The most wonderful thing about the Terre Madre experience is the people you meet and the pooling of information that happens because of it.
I have long been fascinated at the amount of basic ingredients which have come to us from the Americas.
They did after all provide us here in Ireland with our staple, the potato, and also provided the entire Mediterranean with their staple, the tomato.
Add in a few other essentials like coffee, courgettes, chocolate and indeed all of the fiery spices in Eastern food and you begin to realise what a great bounty the discovery of America has given us.
This leads one to wonder how the people living in this culinary Shangri-La fed them selves, and, with my luck, who did I happen to meet in Turin but the people who have written the book.

Fernando and Marlene Divina’s “Foods of the Americas” is available from Amazon.com. My copy arrived in yesterday, it is a superb book, beautifully produced and full of delicious recipes.
I tried the first one last night, Potato Cakes, being an Irishman how could I not!
In their description of the dish the Divinas add;
“For an experience that transcends time, serve these with peanut sauce”
Hear Hear!
(I have translated the recipe slightly to facilitate us at this side of the pond- Sorry Fernando!)

Peanut Sauce

1 large Tomato
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Med Onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
3 Tablespoons Coarse Peanut Butter (½ jar roughly)
150ml (5 oz.) Vegetable Stock or Water
Salt and Black pepper
Pinch Cayenne

Potato Cakes

6 Med Floury Potatoes
Salt and Black Pepper
White of two scallions finely chopped.
1 Egg White
Some Plain Flour for dredging
Olive Oil

Sauce.
Blanch the tomato to remove the skin, halve and discard the pips.
Chop the flesh into little dice.
Heat some oil in a pan and cook the chopped onion in this until transparent.
Add in the garlic and the tomato.
Cook for three or four minutes then add in the stock and the peanut butter.
Simmer gently for another minute or two, season and be prepared to add more water if it is too thick..

Potato Cakes

Peel and then steam the potatoes until just nearly cooked.
Take out two. Then leave the remaining potatoes cook until tender.
Mash thoroughly, season with salt and black pepper, stir in the chopped scallions,and the egg white and leave them get cool enough to handle.
Make into six potato cakes.
Grate the two reserved potatoes coarsely and press these gratings into both sides of the cakes. (this gives them a delicious crispness when fried)
Fry these in hot oil until brown and crisp.
Serve immediately with the hot peanut sauce.

The Divinas say to serve these with some crisply fried Plantain, or Potatoes for added texture.
I actually crisp roasted some free range chicken legs to go with them.
It is going to be difficult to enjoy potato cakes again without this wonderful peanut sauce.