Elevate Mealtimes With Nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson
Rosemary Ferguson began her career as a model in the 90s, featuring in campaigns for Miu Miu and Prada, starring on the cover of Vogue and walking the runway for designers from Galliano to McQueen.
Then in 2013, Rosemary retrained in naturopathy and nutrition, qualifying as a functional medicine practitioner in 2020. Her philosophy is all about making healthy living achievable, believing that life has to be lived, but that through nutrition and a bit of self-care, you can give your body the tools it needs to cope. There couldn’t be a better time to implement that philosophy, so we asked Rosemary for her tips to amp up mealtimes, as well as her go-to recipe for warming body and soul this winter.
When did you fall in love with cooking?
I definitely became more interested in food in my 20s. My mum is a homeopath, so I’d always lean that way, but being a model, travelling a lot, burning the candle at both ends - I’d crave the nutrition I needed to help fight the fatigue and gain some energy.
What are your store cupboard staples?
I live in a house of veggies/vegans, so my dry store is always the same: lots of beans, pulses, vegetable pastas, buckwheat noodles, flours, stocks. In terms of fresh food, I always eat seasonally and get a weekly veg box.
What are your basic tips for people who are looking to upgrade mealtimes during lockdown?
My best tip that is easy to follow is my ‘perfect plate’ formula: 1/2 your plate should always be a variety of vegetables (think of a rainbow), a 1/4 complex carbs and a 1/4 lean protein. It’s an easy way to ensure you are getting ample nutrients and that your meal is balanced.
Batch cooking is also an old favourite - reinvent anything you cook for dinner for lunch the next day. For example, if you’re roasting loads of vegetables for dinner, blend them up the next day with some herbs for a delicious pasta sauce or a soup.
Minestrone
Serves 4
Minestrone is a great hearty family meal and an easy way to pack in a variety of veggies and herbs, and to boost your good fats. It’s full of vitamin K, magnesium, protein and lycopene.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots roughly chopped
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 head of celery, coarsely chopped, keeping the leaves
1 head of garlic cloves peeled
1kg swiss chard, leaves shredded and stalks roughly chopped
A good handful of parsley, finely chopped
400g can plum peeled tomatoes drained of most of their juices, roughly chopped
1kg cavolo nero stalks removed, leaves shredded (or savoy cabbage)
400g can canellini beans drained and rinsed
150g brown rice spaghetti
About 700ml vegetable stock
A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary
Parmesan
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and slowly fry the carrots, onion and celery until soft and dark. This will take about 20 minutes but it’s worth it – the slow cooking gives a lovely taste.
Step 2
Add the garlic, chard stalks and half the parsley, and stir to prevent sticking. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced.
Step 3
Add half the Swiss chard leaves, half the cavolo nero, three-quarters of the beans, and the boiling stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour in more stock if needed – don’t add too much - it should be thick. At this point cook your spaghetti, drain, add olive oil and leave to the side.
Step 4
Add the remaining Swiss chard and cavolo nero and blanch briefly so they remain green and crisp. Season when slightly cooled.
Step 5
Purée the remaining cannellini beans coarsely in a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Add to the soup – it should be very green. Add your spaghetti and stir in the herbs and serve hot with Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.