Daz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

Walnuts have been revered since ancient times as a symbol of intellectuality, since their kernels have convoluted surface inside the shell resembling that of a brain.

And amazingly enough, the phyto-chemical substances in walnuts can combine to have a potent effect on neurological diseases, cancer, ageing and inflammation.

The health-giving benefits of regular consumption of tree nuts is well recorded.

They are a rich source of energy and contain many health-giving beneficial nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins essential for optimum health.

Walnuts are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids (about 72%) like oleic acid, and are an excellent source of all-important omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Regular intake of walnuts helps to lower total bad cholesterol and increase hdl or good cholesterol levels in the blood. What all this means is if we consume around six or seven nuts per day, we could help remove disease-causing free radicals from the body.

The trouble is research has shown that only 7.5% of us eat tree nuts regularly but as walnuts have been elevated to the top nut status as far as higher concentrations of phytonutrients, this is easily fixed.

Get out the nut cracker and eat them straight from the shell, toast them slightly to make them crunchy. Leave on the delicate whitish membrane that covers the nut when removed from the shell as this contains 90% of the phenols.

Then if you have some apples, which are also in season, and a few key

Ingredients, you could make a simple apple and walnut strudel for the family. Great hot or left to go cold and eaten the next day, it's one way to get your daily nut fix.

Apple and Walnut Strudel
(makes enough for six serves)

Ingredients

8- 10 Granny Smith apples

¼ cup of brown sugar

½ cup of chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 sheets ready puff pastry

Method

Peel and chop the apples. Cook in a pot with the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and cook until the apple begins to soften, after about 10-15 minutes. Add the chopped walnuts then allow the mixture to cool completely.

Use just thawed-out pastry sheets and place an even amount of apple mix along one edge, then roll the rest of pastry over the mixture to enclose.

Place on baking tray and run a sharp knife across the surface of the pastry to form small cuts in the pastry. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with white sugar.

Bake in a hot oven at around 260-270c for around twenty minutes until puffed and golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream or just whipped cream.