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

2 large kumara
1 each: onion, banana, tomato
1 tablespoon each: grated root ginger, lemon grass, chicken stock powder, lime or lemon juice
pinch each: curry powder, ground nutmeg
400ml each: coconut milk, water
salt and white pepper to taste
2 slices toast-thickness bread
2 tablespoons butter
200g canned or vacuum packed smoked fish
parsley to garnishPeel and roughly chop the kumara, onion and banana. Chop the tomato.
Place in a saucepan with the ginger, lemon grass, stock powder, juice, spices, coconut milk and water. Simmer, covered, on low heat, until the kumara is very soft. Cool and blend until velvety smooth. Season.
While the soup is cooking, lightly toast the bread then spread with butter and the flaked fish. (If using canned fish, drain it well first, reserving the juices for another dish). Place under a medium grill, until hot. Garnish with parsley. The soup can be topped with fried kumara shavings.
Serves 2.

1kg orange kumara
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon root ginger, minced
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 litre orange juice, filtered
2 large tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
300ml cream
salt to taste
Greek yoghurt, chives and paprika to garnishHeat the oil in a large pot and sweat the onion, garlic, ginger and spices on a gentle heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the orange juice and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile peel the kumara and wash it well. Dice the kumara roughly and add it to the soup.
Simmer for 30 minutes until the kumara is soft, topping up with water if there is not enough liquid to cover the kumara. Set aside to cool.
Blend the soup with the cream in a food processor and season with salt. Pass through a fine mesh sieve. Heat and serve topped with Greek yoghurt, chives and paprika.
Serves 6.
TIP: You can partially stir in the yoghurt before you ladle the soup into bowls to give it a creamy, rippled look.

1kg gold kumara, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium-sized white onion, peeled
1 tblspn ground cumin
1/4 tspn chilli powder
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 litre water
200ml cream
1/2 tspn salt
1 avocado
1 large clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
8 taco chipsHeat the butter gently in a large pot until it has melted. Dice the onion roughly and add it to the butter with the spices. Stir on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Chop gold kumara roughly and add to pot.
Pour in the water and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the kumara is soft.
Set aside the soup to cool a little, then puree in a food processor with the cream and salt.
Place the soup into a clean pot and reheat.
Mash the avocado and stir in the garlic and lime juice to make a salsa.
Ladle the soup into 4 warm bowls and top with the avocado salsa and taco chips.
Serves 4.

750g kumara
500mls milk
250g chopped onion
25g butter
450g can cream-style corn
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150mls creamPeel and boil the kumara in salted water until tender. Drain. Mash or put through a food processor. Add milk. Saute onion in butter until soft and transparent. Add to the chowder. Add the can of creamed corn and bring slowly to the boil. Stir frequently or the soup will catch. Add more milk if necessary but the soup should be thick. Stir in cream and gently reheat. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with a little parsley.
Serves 6.

2 orange kumara
1-1/2 to 2 kilos mussels
3 rashers bacon, finely chopped
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely sliced
1 small leek (use white part only), finely sliced
1 small bulb fennel, finely sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper
Peel kumara, chop into medium size pieces and cook in boiling water until tender. Drain (reserve liquid), and cut kumara into small squares.
Saute bacon, onion, celery, leek and fennel in a little olive oil until tender.
Steam the mussels open in a little water. Discard any that do not open.
Strain the mussel liquid and add liquid to the sauted vegetables. Remove the mussels from their shells and pull out the small tongue (optional). Chop mussels into 3 or 4 pieces and add to the chowder. Add the kumara and reserved liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
Options: A little cream, parsley or finely shredded spring onion can be added if desired. This mixture can be blended for a finer texture if required.

This is delicious - double the recipe and freeze some for later!2 small kumara (400g), peeled and diced
1 tbps oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 rashers lean bacon, finely diced
3 cups water
1 cup milk
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mintHeat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, bacon and kumara. Saute 4-5 minutes or until the bacon is browned and the onion is transparent. Add the water and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or until the kumara is softened. Mash with a potato masher to break up the kumara pieces. Add the milk and mint. Gently reheat until warmed through.
Serves 4-5.

400g Meadow Mushrooms - sliced
500g Sweet As! Gold Kumara - peeled and diced
2 tsp garlic - crushed
1 onion - chopped
1 carrot - peeled and diced
400g can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
6 tbsp tomato puree
1 L chicken stock
1 bay leaf
100ml cream
½ cup chives - finely chopped
salt & black Pepper to taste

Heat butter in a large saucepan. Add in onion, garlic and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and sauté for 5-10 minutes.

Season with salt and ground black pepper. Add in flour and cook over low heat stirring regularly for 2 minutes. Add in tomato puree and mix well.

Gradually add in chicken stock, stirring well after each addition. Add in crushed tomatoes, kumara and bay leaf. Simmer for 40-45 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Puree soup in a food processor or with a stick blender. Re-heat gently. Check seasoning. Stir though chopped chives and cream. Serve.

Serves 4.

Recipe by Tracy Scott