You know, I just had to share this little gem of a side that you may just want to have with your Thanksgiving spread this year. Pureed Yams with Ginger and Pine Nuts. Sound fancy? Different? It’s super easy and a perfect compliment to all of the flavors on your table.
My sister hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at her house last year and, you know, her and I share some foodie love. So I always go to her house expecting to find something that’s just gonna floor me. But I never would’ve thought that it would have been these yams.
A friend of hers brought the dish – a big old side of it! Huge, in fact. It looked like creamy perfection with a sprinkling of pine nuts on top. And I thought, well, that’s a fun way to do yams. So, I served a little up next to all the other goods and took a bite.
And……there it was. FLOORED. You see, I’m not a marshmallow yammy-type person, but I am still all about adding some good flavor. And taking that first bite and tasting the hidden ginger (since you can’t tell it’s in there)….well, it was amazing.
Gingery yams with a sprinkle of pine nuts. So simple. So unassuming. Yet, absolutely incredible. I found myself going back for more and more.
I wondered how the yams could be so creamy but still have such a great ginger flavor? It was obviously ginger root, and not ground ginger powder. So, of course, I asked. And here’s the deal. Basically, boil the peeled yams until super soft (about an hour), and then blend with……wait for it……the juice from the ginger root. Yes, just the juice. So, you grate the ginger root, and then squeeze the tar out of the pulpy mess (either in a cheesecloth or just with your hands, being careful not to drop any of the fiber in). You get strong ginger flavor, but a perfectly silky texture.
If you want to change up your yams a little bit this year, give this a try.
Pureed Gingered Yams with Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 pound yams 1-2, peeled and quartered
- 3 ounces ginger root approximately 1/4 cup very loosely packed, peeled and finely grated
- 1/2 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter optional
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half optional
- dash of salt
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts plus more on the side for serving, if desired
Instructions
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Boil yams in medium pot (fully covered with water) over medium-high heat, approximately one hour, or until very soft.
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Drain and place in high-powered blender (if your blender is a little weak, you may want to dice them a little before adding to blender to help get things started).
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Place grated ginger root in a cheese cloth, and squeeze over blender, pressing out the juice only. (You may use your hands to squeeze the juice out if you are careful not to drop in any of the fibers.)
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If desired, add butter and half-and-half. (This just thins it out a little more and adds a little additional creaminess and lightness.)
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Puree on high, scraping down sides if necessary, until mixture is completely smooth and turns a light orange color.
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Place in serving dish and sprinkler pine nuts over the top for a garnish and a nice crunch! Serve more pine nuts on the side if desired.
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