Ingredients:

• Purple yams
• Orange sweet potato
• Shallots – chopped
• Parsley – chopped
• Chives – chopped
• Madagascar beans
• Society garlic flowers
• Tahini Sauce (recipe follows)

Method:
Soak Madagascar beans overnight, drain and rinse then cook in fresh water until tender, allow to cool.

Chop yams and sweet potato into desired size (small) cubes, steam until tender, OR toss in a small amount of oil and bake in oven; leave to cool.

Combine beans, herbs and vegetables in a bowl and toss through Tahini Dressing.  Serve decorated with society garlic flowers (or other edible flowers in season).

Tahini Sauce
Ingredients:

• ¼ cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon tamari – salt-reduced
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• ¼ teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ – ½ cup water – as needed to make a smooth paste

Method:
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.

Ingredients:

• 500g taro
• ½ cup blended olive oil and coconut oil
• 1 lemon
• 1 bunch coriander
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (optional)

Method:
Wear kitchen gloves and peel the taro; cut into thick slices shaped like ‘French fries’ and soak in a bowl of lemony water (squeeze half a lemon into the water).
Prepare the coriander pesto: wash the coriander then dry and mince the leaves as finely as possible. Peel and chop the garlic and pound in a mortar with the salt until paste-like. Set both aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in the taro and simmer for fifteen minutes until soft and thoroughly cooked. Drain the taro and towel dry.
Heat a large skillet, add the oil and, when hot, carefully drop in the taro “fries” and fry on all sides until crispy. Remove from oil, drain and then toss in the mashed garlic, coriander and chili flakes (if using); stir the mixture for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Transfer to a serving dish and eat warm with extra lemon quarters if desired.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium bunch of fresh sweet potato leaves, trimmed
• 5 cups water
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced or quartered
• 1 medium onion, minced 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

Method:
In a small bowl, combine ginger, lemon juice, olive oil and soy sauce/tamari.
Heat water in a pot, bring to a boil, add sweet potato tops and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain. Transfer to a serving dish.
Pour the lemon juice mixture over the blanched sweet potato tops, add tomato slices and onions and mix well. Serve.
This dish is traditionally served with freshly-cooked, piping-hot white rice.

Ingredients:

• Filo pastry
• Olive oil or butter
• Equivalent of 1 generous bunch of spinach, using Brazilian spinach and Surinam spinach, (can use silverbeet and/or rainbow chard if preferred).
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 cup firmly packed, sweet basil leaves, finely sliced
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 100g feta cheese – crumbled into small pieces
• 4 eggs – lightly beaten
• 2-3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Remove stalks from spinach, slice all leaves and submerge in a bowl of boiling water.
Slice spinach stalks thinly. Add a small amount of oil to frying pan and add spinach stalks, onion, garlic and basil. Cook until spinach stalks become transparent and remove from heat.
Drain spinach and press to remove as much of the water as possible (I use a salad spinner). In a medium bowl, add cooked mixture, spinach, eggs, pepper and cheeses. Mix lightly together – do not over mix these ingredients.
Brush a baking dish with melted butter. Layer sheets of filo pastry – using a pastry brush to oil/butter every second or third layer of filo. Build your base (6-8 sheets is good). Pour mixture onto the pie base then add more sheets of filo, repeating the same process as the base until you are happy with the thickness.
Bake in oven on medium heat until golden brown – approx. 20-30 minutes.
Pie can be served hot or cold.

Peel and cube pieces of purple yam, white yam and cocoyam. Bring cocoyam to a boil and cook until just tender.  Steam purple* and white yams.  Allow to cool. Combine yams and cooked Madagascar beans in a bowl.

Make a dressing by combining coconut yoghurt, lemon juice and tamari in a screw top jar.  Add in finely chopped parsley, chives and chervil, shake well to combine.  Pour enough dressing over vegies and beans to lightly coat.  Serve chilled.