Italialicious

A lot of Italian dishes begin with a soffritto, which is made by sautéing different vegetables. The ultimate Italian soffritto contains onion, celery and carrots. In this recipe I’ll use sweet potatoes instead of carrots. If you ask any Italian about sweet potatoes, he or she will tell you that sweet potatoes produce wonderful flowers, but at the same time he or she will admit not knowing how to cook with sweet potatoes. As you can infer, sweet potato is not a very well known ingredient in Italy. Veneto is the only Italian region I know where people do cook with sweet potatoes. However, Italians should begin to cook more with sweet potatoes because they are super healthful! They are packed with fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, copper, potassium, iron and proteins with antioxidant properties!

In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the olive oil. Sauté the mushrooms and the onions for about 7 minutes until golden. Add the sweet potatoes, a touch of peperoncino, and some salt. Give a quick stir. Add the celery, the green, yellow and red pepper, and an additional tablespoon of butter. After a couple of minutes, add the white wine. Stir. Let the alcohol evaporate and then, covering the saucepan with a lid, let the soffritto cook. Set the heat to medium low. Boil the penne in salted water until al dente. When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it over the soffritto. Add the last tablespoon of butter and some black pepper. Give a quick little stir and serve.