Cooking Down Under with Pat Churchill

Kumara - New Zealand Sweet Potato

December 25, 2000

We can only dream of a white Christmas in this part of the world. As I write, it is currently about 30 degrees Celsius although old traditions die hard and many of us are valiantly cooking the traditional turkey. Mine is gently cooking in the oven as I write and the house smells wonderful.

We've got freshly dug new potatoes, fresh green peas, carrot sticks, roasted parsnips, broccoli, and kumara as accompaniments.

We'll start our meal with some Thai shrimps which I bought frozen raw in the shell. I snapped off the tails, peeled the shell and gave the shrimp a couple of minutes in boiling water. We'll have them with a dressing made of tomato ketchup, lemon juice, mayonnaise and finely chopped fresh dill.

For dessert it will be traditional Christmas pudding with brandy butter and ice cream and some whipped cream.

To aid the digestion, we're having locally made methode champenoise bubbly.

Because it's such a warm day, we'll dine outside on the terrace enjoying the night air and the heady perfume of roses and sweet peas that are blooming prolifically in the garden at present.

I mentioned kumara above. Kumara is also known as the sweet potato. It has been grown and eaten in New Zealand since the Maori first came to New Zealand. In about the 10th century Kupe brought the kumara here from Hawaiki. This variety was a bush with tubers much smaller than the kumara we know today. Later the bigger sweet potato was introduced which came to be known as the kumara too.

It grows on a creeping vine and is the one we eat now. The majority of our kumara is grown in Northland. Kumara is the 10th most popular vegetable in New Zealand. You can find out more about kumara at http://www.vegetables.co.nz/

I got a bit carried away at the local market when I was buying my kumara and bought far too much so I cut half of it into small cubes and set it to simmer in a little salted water until tender. Tomorrow I will mix it with some banana slices, raisins plumped in hot water and a dressing made of some coconut cream and plain yoghurt. This will make a salad to go along with the cold turkey leftovers (assuming we'll have some!)

For today's meal I have placed kumara chunks in an oval baking dish, tossed them in a little light olive oil then squeezed over the juice of a lemon and shreds of lemon zest.

I usually add a little white wine, water or stock to the dish, and roast the kumara for about 45 minutes at 170C, making sure there's still a little liquid remaining at the end of cooking. I turn the kumara once or twice during baking to ensure an even colour.

The tartness of the lemon complements the sweetness of the kumara. A little more zest can be added before serving, along with a sprinkle of Maldon salt.

And that is my Christmas Down Under – traditional fare but something local as well. And we will be toasting our elder son Ben celebrating his second Christmas at the other end of the world, in London. Maybe he will see a white Christmas. Cheers, Ben!

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