Sweet and savoury
Nicola Galloway puts the spotlight on kūmara, her favourite root vegetable. Weekend kitchen
Ipresent two recipes today, one sweet one savoury, with a spotlight on kū mara. Also known as sweet potato in other countries, it is one of my favourite root vegetables. It can be used in place of, or in combination with potato in the kitchen. And just like potatoes the different kū mara varieties have different ‘‘best used for’’ purposes. The two most easily available kū mara varieties are redskinned, creamy fleshed owairaka, and orange-skinned and fleshed beauregard.
Another newer variety I snap up whenever I see it at the markets is purple dawn, which is purple skinned with vibrant purple flesh that retains its colour once cooked. Its sweet flavour is more pronounced, with an almost licorice-like taste. If you are lucky to find / have access to this variety it would be my first choice for use in a sweet recipe such as the cake that follows. However, orange kū mara (beauregard) works just as well and is easier to source at supermarkets and vegetable shops.
Pan-fried ku¯ mara gnocchi with parsley walnut sauce
For recipes where I want a drier texture, such as with this gnocchi below (also see the baked kū mara and tahini sauce recipe I shared a few weeks back on Stuff), I prefer to use the owairaka red-skinned kū mara. When baked, the flesh is creamier with less moisture compared with orange kū mara. I go an extra step for gnocchi and bake the kū mara (and potatoes if using) with a generous dusting of salt to draw out extra moisture. The gnocchi can be prepared with all kū mara or a combination of kū mara and potato. I have prepared it both ways with a similar result, noting that gnocchi made with all kū mara is sweeter tasting, which may not suit all palates.
Preparation time: 40 minutes Cook time: 1 hr 15 minutes Serves 4 as a starter or light meal
■ About 600g red owairaka kū mara and / or agria potatoes, similar sized for even cooking
■ 1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for cooking the gnocchi
■ 1 tbsp salt, plus 1 tsp for cooking the gnocchi
■ 1 cup (150g) plain flour (can use gluten-free flour), plus extra for dusting
■ 1 egg yolk
■ Grated parmesan to serve
Parsley walnut sauce
■ 1 cup packed (about 100g) fresh parsley (or use half parsley, half rocket or baby kale)
■ 1⁄4 cup (40g) walnuts
■ 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
■ Juice of half a lemon or lime, 1-2 tbsp
■ 1 tbsp capers plus 1 tbsp caper brine
■ Pinch of salt and cracked pepper
■ About 1⁄4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C).
Scrub the kū mara and / or potatoes and dry well with a tea towel. Use the tip of a sharp knife to pierce the skin of each 6-8 times, then put into a baking dish. Drizzle over the oil, rubbing to coat. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of salt so the skin of the kū mara/potato is generously salted. The salt will draw excess moisture out of the flesh during cooking.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes until the inside flesh is tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool enough to handle. The kū mara / potatoes can be baked ahead of time.
Make the parsley sauce: put all the ingredients besides the oil into a food processor and blitz to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil until a pourable sauce is achieved. Check seasoning, then pour into a small serving bowl.
Back to the gnocchi making:
remove the skin from the kū mara / potato, using a small knife to peel off in strips. Put the flesh into a bowl and mash until smooth. If you have a ricer it can be used for a super smooth mash.
Add the egg yolk to the bowl along with the flour and mix into a soft dough. Tip onto a lightly floured bench and knead briefly until smooth. If the dough feels sticky, add a little extra flour but don’t be tempted to add too much or the cooked gnocchi will be tough.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a long sausage shape about 2cm wide. Cut into 2cm lengths, transferring to a floured plate as you go. If you happen to have a gnocchi board (I have one from a trip to Italy), use your thumb to roll each piece over the grooved board to make the classic gnocchi shape. Fun to do, but not at all essential for the recipe.
Bring a large saucepan of water (2-3L) to a rapid boil. Add the extra tsp of salt to the water and cook the gnocchi in 3-4 batches. Once they rise to the surface, about 2-3 minutes, scoop the gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon and onto a plate.
Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat, add a drizzle of oil and pan-fry the gnocchi in 2-3 batches until golden on both sides. Transfer to serving plates, dot with the parsley walnut sauce and finish with a dusting of grated parmesan.
Mocha ku¯ mara fudge cake
I love adding sweet veges to baking for the natural sweetness and moisture they contribute. Kū mara matches well with chocolate and coffee for this dense mochaflavoured fudge cake. Don’t be fooled by the simple food processor preparation, this is a decadent cake that stays moist for days. It is also incidentally gluten-free, and could be prepared dairy-free by using coconut cream and a butter substitute in the chocolate glaze.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30-35 minutes plus 15 minutes ku¯ mara cook time Makes 10 slices
■ 1 small orange or purple kū mara, about 200g, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
■ 1⁄2 cup (125ml) light olive oil or neutralflavoured oil such as rice bran
■ 1⁄2 cup (100g) sugar
■ 3 free-range eggs
■ 1⁄3 cup (80ml) hot strong-brewed coffee (can use a coffee substitute such as Caro)
■ 1⁄2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
■ 1⁄2 cup (60g) ground almonds (almond meal)
■ 1 tsp baking soda
■ Pinch of salt
Chocolate glaze
■ 1⁄4 cup (60ml) cream or coconut cream
■ 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
■ 1 tbsp butter
■ 1 tbsp cocoa powder
■ 50g quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C). Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.
First cook the kū mara. Put the prepared kū mara into a small saucepan and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash roughly with a fork.
Place the olive oil, sugar, eggs and mashed kū mara into a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides, add the hot coffee and blend again until combined.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl to remove any lumps then add to the processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Make the chocolate glaze. Put the cream, honey/maple syrup, butter and cocoa powder into a small saucepan and melt together over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate pieces and whisk until smooth. Set aside to thicken for 10 minutes then drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, using a knife or offset spatula to spread out and down the sides. Leave to set for 1-2 hours before serving.
Serve wedges of cake with yoghurt or cream.