Light Bites
Fermented tea crackers with asparagus pâté
The asparagus pâté provides a prebiotic treat for your good bugs. Try soaking the pumpkin seeds overnight to make them more digestible, before adding them to this fermented tea cracker recipe.
With our microbiome doing so much for us, adding prebiotics to our diet is just one of the ways we can return the favour. In simple terms, prebiotics are fibres that feed this resident bacteria, encouraging them to multiply.
Prebiotic fibres can’t be digested by the body and make the journey through stomach acid and digestive enzymes, reaching the colon and good gut bugs intact. Here, they’re fermented by the bacteria for fuel, producing many useful, health-giving byproducts in the process.
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Ingredients
For the crackers
- 120g organic wholegrain spelt flour
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 50g ground flax seeds (linseed)
- 1 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 80g organic butter, cubed
- 100ml Kombucha (fermented black or green tea)
For the asparagus pâté
- 200g asparagus tips, trimmed
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt
- A few fresh oregano leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- First make the asparagus pâté. Steam the asparagus tips in a steamer or sit them in a metal colander, covered, over a pan of simmering water. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until tender. Remove, leave to cool, then roughly chop and put them in a food processor. Add the yoghurt, oregano, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then whizz until blended. Taste, and season some more if required. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.
- Now make the crackers. Preheat the oven to 170°C/350°C/Gas Mark 4. Put into a bowl the flour, oregano, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, black sesame seeds and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well to combine.
- Add the butter and rub the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs and starts to come together as a dough. Now add the kombucha and mix – it will be quite wet, so use your hands to squish it all together.
- Turn the wet dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and use a palette knife to spread it out smoothly to cover the sheet, then score it into about 30 squares (each one 6 x 6cm). Put it in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until crispy and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool ith teh palette knife. Serve with the asparagus pâté. The crackers will keep in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
