I’ve been trying to get away from the usual suspects – broccoli and the blueberries – and am looking outside the box. I’ve been commissioned to design some healthy snacks using less obvious but readily accessible superfoods, such as beetroot, artichokes, kales, lemongrass, parsley, chives, ginger and garlic.
It was an eye opener when you steer away from the obvious items. Suddenly you can really make a wow product without trying. It just takes a bit of research. All these ingredients are also packed with antioxidants, vitamins and certain minerals. Yet they are the kind of items you would find on a common shopping list, that people buy without realising the benefits.
Artichokes, for example, are wonderful. They can help to inhibit cholesterol build up, and help against high blood pressure. Most of us will have tried a marinated artichoke as an antipasti with a bit of olive oil but not realise it’s a powerhouse.
Fresh turmeric (also available at Covent Garden) is another one. I have been looking at Middle Eastern and Indian flavours and how to bring these ingredients to life – a natural product with a good flavour punch. I didn’t realise turmeric is often used in medicinal preparations in India and Middle Eastern countries. It does have anti cancer properties and helps with swelling and is anti inflammatory. It is something you put in a curry and wouldn’t realise it was there.
Parsley and chives are much more than a garnish. If you know that chives pack far more vitamins and minerals than basil, why not make a chive pesto?
Suddenly this approach opens up very clever ways of adding nutritional ingredients to products. You wouldn’t sit there munching on a bunch of parsley but if you make a parsley puree utilising the stalk and the whole of the product then you get all these benefits without realising. What smart ways are there of using the skin of a butternut squash, for example? The possibilities are endless.
