Stuffed kumara

Doug Sherring

Kumara is a staple at our dinner table.They are so good for you, they have been growing in New Zealand for more than 1000 years and it is easy to see why. A large kumara provides about 400 kilojoules with almost no fat and truck loads of vitamins and minerals while still tasting sweet and velvety. Kumara have also been shown to have anti-cancer properties and can combat blood clotting.Wow, let’s add herbs and cheese to that and we are set.

Ingredients

4 large	Orange kumara (Main)
½	Onions, finely diced
3 cloves	Garlic, minced
½ cup	Cheese
½ cup	Sour cream
1 Tbsp	Fresh parsley, finely diced
1 Tbsp	Fresh coriander, finely diced
1 tsp	Butter
2 Tbsp	Fresh chives, finely sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven 170C. Place kumara on a lined baking tray, poke holes in them and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Lightly saute the onion and garlic in a medium pan and set aside.
3. When the kumara is finished cooking let it rest until cool enough to handle. Cut off the top, scoop out the inside flesh and place in a bowl. Reserve the skins. Mash the flesh with a fork and stir through the onions, garlic, 1 Tbsp sour cream, ¼ cup of cheese, butter, parsley and coriander and season with salt and pepper. Pile the flesh back into the scooped- out skins.
4. Place the kumara on a baking tray and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Turn the grill to high and grill the kumara until the cheese has melted.
5. Remove from the oven and spoon over the remaining sour cream and sprinkle over the chives.
6. Serve with a salad.