase the sugar, add some milk and beaten egg, and cook it as you would a baked custard, and have a delicious dessert. (Or a filling for a pie). You could put struesel topping on top instead of breadcrumbs and serve it as a dessert or a breakfast dish. (Heck, as it is, it would make a nice breakfast). You could add raisins in with the pineapple. You could make little crumb crusts in the ramekins and make it like mini-pies.

You could also probably cut back on the sugar if you want a less-sweet dish. Especially if you're using canned sweet potatoes, which seem to come in a sugar syrup already, it seemed plenty sweet to me.

I ate it as a main dish, but I think it would be an excellent side dish for either ham or poultry.

Also: 109 cats in sweaters