I am not one for diet trends, but I could not help but be interested in talk of superfoods recently. I’ve been doing my own digging, and have developed my own list of foods which are not only good for you but extremely tasty too! Each day I will post one of these foods with an appropriate recipe to go with them.

Today I am concentrating on Almonds, one of my favourites. If you love to snack on nuts, then these really are the foods for you. They are a good source of protein and fibre, and several minerals including calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and zinc. They are also high in vitamin E, and contain smaller amounts of folic acid and vitamin B2. Almonds contain monounsaturated fats, which can help to keep our arteries supple, and help prevent heart disease. Eat them unroasted, and preferably without the salt!

Now how about a recipe that is both savoury and sweet to celebrate this wonderful nut - this soup is traditionally served at Christmas.

Andalucian Almond Soup
Ingredients
# 1.25 liters (5 cups) milk
# 75 g (5 tbsp.) sugar
# 150 g (5 oz.) powdered almonds
# 2 tbsp. bread crumbs
# 2 cloves of garlic + some coarse salt
# A few saffron threads
# A few sprigs of parsley
# White peppercorns
# 200 ml (3/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

Garnish
# 12 small thin slices of bread, fried in olive oil
# 50 g (2 oz.) toasted chopped almonds

Method
In a mortar, mash together the salt, saffron, pepper, garlic and parsley.

Bring the milk up to a boil, and add the powdered almongs, sugar, and the above mixture into the boiling milk. Mix thoroughly.

Lower the heat, and cook gently for about 10 minutes. Top with the slices of fried bread and chopped almonds.

The Foodie posted on June 17th, 2007
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