Leaving the skin on the kumara adds fibre, flavour and is a lot less work!4-5 medium kumara (about 650g)
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped fresh parsley or very finely chopped spinach
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
100g freshly cooked or marinated mussels (OR 6-8 olives, sliced)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup bought vinaigrette OR 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tbsp light olive oil
2 tbsp wine vinegar or lemon juice
2 tsp sugar

Wash and scrub the kumara. Cut into generous chunks, leaving the skin on. Steam or microwave for 5-6 minutes or until barely softened. Add the broccoli and continue cooking for 3 minutes, or until tender. Place in a serving dish. Top with the parsley, mint and mussels or olives. In a screw top jar combine the garlic with the bought vinaigrette OR all the remaining ingredients, shake well. Pour over the kumara. Serve hot, or at room temperature.Serves 4.

The richness of the beetroot, the tangy flavour of horseradish and the mellow taste of the kumara make this combination truly special.2 medium gold or orange kumara, sliced
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
3 beetroot, unpeeled and cut into wedges
8 whole button mushrooms
2 tsp horseradish sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
freshly ground black pepperPlace the prepared vegetables in a baking dish. When cutting the onions, leave part of the base on so the wedge stays together when cooked. Combine the horseradish, oil, lemon juice, sugar and pepper.
Pour over the vegetables. Mix to evenly coat. Bake at 200°C for 25-35 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Alternatively cook on a medium to hot barbecue plate for about 10-15 minutes or until tender.
Serves 4.

Served hot or cold, this slice is terrific family food! Works well with orange, gold or red kumara.500g sausage meat
1 onion, finely chopped
2 medium sized kumara (500g), grated (orange, gold or red)
1 apple, unpeeled and grated
1 cup grated tasty cheese
4 eggs, beaten
freshly ground black pepper
ground nutmeg

With wet hands line a 23cm diameter quiche dish with the sausage meat. Place the onion, kumara, apple, cheese and beaten eggs in a bowl and mix well. Pile into the sausage meat case. Gently press down. Sprinkle with the nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and set in the middle.Serves 4.

1kg Orange Kumara, peeled
1/2 tspn salt
100g butter
500ml milk
500g tarakihi or snapper
75g butter, extra
1 medium-sized white onion, peeled and diced fi nely
75g fl our
100ml cream
100g prawns
1 tblspn fi nely chopped parsley
6 eggs, boiled for 8 minutes and peeled
parsley to garnishSlice Orange Kumara into 1cm-wide circles. Cook the kumara in plenty of salted simmering water for about 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well.
Leave the kumara to cool, then puree in a food processor with the salt and butter. Set aside.
Heat the milk to a gentle simmer. Add the fish and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Scoop fish out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Set aside the milk also.
In a fresh pot, melt the butter, add the onions and sweat them for 5 minutes. Add fl our and stir for a further 2 minutes.
Gradually add the milk to the fl our mix, stirring continuously.
Stir in cream and prawns, bring to boil and remove from heat.
Flake fish into the sauce and add the parsley. Slice the boiled eggs in half, add them to the pie and stir gently to combine.
Spoon the pie mixture into a 26cm-diameter pie dish. Using a spatula, smooth the pureed kumara evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve piping hot.
Serves 6.

Roast kumara is everyone's favourite - these
delicious honey roasted kumara are perfect straight from the oven, or cooled to serve as a salad.3-4 medium kumara (600 grams), sliced thinly (1/2 cm thick)
1-2 red or green peppers, cut into chunky wedges
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp runny honey
lettuce leaves to serve (optional)

Place the vegetables in a roasting pan. Combine the lemon juice, oil and honey. Pour over the vegetables and marinate for an hour if possible. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Serve either as is, or cool slightly and toss through lettuce leaves.Serves 4-6.

400g Red Kumara, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tblspn oil
500g lamb, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 1/2 tspn Moroccan seasoning
1/2 tspn each: ground cumin, ground coriander
2 tspn chopped coriander
2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
1 beaten egg, for glazingPreheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the lamb and cook it in batches over a medium heat until it has browned. Remove the lamb from the pan and set it aside.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the lamb back to the pan with the Red Kumara, tomatoes, water, Moroccan seasoning, cumin and coriander and simmer for 25 minutes, or until sauce is thick and kumara is cooked through. Stir in the chopped coriander.
Place the lamb and kumara mixture into four 2-cup capacity ovenproof bowls or pie dishes. Cut pastry to fit top of dishes.
Brush the rim of the dishes with the beaten egg. Place the pastry over the dishes and seal the edges by pressing them with a fork. Cut slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
Serves 4.

It couldn't be easier to make these fantastic wedges
– simply toss everything in a roasting pan and bake until delicious and succulent.4-6 floury potatoes (800g), scrubbed and sliced into wedges
1 kumara, scrubbed and sliced into chunks
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp whole seed mustard
Juice and rind of 1 large orange

Place all ingredients in a roasting pan. Toss to coat. Bake at 200°C for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy. Turn over several times during cooking. Garnish if desired.Serves 4.

500g Orange Kumara
1 egg yolk
2 tblspn grated parmesan
1 tblspn runny honey
1/4 tspn salt
125g flour
extra flour for kneading
2 tblspn canola oil
1 small handful fresh sage leaves
extra parmesan, for gratingBring a large pot of water to the boil, then reduce the heat to a bare minimum simmer.
Peel the Orange Kumara and cut them into 2cm slices. Place in a microwave-proof dish, cover with cling fi lm and microwave on high for 8 minutes, or until cooked.
Transfer the kumara to a food processor and puree. Place the puree in a mixing bowl and stir in the yolk, parmesan, honey and salt. Stir through the flour and work it into a dough.
Generously flour the bench and roll the dough into 2 evensized logs about 2cm wide. Using a knife, cut the log into 1cm-thick slices.
Use a fish slice to scoop up the gnocchi and place them in the simmering water. When the gnocchi float, scoop them out of the water and put them in iced water to cool.
Drain and toss in a little olive oil. Cover and chill until you are ready to serve the gnocchi. You can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To serve, heat the canola oil in a large frying pan and add the gnocchi and sage leaves. Saute on a low heat, tossing until the gnocchi are golden all over. Garnish with extra grated parmesan.
Serves 4.

3 kumara of similar size cut into 4 length ways.
Juice and rind of 1 large lemon mixed with 2 tbsps of brown sugar.Coat kumara with sugar mixture; lay flat in roasting pan and dot with butter.
Turn kumara and keep coated with mixture. Cook at 180 till tender.
Sprinkle with lemon pepper and a splash of lemon oil.
Note: To keep pan clean line a layer of tinfoil in the bottom of pan. A mix of three different kumara gives a nice colour combination.

3-4 medium orange kumara (600g), scrubbed and sliced thinly (1/2 cm thick)
1-2 red or green peppers, cut into chunky wedges
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp runny honey
lettuce leaves to serve (optional)
Place the vegetables in a roasting pan. Combine the lemon juice, oil and honey. Pour over the vegetables and marinate for an hour if possible. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Serve either as is, or cool slightly and toss through lettuce leaves.
Serves 6.