By Brett McGregor
Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 3 Sweetas Kumara (any variety)
• 3 tbsp Olivado Olive oil
• 3 tbsp maple syrup – divided measure
• Salt & pepper to taste
•  Topping
• 3 rashers streaky bacon, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• Zest of a lemon
• 60g sliced almonds
• Salt and pepper to taste

 
Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Slice kumara in half lengthwise, take a sharp knife and make slices ¾ through the skin (be careful not to slice all the way through), make these slices about a ½ cm apart.
Place olive oil, 2 tbsp maple syrup and salt and pepper into an oven proof dish. Add the kumara and brush over olive oil mixture. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 40 minutes – until soft.
While the kumara is cooking make the topping. Heat a fry pan on a low heat and add the bacon, cook for 3 minutes then add the garlic. Cook slowly to render the fat and crisp the bacon (a further 5 minutes). Drain onto a paper towel to cool. In a bowl add the parsley, zest, bacon and garlic along with the almonds. Season and combine.
When kumara cooked, remove from oven and brush with left over maple. Sprinkle over topping mixture and serve.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Serves: 6

​A yummy winter soup that everyone will love. Serve with some crusty bread… and for a little extra magic, add a swirl of coconut, a few green leaves of coriander and lastly a sprinkle of diced salami or bacon.

Ingredients
       1 tbsp butter
       1 tbsp oil
       1 onion, diced
       4 cloves garlic
       5cm knob of ginger, grated
       1 carrot
       2 stalks of celery
       1 orange capsicum
       ½ pumpkin
       1 orange kumara
       2 chicken stock cubes
       ½ can coconut cream
       ½ tsp nutmeg
       Garnish (optional)
       4 tbsp Coconut cream (enough to swirl on top of each bowl)
       Few sprigs of Coriander
       4 tbsp Salami – diced (fried bacon would do the trick too) Leave out for vegetarians.

Instructions

1. Heat saucepan on medium add butter and oil. Add onions and cook 5 minutes, add garlic and ginger and combine. After a minute or so add carrot, celery and capsicum.
2. After about 3 minutes add pumpkin & kumara and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and enough water to cover vegetables then bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until pumpkin and kumara soft. Remove from heat and using a stick blender blend.
4. Return to heat and add ½ can coconut cream and season with some salt to taste. Grate over the nutmeg, remove from the heat and blend one more time.
5. Serve in bowls. For a little extra magic, add a swirl of coconut, a few green leaves of coriander and lastly a sprinkle of diced salami or bacon.(leave out last sprinkle for vegetarians)

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Prep time 10 minutes

Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp palm sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp pineapple juice
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

Salad
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp lime juice
2 cups finely shredded orange kumara
2 cups finely shredded carrot
1/4 cup red onion, finely sliced
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup coriander, sliced

Add garlic, chillies to a mortar and pestle and crush to make a paste. Add sugar and continue to work. Add lime and pineapple juice, tamari and stir to combine. Taste and adjust flavour as needed, adding more sugar for sweetness, tamari for saltiness, lime juice for acidity, or chilli for heat. Set aside. Place shredded carrot, red onion, almonds, and coriander into a bowl and add the sesame and lime juice, then add dressing and toss to coat.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

8 SERVINGS COOK TIME 60-70M
 
Hazelnut pastry
1¼ cups skin-on hazelnuts
1 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
¾ tsp salt
110g chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
 
Tart filling
Pinch of cream of tartar
1¼ cups sugar, divided
1 cup cream
1 cup orange kumara purée*
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1½ tsp ginger, finely grated
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp salt
3 eggs
 
Whipped cream to serve
 
Method
 
The crust
Preheat oven to 180°. Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet, tossing once, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 8–10 minutes; let cool. Using a kitchen towel, rub hazelnuts together to remove most of the skins.
 
Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and ¾ cup hazelnuts in a food processor until the consistency of coarse meal. Reserve remaining ½ cup hazelnuts for filling. Add butter to dry ingredients and pulse until large breadcrumbs. Transfer mix to a bowl; drizzle with up to 1-3 tbsp of ice water over and mix, just to bring dough together.
 
Using your fingers, press dough evenly up the sides and then into the bottom of a 20cm pan; compact and smooth with a flat, straight-sided measuring cup or glass.  
 
Bake crust until golden but not totally baked through, 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.

Getting things together
 
Meanwhile, bring cream of tartar, sugar, and 2 tbsp water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, swirling pan occasionally until caramel is a deep amber colour, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisking constantly, carefully add cream and whisk until smooth. Let caramel cool slightly in pot.
 
Whisk kumara purée, brown sugar, flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add caramel and eggs, whisking until well blended. Scrape filling into prepared crust. Bake tart, rotating halfway through, until filling is set around edges and centre barely jiggles, 30–35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in dish.
 
Meanwhile, coarsely chop remaining hazelnuts and cook in a small pan over medium heat with remaining ¼ cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. water, until sugar caramelizes and evenly coats hazelnuts. Transfer caramelized hazelnuts to a sheet of baking paper and let cool completely.
 
Break hazelnut praline over the top and serve with whipped cream.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Ingredients

300g Soft Light Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
300ml Sunflower Oil
300g Plain Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
½ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
300g Beauregard (Orange) Kumara , grated
100g Shelled Walnuts, chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate
___________________________
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
__________________________
600g Icing Sugar, sifted
100g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
250g Cream Cheese, cold
 
Line the bottoms of 3 x 20cm cake tins with baking paper.
Instructions

1.     Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
2.     Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split). Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.
3.     Stir in the grated kumara and walnuts by hand until they are all evenly dispersed. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
4.     For the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
5.     Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.
6.     Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
7.     When the cakes are cold, put one on a cake stand and spread about one-quarter of the Cream Cheese Frosting over it with a palette knife. Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it.
8.     Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Finish with walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.

Baked kumara, spiced chickpeas with kumara hummus dressing
Serves 4 as a side Prep time 10 mins Cook time 30 mins
 
2 medium orange kumara, washed, sliced in half lengthwise
425 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each cumin, coriander, smoked paprika
 
Dressing
1/4 cup Kumara hummus
1 tablespoon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
Water to thin a little
 
To garnish
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
½ red onion, sliced finely
small handful parsley and coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
 
Method
 
Preheat oven to 200 Degrees c. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Rub the kumara with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, place on the same baking sheet and bake for 25 - 30m.
 
Meanwhile prepare your dressing by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, add enough water to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
 
For the topping, simply combine the tomato, onion, parsley and coriander with lemon juice and set aside. Once the kumara are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown - roughly 30 minutes - remove from oven.
 
For serving, place kumara flesh-side up and gently fluff with a fork. Top with chickpeas, sauce and garnish. Serve immediately.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Prep time 20 Cook time 55-60
 
 1 cup butter, softened
 2 cups white sugar
 2 cups Orange and gold kumara, cooked until soft then mashed
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 4 eggs
 3 cups flour
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/4 teaspoon salt
100g butter, softened
 2 ½ cups icing sugar
125g cream cheese, room temp
 Zest and juice of half a lemon or to taste
 A little hot water to thin
 
Method
 
Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour a 25cm round pound cake tin. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add kumara and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture to kumara mixture. Beat on low until combined.
Pour mix into round pound cake tin. Bake at 175 degrees C for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool cake for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert onto wire rack.
To make the icing: in a small bowl. Beat the butter and cream cheese together combine with icing sugar. Add lemon juice and a touch of hot water to achieve drizzling consistency. Spoon over warm cake and sprinkle with zest.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Prep time:20 mins
Cook time:15 mins 
Serves: 6

​The perfect start to any weekend - Kumara Waffles! The kids will love them, and so will you!

Ingredients
       2½ cups all-purpose flour
       ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
       2¼ tsp baking powder
       1 tsp baking soda
       ½ tsp salt
       2 tsp ground cinnamon
       1 tsp ground ginger
       ¼ tsp ground cloves (optional)
       4 large eggs
       1 cup milk
       1 cup buttermilk
       1 cup Orange Kumara, boiled, mashed (cooled)
       6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
       Chopped pecans, for serving
       3 tbsp Maple syrup
       1 cup sour cream
       2 pears, sliced

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
2. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, buttermilk, Orange Kumara and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients, folding just until combined. The mix will be slightly lumpy.
3. Combine the maple with the sour cream and set aside.
4. Preheat the waffle baker and lightly grease it with butter. Add a portion of the batter to the waffle baker, close the lid and cook until fully baked. Remove the waffle then repeat with the remaining waffle batter.
5. Top the waffles with pear, chopped pecans, maple and sour cream. Serve immediately.
   

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

A fragrant and filling warm salad in honour of National Nut Day on October 22nd. You’ll love the colour and crunch the pistachios add to this dish!

Pistachio & kumara couscous

Prep time    10 mins     Cook time      20 mins      Total time  30 mins

Cuisine: Kiwi, Middle Eastern
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup chicken stock, almost boiling
• 1½ tbsp olive oil, divided measure
• 1 orange kumara
• ½ cup broccoli, broken into small florets and blanched
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• ½ tsp each cumin, coriander and turmeric
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 100g pistachio nuts, dry toasted with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds and ½ tsp paprika
• ½ cup mixed parsley and coriander,
• Sliced zest of a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place couscous into a bowl and pour in hot stock. Add ½ tbsp oil and combine. Cover and let steam for about 3 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
2. Roll the kumara in a paper towel and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Peel and dice. Place into a med bowl with the blanched broccoli. Set aside.
3. Heat a pan on a med heat and add the oil. When hot add the onions, carrots and cook until sweet, about 5 minutes, then add the tomato then cumin, coriander, turmeric, season and combine. Add 3 tbsp of water and combine.
4. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove. Add the warmed chickpeas to the fluffed couscous and combine, now add the broccoli and kumara. Add the fresh herbs with the zest and gently combine.
5. Season, finally sprinkle over the roughly chopped pistachio and sunflower mix to serve.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Prep time    10 mins            Cook time   15 mins   Total time   25 mins

Super simple, tasty recipe using beautiful Kaipara Kumara - New Zealand's very own superfood. This dish has origins in India and goes deliciously with lamb.
Serves: 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 100ml veg oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 3 tsp garlic paste
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large kumara, diced
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander
• 2 green chillies, minced added to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the cumin. Cook until they just begin to change colour. Stir in the onion and cook until turning golden.
2. Add the garlic paste, spices and salt and cook this base until fragrant. Add the kumara and combine. Cook over a medium heat until the oil separates, then add 2 cups of water. Continue to cook until the kumara is soft and the water has evaporated.
3. Remove from heat and add the coriander and chilli to serve.