Yam and Guava Casserole
Recipe by Chef Lu's Library
This is a great recipe from an old Todos Santos cookbook by Lee Moore. Originally from New York, Lee was an author, local artist, and longtime resident who helped shape the town's modern identity. Today, her home remains preserved on the streets of downtown Todos Santos as a visual testament to the early wave of international artists who established a life in the Baja peninsula.
In a note from her cookbook, she recalls her arrival: "It was 1983, a Sunday, siesta time, when I took my first walk through the dirt streets of the old village with its picturesque, crumbling buildings. The sounds of opera (from the one TV channel the town received) floated through the air, hummingbirds hovered in the midst of vivid bougainvillea blossoms. I could swear there were clouds of butterflies. The palm groves and the patchwork fields stretched from below the oasis town all the way out to the white sand beaches of the Pacific."
Setting the scene for this specific dish, she wrote:
"The weather is still very sweet in Todos Santos in late November... the sea is still warm although the nights have become cooler. While the rest of this little Mexican town goes about its daily business, the gringos gather to celebrate, in dozens of different gatherings, a holiday I still have failed to describe adequately to slightly bewildered Mexican friends. I have finally settled on saying that it is a day 'on which all Americans overeat.' It's easier than going into the Pilgrims and Indians thing.
The tartness of the guava offsets the sweetness of the yams to create a dish that is definitely fancy enough for Thanksgiving dinner. This casserole, which I usually prepare for Turkey Day, is so good that even people who claim not to like sweet potatoes eat every bite."
Ingredients
- 1 whole Orange, juiced
- 1 cup Guavas (seeded and diced)
- 4 cups Yams Mashed (Ensure you scratch the skin when buying to make sure the flesh is orange)
- 0.5 cup Chopped walnuts
- 0.33 cup Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Butter (for greasing the dish)
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before you start.
- When buying your yams, be sure you scratch their skin with your fingernail to make sure the flesh is orange, since the flavor of the yellow-fleshed sweet potato is insipid.
- Scrub the yams, then cut them in thick slices. Boil them in lightly salted water until they are tender. Peel off the skins and either mash them with the 1 whole Orange, juiced until smooth or whip the yams and the juice together in a food processor to yield your 4 cups Yams Mashed (Ensure you scratch the skin when buying to make sure the flesh is orange).
- Wash the guavas thoroughly and cut off both the blossom and stem ends. Cut them in half and carefully scoop out the seedy centers with the tip of a teaspoon. Chop the unpeeled fruit coarsely to prepare your 1 cup Guavas (seeded and diced).
- Butter a 9x9 baking dish and spread it with half the mashed yams. Add all the guavas, sprinkle with half of the 0.33 cup Brown sugar, then top with the rest of the yams. Sprinkle the top with the remaining brown sugar and end with the 0.5 cup Chopped walnuts.
- Before baking, wipe the top and the edges of the casserole with a paper towel to remove the excess butter and sweet potato, which otherwise would bake on and blacken.
- Bake for half an hour on the very highest shelf of the oven. The extra heat will cause the casserole to form a crispy top which adds to its flavor and texture.