I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

What Librarians Eat! F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 V O L : 2 I S S U E : 2

So we venture once again in the month of February; the month usually associated

with Carnival and Romance. Because of this we have decided to dedicate this issue of

the foodletter to romantic recipes to impress.

We would also like to invite you to ask us and request recipes as so far the response

from you has become distant. We do this for you so that we can experience different

foods and also discover new ways to prepare it.

If you enjoy reading the Foodletter let us know but do not stop there. Tell us what you

want to see, what you have questions about, and talk to us about anything food re-

lated.

Health Tip 2

Spinach and Artichoke Linguine

3

Spinach, bacon and ricotta pie

4

Chili and Basil Scallops

5

Classic Red Velvet Cake

6

Heart Patterned Cake Roll

8

Ask Us Something! Brioche

10

Special February Activities:

Friday 7th February - Chinese Lunch at the Library Staff room

(for more info see email about the event or contact Jessica or Sarita)

Saturday 22nd February - Introduction to Boxing

(for more info check the email about the event or contact Luke or

Rachel)

P A G E 2

Health Tip of the Month:

For more information on health issues please visit: (pressing Ctrl and clicking the link will take you to the link)

https://ehealth.gov.mt/HealthPortal/healthyliving/home.aspx

RISK FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE

Age: Heart disease can occur at any age. However, four out of five people who die

from coronary heart disease are aged 65 or older. The risk of stroke doubles with

each decade after the age of 55.

Gender: Women tend to get coronary artery disease an average of 10 years later

than men.

Family history: Presence of heart disease in a parent or sibling increases your risk

of developing heart disease.

Smoking: Smokers are twice as likely to suffer heart attacks as non-smokers

Cholesterol: The higher the blood cholesterol level, the higher the risk coronary

heart disease.

High blood pressure: High blood pressure (over 140/90 mmHg and over 130/80

mmHg in diabetics) increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, and kidney

damage.

Physical inactivity: Failure to exercise can contribute to an increased risk of coro-

nary heart disease.

Obesity: People who are overweight are more likely to develop heart disease be-

cause excess weight causes extra strain on the heart.

Alcohol: Drinking more than one drink a day increases your chances of developing

heart disease.

Diabetes: Diabetes seriously increases the risk of developing cardiovascular dis-

ease, even if glucose levels are under control. More than 80% of diabetes sufferers

die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.

P A G E 3

Spinach and Artichoke Linguine

Ingredients

1/2 pound whole wheat linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 shallots, diced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces fresh spinach

1 (12-ounce) jar of marinated artichokes,

drained and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese,

plus more for topping

3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

Bring water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add olive oil and butter.

Add in shallots, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, just until soft.

Add in spinach and toss well to coat, stirring until completely wilted, then add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add in artichokes and stir, cooking for another 5 minutes so everything is warm.

Stir in ricotta, mascarpone and parmesan, mixing until combined.

Once pasta has been drained, add it to the skillet and toss thoroughly with the spinach and artichoke mixture.

Serve immediately with extra cheese!

This is one dish to melt your hearts. Healthy

veggies with some ricotta, truly a pasta dish to

impress.

P A G E 4

Spinach, bacon and ricotta pie

Ingredients

2 ½ cups spinach, soaked in warm

water and drained (or aprx. 8 cubes

of the frozen ones)

100g bacon cubes

250g ricotta

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

2 sheets filo pastry

One of Sarita’s favourite pies; A simple and traditional pie that will surely make an impression.

Perfect for those cold days, it is also ideal for lunch at work. Just put it in a microwave to warm up

a bit and its ready to enjoy

After draining the spinach well, add all of the in-

gredients together.

Put one of the filo pastry sheets in a dish.

Put the filling on the pastry sheet.

Cover the filling with the remaining filo pastry

sheet and pinch the sides so that the two sheets

stick together.

P A G E 5

Chili and Basil Scallops

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red chilies, seeded and finely chopped

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 pound 2 ounces scallops, with

or without roe attached

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black

pepper

2 large handfuls basil leaves, roughly

chopped

This recipe will surely impress those seafood lovers. It combines strong favours with some spice to complement

the scallops in a different way.

Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat. When smoking hot, chuck in the garlic

and red chilies and stir-fry 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the onion and stir-fry for 1 minute, then tip in the scallops and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until

the scallops start to turn golden at the edges.

Pour in the soy sauce and fish sauce and sprinkle in the sugar and black pepper.

Mix well and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the scallops are just cooked through and tender.

Throw in the basil leaves, mix well and serve immediately. You can use scallop shells

for presentation, if you like.

P A G E 6

Classic Red Velvet Cake We had already tried a Red velvet cake once, or was it cupcakes? Well here is an other one so that you can impress

your loved one. This one was suggested by Jessica and its quite easy to make.

Ingredients

RED VELVET CAKE:

2-1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups Sugar

1-1/2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 whole Large Eggs

1-1/2 cups Grapeseed Oil

1 cup Buttermilk

1 tablespoon White Vinegar

1-1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 ounces Red Food Colouring

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING {double this recipe if

you want to do the crumb coat}:

2 {8 oz each} packages Cream Cheese, softened

to room temperature

1/2 cup {1 stick} Unsalted Butter, softened to

room temperature

2 teaspoons of Real Vanilla Extract

8 cups Powdered Sugar

P A G E 7

Preheat your oven to 350°C and line, spray and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Set those aside.

Lightly beat the eggs with a whisk and then add in the oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food colouring. Whisk

together until combined.

In the bowl of your mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix on medium until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl once or

twice.

Use a measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Tap a few times on the counter to release

any air bubbles.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester is inserted and comes out clean. Depending on your oven, you might

want to rotate the pans for even baking.

Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pans before removing them to a wire rack.

Once the cake cools it's time to frost.

FOR THE FROSTING:

Combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until

creamy.

P A G E 8

Heart Patterned Cake Roll

Ingredients

For the Pattern:

1 egg white

30 g castor sugar

40 g flour (if making chocolate pattern sub-

stitute 20 g with cocoa powder)

20 g butter (room temperature)

For the Filling:

Your favourite pastry cream (Passion fruits/

strawberries)

This rolled cake (aka Swiss roll cake or Deco roll) can be made in chocolate or regular plain. It’s very simple to

make the pattern and the technique may make you question yourself why isn't everybody making this lovely cake

these days. This patterned built in technique is Japanese and not everybody knows about it.

For the Pattern:

Mix in the egg white, sugar & flour, stir well till

blended. Stir in the butter & separate the dough into as

many colors as you want.

Line the baking pan (17×11 inches) with parchment pa-

per. Place the design template below the parchment paper

on the baking pan.

Using a small round tip piping tube/nozzle, pipe the color

dough mixture onto the parchment paper using

the template as a guide.

Put the tray in the freezer until ready to use.

For the Cake:

4 eggs (whites & yolks separated)

1 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp caster sugar

60gm melted butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

For the Cake: Attach whisk attachment. Preheat oven to 200°C.

Beat the egg whites till foamy, add the cream of tartar/lemon juice. Add the 1/2 cup sugar gradually & beat till stiff

peaks appear.

In another mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp sugar using the hand whisker till blended.

Fold in the egg white meringue mixture into the yolk mixture in few portions till blended. Do not over mix.

Add in half of the melted butter, half of the flour & half of the cocoa powder & lightly fold into the mixture.

Stir the rest of the butter, flour & cocoa powder & mix till incorporated.

Take the baking tray out of the freezer, pour the cake batter over evenly & flat over the tray.

Run finger around the edges of the tray to clean up the side. Tap the tray few times & bake at 200°C for about 7 mins.

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper. Remove the cake from the oven & place the top side on the cooling

rack. Remove the parchment paper on the pattern side & flip the cake over onto the flour parchment paper.

Now, with the pattern design side facing down on the parchment paper, spread the fillings.

Roll the cake (roll from one end towards the pattern end) into a swiss roll using parchment paper.

“Ask Us Something!” Have you ever wondered how to make Brioche? Well wonder no more! We have found an excellent recipe in Matty

Cremona’s book “The way we ate: memories of Maltese meals”.

We sure do hope that someone would make them and share them with the library staff, they look so good.