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Tin and Thyme

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Home » Meal Type » Dinner Recipes » Chilli Roasted Oca with Hedgerow Pesto: Two Recipes for the Price of One

Chilli Roasted Oca with Hedgerow Pesto: Two Recipes for the Price of One

7th March 2017 by Choclette Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, G2.3 Blender, HealthyFry, Wild Food, Winter

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Have you grown ocas, been given some or found them in your veg box? Not sure how to cook them? These chilli roasted oca tubers make a delicious, colourful and easy meal with wild garlic and hazelnut pesto and some sort of green on the side.

Chilli Roasted Oca with Hedgerow Pesto

CT has been interested in The Lost Crops of the Incas for a very long time. One he’s been growing over the years is oca (Oxalis tuberosa).  I was recently gifted a kilo of beautifully coloured oca tubers from The Guild of Oca Breeders. This was a rare treat as I hardly ever get to try any of CT’s precious tubers.

You can prepare them in pretty much anyway you’d cook a potato, but I like them best roasted. Here I give you my recipe for a quick and simple dish of chilli roasted oca with hedgerow pesto.

Why Oca?

People often ask me what oca taste like. My best description, in fact my only one, is that they are sort of like a slightly lemony potato. They come in a variety of colours and some taste more lemony than others. Like potatoes, some have a waxy texture and some are floury.

They are all delicious. In my experience, the white ones seem to be the flouriest and have virtually no tang at all and the bright pink ones, the most lemony. In the batch I cooked for the chilli roasted oca, it was the orange ones that were the sharpest.

Chilli Roasted Oca

Oca has been grown in the Andes for thousands of years. It’s important there for enhancing food security as it has a high nutritional content. It also helps control pests and diseases by improving crop rotations. It’s second only to the potato for the number of tubers grown. Oca is a good source of Vitamins A, B and C as well as iron, zinc flavanoids and fibre. In New Zealand, tubers are also widely available but they’re known as yams.

We’ve already got potatoes, so why do we need oca you may well ask? Variety is the spice of life and it’s always good to have some alternatives. They are a valued crop back in Peru and Bolivia, even though they have plenty of potatoes. But the key to oca is that, unlike potatoes, they don’t get blight.

Mixed Oca Tubers

The Guild of Oca Breeders

A couple of years ago CT and a group of like minded oca enthusiasts decided that trying to grow bigger oca that tuberised in the UK growing season was more than one person could cope with on their own. The Guild of Oca Breeders was born. Their mission? ” To breed a variety of oca that responds much better to European variations in day length and climate”.

Oca’s are daylight sensitive, as was the original potato. Left to their own devices, they don’t start to tuberise until the days and nights are of equal length, i.e. in September and October. By then, it’s too late in our season for them to grow to a decent size. The Guild are breeding new varieties and selecting the best producers in an attempt to recify this problem.

Oca Tubers

Ocas aren’t easy to find, but they are becoming more widely available in the UK these days. Look out for them at farmer’s markets. I even saw some for sale in a small Cornish shop a couple of months ago. If you’d like to try growing some of your own, you can buy carefully selected tubers from The Guild of Oca Breeders. You’re unlikely to be able to source such good specimens from anywhere else. If you’re a keen grower and would like to get involved in breeding ocas, the Guild are always looking for new members.

Chilli Roasted Oca with Pesto

Chilli Roasted Oca with Hedgerow Pesto

So back to the recipe for chilli roasted oca tubers. They make a delicious and easy meal with wild garlic and hazelnut pesto and some sort of green on the side. We accompanied them with a few Brussels sprouts that were loitering in the fridge. I made the pesto with roasted hazelnuts and the first foraged wild garlic of the year. The slight sharpness from the chilli roasted oca cuts through the richness of the pesto and makes a perfect accompaniment.

Chilli Roasted Oca with Pesto & Sprouts

Wild garlic has a really short season, so use whatever pesto you’re able to make. You’ll find a few ideas a bit further down the post. For a vegan option, this carrot top pistou recipe with lemon is really good.

If you’re looking for more oca recipes, I have a delicious one for a vegan oca peanut stew with kale. Definitely worth checking out. And these oca latkes are pretty good too. There’s a vegan version as well as a more traditional one.

Blender & Air Fryer

I used my Optimum G2.3 induction blender* to make the pesto. It made quick work of blending the wild garlic and hazelnuts. I roasted the ocas in my Optimum HealthyFry, but they can be done just as well in the oven. The oca’s bright colours fade a little during roasting, but they still look attractive and appetising, though I do say so myself.

I’m a Froothie Ambassador, so can offer Tin and Thyme readers free P&P on any Froothie appliance*. Add 2483 free ambassador delivery to the comment box when ordering to get free postage and packing. Delivery will be credited back onto your card. The Optimum G2.3 is currently on offer at £379 and the Optimum HealthyFry is on offer at £149.

Other Recipes for Pesto You Might Like

  • Basil & pistachio pesto via Greedy Gourmet
  • Carrot top pesto via Fuss Free Flavours
  • Cavolo nero & hazelnut pesto via Family Friends Food
  • Fat hen & chickweed pesto via Tin and Thyme
  • Parsley & almond pesto via Tin and Thyme
  • Spinach and pea pesto via Tinned Tomatoes
  • Watercress pesto via Tin and Thyme
  • Wild garlic pesto two ways via Tin and Thyme

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Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these chilli roasted oca with wild garlic & hazelnut pesto, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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Choclette x

Chilli Roasted Oca. PIN IT.

Chilli Roasted Oca with Wild Garlic & Hazelnut Pesto.

Chilli Roasted Oca with Hedgerow Pesto – The Recipe

Chilli Roasted Oca with Hedgerow Pesto
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5 from 3 votes

Chilli Roasted Oca with Wild Garlic and Hazelnut Pesto

Chilli roasted oca tubers make a delicious and easy meal with wild garlic and hazelnut pesto and some sort of green on the side.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time35 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Andean, British
Keyword: air fryer, chillies, hazelnuts, oca, pesto, wild garlic
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 405kcal
Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

Hedgerow Pesto

  • 100 g wild garlic – well washed and dried can use basil instead
  • 100 g hazelnuts – roasted
  • 75 g Parmesan or vegetarian equivalent
  • 75 ml olive oil
  • pinch of sea salt

Chilli Roasted Oca

  • 500 g oca tubers – well scrubbed
  • 1 tsp rapeseed oil
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Hedgerow Pesto

  • Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until just combined. I used my Optimum G2.3 induction blender.
  • Spoon into clean jars and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Chilli Roasted Oca

  • Mix the oil, chilli flakes and salt together in a bowl then add the tubers and stir until all are coated.
  • Roast the oca in an air fryer at 160℃ or in an oven at 180℃ for 15-18 minutes, depending on size. You may need a little longer if using a conventional oven. I used my Optimum HealthyFry. They should be soft all the way through when pierced with a knife.
  • Spoon a little of the pesto over the ocas and enjoy with some greens on the side.

Notes

The hedgerow pesto recipe makes enough for 2 small jars.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 1292mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1398IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Please take a photo and mention @choclette8 or tag #tinandthyme on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Linkies

I’m sending this recipe for chilli roasted oca with hedgerow pesto to Jac at Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays. This is really the end of Brussels sprout season and mine were only just hanging on in there. I had to take an extra layer or two off them, but they were saved from the compost heap. So, I’m sending this post to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary for the No Food Waste Challenge.

The post contains affiliate links which are marked with an asterisk. Buying through a link will not cost you any more, but I will get a small commission. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Chilli Roasted Oca with Wild Garlic & Hazelnut Pesto - a recipe via Tin and Thyme. #OcaRecipe #RoastedVeg #pesto #WildGarlic #oca #Andean #TinandThyme
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48 Comments Tagged With: Andean, chilli, hazelnuts, oca, parmesan, Top of the Pops, wild garlic

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Comments

  1. blankTeresa says

    30th November 2020 at 8:14 am

    Oh – please disregard my recent comment – i didn’t realise you had answered it already. I should have checked before I asked again – apologies!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      1st December 2020 at 7:49 am

      No problem Teresa, it was quite a long time ago you asked it originally. I’ve deleted it now.

      Reply
  2. blankJulia Barnes says

    29th November 2020 at 8:20 pm

    This recipe was a great surprise when our housemate Martin turned up with some Oca. I had no idea what they were or what to do with them . It was the wrong timeof year for wild garlic but we did have home grown garlic/lemon chives and stored garlic bulbs. They worked a treat, the pink ones ARE lemony and if I get the ingredients together again I return to this recipe. Evefryone was curious and it was a bug hit with the house.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      30th November 2020 at 7:27 am

      Hi Julia. Glad you liked the oca. The pink ones are the most commonly available over here in the UK, but there are much less sharp ones. Any sort of pesto will work well and I’m now intrigued by hearing about lemon chives. I didn’t know they were a thing. If you get hold of oca again, I have another recipe for oca peanut stew on the blog which is also really good.

      Reply
      • blankJulia says

        30th November 2020 at 8:27 pm

        Hi again and apologies for all the typos! The chives I used were simply garlic chives, the lemon flavour was from the Oca. The Oca themselves were grown next door here in St Austell as an experiment, they have done so well more will be forthcoming for the peanut stew. I look forward to it 🙂

        Reply
        • blankChoclette says

          1st December 2020 at 7:48 am

          Ah, thanks for the clarification. I was getting quite excited at the thought of garlic chives. We (as in CT, not me) were growing them in Liskeard. We’ve just got an allotment here in the New Forest, but it was in pretty poor shape, so the ocas haven’t done well at all. We’re hoping for better next year.

          Reply
  3. blankTeresa says

    13th July 2019 at 1:31 am

    SO — it looks like the pesto on top of the Oca is green. But, the recipe doesn’t include basil. Is the recipe supposed to include basil or some other greens?

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      13th July 2019 at 4:54 pm

      It’s wild garlic pesto. The ingredient is listed. It’s this that’s listed so you don’t need basil. At this time of year, wild garlic is long gone, but you could substitute basil or a mixture of carrot tops and basil or kale and basil or even parsley. Pesto is wonderfully versatile. Or I have a recipe for walnut & basil pesto here – https://tinandthyme.uk/2017/07/socca-walnut-basil-pesto/

      Reply
  4. blankJo / Jo's Kitchen Larder says

    30th January 2018 at 8:11 pm

    What a great insight into this gorgeous knobbly veggie 🙂 Many different colours as well! I was pretty excited to see these in my veg box and can’t wait to roast them for dinner tomorrow. I wish I had some wild garlic to make your gorgeous pesto too!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      30th January 2018 at 8:44 pm

      Aw thanks Jo.They’re a much underrated tuber and quite delicious, though personally I prefer the less lemony ones. Any pesto would work, though I’m looking forward to the wild garlic season coming soon 😀

      Reply
  5. blankNico @ yumsome says

    6th April 2017 at 8:26 am

    I thought I’d already commented on this post… how very remiss of me!

    To say that these oca look delicious would be the most ridiculous understatement – they look amazing! And so beautiful too. All those colours – like little knobbly jewels. I would quite happily eat a plate of this, with nothing else, barring a smidge of sea salt and some black pepper. Yum!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      6th April 2017 at 8:44 am

      Well thanks for paying it another a visit 🙂 Oca tubers really are very pretty, especially when you have a variety of colours. When CT first started growing them, he only had the small pink ones, which was all I ever saw for years.

      Reply
  6. blankElizabeth says

    5th April 2017 at 8:17 am

    What a fascinating ingredient! I’ve never heard of oca before but they sound so interesting and tasty! LOVE your hedgerow pesto too! Thanks for sharing with the no waste food challenge! 🙂

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      6th April 2017 at 8:41 am

      Thanks Elizabeth. Oca are delicious and I believe some of the gang are growing them in Scotland, so keep a look out.

      Reply
  7. blankCathy @ Planet Veggie says

    16th March 2017 at 11:40 am

    I saw these when you posted the on Instagram. They reminded me of baby gerbils 🙂

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      16th March 2017 at 6:20 pm

      Ah noooooo Cathy. I don’t want to think of baby gerbils when I eat oca 🙁

      Reply
  8. blankKate - gluten free alchemist says

    12th March 2017 at 10:42 pm

    What a fascinating post. I have never heard of Oca, but they are so beautiful! And cooked they look amazing. I would love to try them…… I will be seeking them out for sure x

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      14th March 2017 at 9:27 am

      Good luck Kate. They are well worth trying if you can find them – quite delicious, especially when cooked like this 🙂

      Reply
  9. blankJacqueline Meldrum says

    12th March 2017 at 9:01 pm

    Aren’t they pretty? I’ve not heard of them before, but I am liking the sound of a lemony flavour. Thanks for adding them to this week’s Meat Free Mondays. Stumbled, flipped and tweeted 🙂

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      14th March 2017 at 9:28 am

      Thanks Jac. They are lovely and quite delicious too. They’re a high treat for me as I rarely get to try any of the ones CT grows.

      Reply
  10. blankDom says

    12th March 2017 at 10:46 am

    I kept seeing these all over Facebook last week and every time I see them I think of pigs i blankets but I know you’d never give us that so I was so intrigued. Aren’t they beautiful and parculiar. I really want to try them and with that stunning pesto too!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      14th March 2017 at 9:30 am

      Haha an OCA takeover of Facebook – brilliant. They are delicious and well worth trying if you can get hold of them, which living in London I’m sure you can.

      Reply
  11. blankDavid @ CookingChat says

    10th March 2017 at 1:49 am

    Wow, what an interesting combo! Never heard of oca before.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      10th March 2017 at 9:44 am

      Yes, it’s not the sort of veg you’re likely to find in the supermarkets, but I’ve seen it for sale in a few independent greengrocers.

      Reply
  12. blankLucy says

    9th March 2017 at 10:01 pm

    I really would love to try oca. I will see if they have any in our local farm shop, they grow quite a lot of different veg in the farm there. Love the sound of the pesto too!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      10th March 2017 at 9:46 am

      Good luck Lucy. I hope you find some. They are well worth trying and the more people that ask for them, the more likely they are to become available.

      Reply
  13. blankJanice says

    9th March 2017 at 7:05 pm

    I love the look of these little jewel-like potatoes, I’d love to try them. Maybe one day!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      10th March 2017 at 9:47 am

      With your early spring flowers Janice, you might be in just the right place to grow them 🙂

      Reply
  14. blankEb Gargano says

    9th March 2017 at 6:25 pm

    Wow – this looks fab! I’ve never heard of ocas before, but they look beautiful and I love your take on pesto! Eb x

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      10th March 2017 at 9:48 am

      Thanks Eb. I get very excited by the emergence of the first wild garlic leaves and pesto is a must.

      Reply
  15. blankJan Bennett says

    9th March 2017 at 5:25 am

    I’d never heard of oca before – I’m now on a mission to find them!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      9th March 2017 at 10:03 am

      Good luck Jan. They’re not easy to find, but it is possible. Try farmer’s markets and independent green grocers or organic shops.

      Reply
  16. blankPretty says

    7th March 2017 at 6:41 pm

    This is a vegetable I haven’t come across before, will have to look out for it in the supermarkets. this recipe looks great. I love pesto with roasted vegetables.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 9:26 pm

      You won’t find oca in supermarkets or I very much doubt you will, but you might get lucky at farmer’s markets or organic shops.

      Reply
  17. blankKate | Veggie Desserts says

    7th March 2017 at 3:50 pm

    Oca look so beautiful! I love the sound of that hedgerow pesto as well.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 9:23 pm

      They do come in gorgeous colours and I’m with you on the pesto – so good!

      Reply
  18. blankElinor Kugler says

    7th March 2017 at 3:18 pm

    Ooh, they sound perfect roasted! I’m yet to try one, but love the sound of a lemony potato! 🙂 Will have to get my hands on them, and try out your recipe.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 9:24 pm

      Thanks Elinor. They aren’t the easiest thing to get hold of, but it is possible. Well worth the effort.

      Reply
  19. blankMichelle @ Greedy Gourmet says

    7th March 2017 at 1:57 pm

    Never heard of ocas before but would love to try them! Going traveling just makes your realise how limited range of foods are available in supermarkets. The planet has so much more to offer.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 2:28 pm

      It really does Michelle. The trouble is, unless people start demanding unfamiliar veg, the supermarkets will never stock them.

      Reply
  20. blank[email protected] says

    7th March 2017 at 12:13 pm

    I am fascinated by oca, never heard of them before now so I need to keep my eyes peeled for them. I wonder of they will be more widely available soon? If not I’ll need to order some to try for myself!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 2:27 pm

      I’m sure you’d be able to source them somewhere in London Laura. Definitely worth trying if you can find them. They deserve to be much better known.

      Reply
  21. blankAngela says

    7th March 2017 at 12:06 pm

    These little tubers are so cute, I’m sure I’ve had something similar that my boyfriend’s Dad used to grow on his allotment. They remind me a bit of jerusalem artichokes as well. Lovely recipes.

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 2:25 pm

      It’s the sort of thing experimental gardeners like to grow, so you may well have had them before. I know what you mean about Jerusalem artichokes, but they’re not particularly similar and definitely don’t have the same effects 😉

      Reply
  22. blankHelen @ family-friends-food.com says

    7th March 2017 at 11:47 am

    I’ve never even heard of oca before, but it looks and sounds delicious! I’ll have to look out for it. Or maybe even have a go at growing it myself…

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 2:24 pm

      Ooh, now growing them yourself would be something Helen. They aren’t difficult to grow as such, they just need a very long season, so if you do grow some, get them in as soon as you can. The plants are attractive too.

      Reply
  23. blank[email protected]'s Recipes says

    7th March 2017 at 11:36 am

    Saw oca on a local channel the other day and was wondering where I can find them…and today your beautiful recipe just popped up in my Feedly…now I really need to find them!

    Reply
    • blankChoclette says

      7th March 2017 at 12:05 pm

      Thanks Angie. They’re not easy to find unless you grow your own, but you might strike lucky at a farmer’s market or organic shop.

      Reply

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blankHello, welcome to Tin and Thyme. I’m Choclette, a vegetarian home cook and whole food recipe developer. I have a passion for flavour, cooking with the seasons, baking and chocolate. Welcome to my award winning blog. Here you’ll find delicious and nutritious recipes that are mostly easy to prepare and definitely easy to eat. Read More

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