Elizabeth Alexander & Pineapple Sweet Potatoes
In celebration of April as National Poetry Month, we are shining the spotlight on various Black poets who have written poems about food. This post honors Elizabeth Alexander, an accomplished poet who composed and read the poem “Praise Song for the Day” for Barack Obama’s Presidential inauguration. She has been known for creating links between her cultural vision and the universal experience. Her poems are centered on themes of race and gender, politics and history, and motherhood. Read her poem “Butter” and find the recipe for Pineapple Mashed Sweet Potatoes below.
Butter
My mother loves butter more than I do,
more than anyone. She pulls chunks off
the stick and eats it plain, explaining
cream spun around into butter! Growing up
we ate turkey cutlets sauteed in lemon
and butter, butter and cheese on green noodles,
butter melting in small pools in the hearts
of Yorkshire puddings, butter better
than gravy staining white rice yellow,
butter glazing corn in slipping squares,
butter the lava in white volcanoes
of hominy grits, butter softening
in a white bowl to be creamed with white
sugar, butter disappearing into
whipped sweet potatoes, with pineapple,
butter melted and curdy to pour
over pancakes, butter licked off the plate
with warm Alaga syrup. When I picture
the good old days I am grinning greasy
with my brother, having watched the tiger
chase his tail and turn to butter. We are
Mumbo and Jumbo’s children despite
historical revision, despite
our parent’s efforts, glowing from the inside
out, one hundred megawatts of butter.
Pineapple Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
By Tupelo Honey
Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1.5 cups chopped pineapple
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 400. Mix sweet potatoes, pineapple, maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a buttered 9”x13” baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 50-55 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Remove sweet potatoes and mash in separate bowl. Stir back into the pineapple mixture in the baking dish. Add heavy cream, warmed up, and cayenne and stir well. Serve and enjoy!
