In season: Kumara

BY VIRGINIA WINDER

Kumara is an underrated vegetable that deserves a higher profile, says Witt chef tutor John Hudson.

"If you check your vegetable availability chart, it's the one that's there the whole year round," he says.

This week he has mashed, glazed and roasted the traditional Maori vegetable, which has its genetic roots in South America. John says his wife, Alicia, makes a casserole in a slow cooker and leaves it to cook for the day.

"We will come home and just need to do a mash to finish it off."

He recommends kumara and roast garlic mash, topped with chives.

"The key to a good mash is to make sure you cut all your vegetables evenly."

The same goes for roasting.

"When they're uneven, you get the little burnt ones."

For mashed and roast vegetables, John mostly shuns peeling.

"I keep the skins on most things, like potatoes and kumara, even in mash. They just need to be well cut and eyed.

"I'm big on just scrubbing and washing vegetables."

When he was a teenager, John was offered a chef's apprenticeship with Rob Tennent, father of New Plymouth's Mayor Pete. And so, while his mates went off to university, John was working through a tough three-month probation period at the Devon Hotel.

"I remember looking at eight 20-kilo bags of potatoes to be prepared and thinking maybe I should have gone to university with my friends." But he learnt those all-important tips about preparation. With the kumara mash, he boils the vegetable and when tender, he pours off the water and breaks up the pieces with a wooden spoon.

"This allows the excess moisture in the kumara to steam off, giving a better consistency."

Garlic is a key component in this mash. He uses an entire bulb (or head) of garlic, which takes 10-15 minutes to roast. Afterwards, it's easy to add to the mash.

"Cut off the top and squeeze it out like toothpaste."

He serves this with the casserole and then sprinkles chives over the top.

"If you've got fresh herbs, use them."

The kumara mash and casserole was a hit with teenagers and adults in the writer's home kitchen on Sunday night. Next to try is the glazed kumara, which would be perfect for festive occasions like Christmas. But take care with oven temperature.

"Otherwise you are stuck with a bit of washing up to do with a burnt pan," John says.

When cooking both the honey- glazed kumara and the pieces for the orange-infused couscous, John advises using a warmed roasting pan.

"When the recipe says preheat your oven, stick the pan in there at the same time with the oil in it."

He prefers using rice bran oil, which is rich in vitamin E and contains an antioxidant that may help prevent heart attacks, along with compounds believed to help lower cholesterol absorption. When the oven is ready, John adds vegetables to the roasting pan and tosses them in the oil. If he's making a whole pan of different vegetables, he always makes too many.

"The next day, I add a bit of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil for a beautiful roast vegetable salad."

Warm Couscous, Roast Kumara and Orange Salad

Serves 4

3 medium golden or red kumara, scrubbed and cut into large dice

7 Tbsp olive oil

2 x 180g packets of instant couscous

500ml warm water

2 large pinches of iodised salt

Zest and juice of 2 oranges

Fresh herbs (what you have in the garden)

1/ Preheat oven to 180[Degree].

2/ Heat oven pan and 3 tablespoons olive oil. When hot, add kumara. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3/ When golden and tender, remove from oven. Place on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.

4/ In a large bowl, mix the water, couscous and 2 large pinches (use three fingers) of iodised salt. Cover and put aside.

5/ Thinly peel skin off orange using a potato peeler, taking care to avoid white pith, and chop peel finely. Squeeze orange and chop available herbs - chives, coriander and parsley all work well.

6/ When couscous has expanded, add 4 tablespoons olive oil, kumara, orange juice, zest and herbs and mix with fork to make fluffy. Serve with gurnard and jus.

Kumara and Roast Garlic Mash

Serves 4

1.5kg red and golden kumara

100g butter

100ml cream

1 bulb garlic

1 small packet of chives or handful from garden

Iodised salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1/ Preheat oven to 180[Degree].

2/ Slice off top and trim any roots on garlic bulb, drizzle a little oil over it and roast in a small oven dish for 10 to 15 minutes. Take out and set aside.

3/ Chop chives.

4/ Scrub kumara and chop into even pieces.

Place in pot of cold water (enough to cover), bring to boil. Cook until tender.

5/ Strain off water, put pot back on the stove and break kumara up with a wooden spoon.

6/ Add the butter first and gradually add cream, whip with a strong wire whisk or a fork.

7/ Squeeze garlic into mash, whisk and then add iodised salt and freshly ground pepper to suit your taste.

8/ Place in a clean warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep hot until required. After serving on plate, sprinkle mash with chives.

Beef and Vegetable Casserole with Kumara Mash

Serves 4

1.2kg rump steak

4 rashers bacon

1/2 cup flour

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1 Tbsp dried oregano, or 3 Tbsp fresh if you have it

3 Tbsp rice bran or canola oil

3 onions, chunky chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 2/3 cup vegetable stock

3 medium carrots, large dice

3 celery sticks, large dice

3 parsnips, large dice

100ml red wine

3 courgettes, large dice

1/ Preheat oven to 180[Degree].

2/ Trim meat and cut meat into 2cm cubes. Cut bacon into 2cm strips.

3/ Combine flour and herbs in a bowl. Quickly and lightly toss meat in seasoned flour; shake off excess. Set aside remaining flour.

4/ Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large, heavy-based pan. Brown beef quickly in small batches over medium-high heat and drain on kitchen paper

5/ In same pan, add bacon and brown over medium-high heat; drain on absorbent paper.

6/ Clean pan. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and saute chunky cut onion and chopped garlic.

7/ Transfer meat, bacon and onions to large casserole dish. Add tomatoes and stock.

8/ Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove from oven.

9/ Combine wine (or substitute a little cold stock) and remaining flour together to form smooth paste. Stir that and carrots, celery and parsnip into casserole.

10/ Cover, return to oven and bake a further 40 minutes.

11/ Again remove from oven to stir in courgette. Bake for a further 20 minutes. Serve hot on kumara mash.

Oven - Baked Gurnard with Tomato, Garlic and Basil Jus

Serves 4

4 fillets of gurnard trimmed to portion size

2 eggs

Clarified butter

1 cup flour

Salt and pepper Jus:

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves crushed garlic

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 finger pinches of Cajun seasoning

3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

3 Tbsp of rice bran or canola oil

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1/ For jus, saute onions and garlic in oil with Cajun seasoning.

2/ When onions are cooked, add tomatoes, salt and pepper and fresh basil.

3/ Simmer until reduced and serve under the fish.

4/ For fish, whisk eggs and season flour with salt and pepper.

5/ Dredge fish in seasoned flour.

6/ Dip in egg and immediately shallow fry in hot butter until coating is set and coloured.

7/ Place in shallow baking dish and finish cooking in a medium-hot oven.

8/ Serve immediately with jus and kumara and orange couscous.

Glazed Golden Kumara

Serves 4

1kg golden kumara, scrubbed with skins on

1/4 cup runny honey

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed

1/ Preheat the oven to 180[Degree]. Heat a roasting dish with a little canola oil.

2/ Chunky dice the kumara. Place kumara into the roasting dish, toss through oil and bake for 20 minutes.

3/ Combine the honey (warm slightly in the microwave if necessary), extra virgin olive oil and Cajun seasoning in a bowl.

4/ Pour the mixture over the kumara and toss until evenly coated. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

5/ Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, turning occasionally until the kumara is soft and glaze has caramelised. Serve with roast meat and green vegetables.

 

 

FOOD FACT There are more than 400  types of kumara. Three are  grown commercially in New  Zealand: red (Owairaka), gold  (Toka Toka) and orange  (Beauregard). If you want the  greatest goodness from  kumara, don't peel them. Just  scrub and cook with the skins  on, because the skin is where  the greatest concentration of  calcium is found. Kumara are  also good sources of vitamin C,  iron, potassium and fibre.

- © Fairfax NZ News