The world is waking up to the health potential of the culinary world, where foods from around the world are peppered with a flavorful array of spices that not only add an extra zing to food but bring medicinal magic with their antioxidant and antibacterial, calming and energizing effects.
That’s why Natasha MacAller, author of the 2015 cookbook, “Vanilla Table,” decided to tackle the trendy topic in her latest cookbook, “Spice Health Heroes” (Jacqui Small, 2016). The book includes research from eight clinical doctors weighing in on each of the spices she explores, and original recipes from the author and some 20 renowned chefs from around the world.
“The doctors were very keen to get on board with it, and the majority of them are chefs in their own right,” she said in a phone interview from her part-time home in London. “So there’s a new culinary medicine — good food, good health, and adding more spices for more flavor and nutrients and health benefits.”
Although she started out with just six spices, her list soon blossomed into 30 spices, from familiar ingredients like black peppercorn, citrus zest and rosemary to more unusual spices such as cocoa nib, hibiscus and wasabi.
“It was quite a lot of research,” she said. “I worked on it for just under a year, seven days a week, 12 hours a day. It was complete insanity, but I felt so passionate and inspired, the more I read about the spices.”
After brainstorming the book with editors, chefs and doctors, MacAller opted to organize her research into six chapters, grouping the 30 spices according to similar compounds and benefits. For example, the opening chapter on Immune spices includes turmeric (the master spice), cumin (the global spice), clove & allspice (the enchanting and awesome spices), citrus zest (the zing spice) and star anise (the sultry fighter spice.)
The other categories deal with spices that share similar cleansing, energy, warming, restorative and calming properties. Each chapter includes a full menu of recipes, from starters to desserts.
“It’s a healthy book but not a health book,” she said. “There’s ice cream and chocolate and things that you would not consider diet food.”
MacAller is a former ballerina who turned professional when she was 13 and was fortunate to dance into her 30s. At that point, she decided to go to culinary school at the Culinary Institute of Art in Denver, then turned her attention to catering, restaurant consulting and cookbooks.
“I love cooking food and giving it away and making beautiful things,” she said. “Ballet is the only art form with a sell-by date … even though your artistry continues to grow, your body doesn’t follow.”
A native of Los Angeles, MacAller still lives there part-time and consults for Sausal restaurant in El Segundo. She also spends part of her time in London, where she does a lot of projects with chef Peter Gordon, and the rest of her time in New Zealand,
“It’s such a healing place, and we have a small orchard with fruit trees and tomatoes,” she said. “It’s just idyllic.”
MacAller created about two-thirds of the recipes in the spice cookbook, then drew among her connections in the food world to bring in all kinds of well-known chefs, from José Andrés to Lidia Bastianich. From India, she drew upon a couple of people versed in blending spices.
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