Stuffed baby kumara
This crowd-pleaser dish is a great side as part of a big feast like Christmas lunch. Kids and adults will both love stuffed kumara, especially when they’re covered in melted cheese!
Ingredients
- 800 g baby kumara scrubbed
- olive oil for cooking
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- dried mixed herbs or oregano 1 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ground cayenne pepper or chilli ¼-½ teaspoons (optional)
- 2 onions diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1½ cups tasty cheese finely grated
- Chopped chives coriander, parsley or basil , to garnish
To serve (optional)
- salsa
- guacamole
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Halve kumara lengthways and score flesh in a criss-cross pattern. Place on a baking tray cut-side up, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until flesh is tender (test with a knife tip).
- Mix smoked paprika, dried herbs and other spices together. Heat a good drizzle of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Cook onion with a good pinch of salt until soft. Add garlic, spice mixture and another drizzle of oil, and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes.
- When kumara is ready, remove from oven and switch to grill. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out most of the kumara flesh (being careful not to tear the skin) and place in a bowl.
- Add cooked onion mixture, parsley and 1 cup of cheese to kumara flesh. Gently toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Loosely fill kumara skins with the mixture. Sprinkle over remaining cheese and grill for 2-3 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Serve scattered with chopped chives or other herb. If you like, you could also serve with little dollops of salsa, guacamole and sour cream (or chipotle sour cream).
Notes
You can also serve these stuffed kumara for lunch or dinner as is with some guacamole, sour cream and salsa, perhaps on the side of some meat grilled with a Mexican rub. For recipes for tomato salsa and guacamole, check out these Make-Ahead Nachos.
This recipe is from the Dec/Jan issue of NADIA magazine.
This recipe works equally well with potatoes.
You can make and stuff the kumara in advance and keep in the fridge. When ready to serve, top with grated cheese and warm in the oven for
10 minutes before switching to grill.
It’s not necessary to add the guacamole, sour cream and salsa if they are already accompanying other dishes.
You can make and stuff the kumara in advance and keep in the fridge. When ready to serve, top with grated cheese and warm in the oven for
10 minutes before switching to grill.
It’s not necessary to add the guacamole, sour cream and salsa if they are already accompanying other dishes.