It is March already and this means Spring is finally here. The month of

picnics, comfort food, flowers and this year, on the very last week of

March, we have Easter as well. Prepare yourselves for some feel good

recipes and picnic delights.

As always do not forget to give us your feedback and send in your

recipes.

Welcome

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

A Short History

of Peanut Butter

2

Sweets: Peanut

Butter and Crisp

Cookies

3

Tip of the

month

4

Snacks: Home-

made Pork

“Sausage” Rolls

5

Pasta: Stefania’s

Cheesy Pasta

5

Sweet:

Traditional

Maltese Figolli

6

Chicken and

Mushroom Pie

7

Breakfast:

English

Breakfast

Muffins

8

Potatoes with

Pesto Dressing

9

Rice Salad 9

Ask Us

Something

10

What Librarians Eat! M A R 2 0 1 3 I S S U E 3

P A G E 2

“One

cannot

think well,

love well,

sleep well,

if one has

not dined

well.”

― Virginia

Woolf, A Room

of One's Own

A Short history of Peanut

Butter

Peanut butter, a food paste made primarily

from ground dry roasted peanuts, is most

popular in North America, Netherlands,

United Kingdom, and parts of Asia,

particularly the Philippines and Indonesia.

The United States and China are leading

exporters of peanut butter. Other nuts are

used as the basis for similar nut butters.

Peanuts are native to the tropics of the

Americas and were mashed to become a

pasty substance by the Aztec Native Ameri-

cans hundreds of years ago.

A number of peanut paste products

have been used over the centuries, and

the distinction between peanut paste

and peanut butter is not always clear in

ordinary use. Early forms of peanut

butter, like the Aztecs' version, were

nothing but pure roasted peanut paste.

Modern processing machines allow for

very smooth products to be made,

which often include vegetable oils to

aid in its spreadability.

Evidence of peanut butter as it is

known today comes from U.S. Patent

306,727, issued in 1884 to Marcellus

Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec,

Canada, for the finished product of the

process of milling roasted peanuts

between heated surfaces until the

peanuts entered "a fluid or semi-fluid

state." As the peanut product cooled, it

set into what Edson explained as being

"a consistency like that of butter, lard,

or ointment". Edson's patent is based

on the preparation of a peanut paste as

an intermediate to the production of the

modern product we know as peanut

butter; it does show the initial steps

necessary for the production of peanut

butter.

This week Daniela suggested we talk a bit about Peanut butter so here is its history and

a sweet recipe with peanut butter in the end.

P A G E 3

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patented a "Process of Preparing Nut Meal" in 1895 and used peanuts. Kellogg

served the patients at his Battle Creek Sanitarium peanut butter.

Dr. Ambrose Straub, a physician in St. Louis, Missouri, pursued a method for providing toothless elderly

with protein in the 1890s. His peanut-butter-making machine was patented in 1903.

By 1914, many companies were making peanut butter.

Joseph L. Rosenfield invented a churning process that made smooth peanut butter smooth. In 1928,

Rosenfield licensed his invention to the Pond Company, the makers of Peter Pan peanut butter. In 1932,

Rosenfield began making his own brand of peanut butter called Skippy, which included a crunchy style

peanut butter.

Agricultural chemist, George Washington Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds

more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. He started popularizing uses for peanut products

including peanut butter, paper, ink, and oils beginning in 1880. The most famous of Carver's research

took place after he arrived in Tuskeegee in 1896. However, Carver did not patent peanut butter as he

believed food products were all gifts from God. The 1880 date precedes all the above inventors except of

course for the Incas, who were first. It was Carver who made peanuts a significant crop in the American

South in the early 1900s.

January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day in the United States.

Pe anut But t e r and

Cris p Cookie s

Sweets Ingredients: (Makes 16)

100g Butter

200g Brown sugar

2 eggs

200g Self raising flour

1 tsp of baking powder

100g Crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract

2 bags of ready salted crisps (50g total)

Handful of raw peanuts

Dark chocolate (100g)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Beat the softened butter and sugar together until

light and fluffy.

Crack the eggs into the butter mix one at a time

and stir to combine with the vanilla.

Fold in the flour and baking powder to form a

dough.

Mix through the crunchy peanut butter.

Crush the crisps into small pieces.

Stir the crisps into the cookie dough.

Mould about a teaspoon of dough into small

balls and place on a lined baking tray, far enough

apart to allow them to spread.

Poke a few whole peanuts into the top of each

cookie.

Place the tray into the oven and bake for 12 min-

utes, until golden all over.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a

rack.

Melt the dark chocolate slowly in a microwave

and use to dribble across the cooled cookies.

P A G E 4

Imagine a superfood, not a drug, powerful enough to help you lower your cholesterol, reduce your

risk of heart disease and cancer, and, for an added bonus, put you in a better mood. Did we

mention that there are no side effects? You'd surely stock up on a lifetime supply. Guess what?

These life-altering superfoods are available right now in your local supermarket.

"The effect that diet can have on how you feel today and in the future is astounding," says

nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, author of Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy, and The Essential

Guide to Vitamins and Minerals.

"Even people who are healthy can make a few tweaks and the impact will be amazing," Somer

says. "I'd say that 50% to 70% of suffering could be eliminated by what people eat and how they

move: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension can all be impacted."

You don't need specific foods for specific ailments. A healthy diet incorporating a variety of the

following superfoods will help you maintain your weight, fight disease, and live longer. One thing

they all have in common: "Every superfood is going to be a 'real' (unprocessed) food," Somer

points out. "You don't find fortified potato chips in the superfood category."

Tip of the Month

Beans

Blueberries

Broccoli

Oats

Oranges

Pumpkin

Salmon

Soy

Spinach

Tea (green or black)

Tomatoes

Turkey

Walnuts

Yogurt

Superfoods in this category include:

P A G E 5

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

100g Pancetta cubes

(bought ready from

supermarkets in

containers)

A big handful of Mush-

rooms

100g Smoked cheese

A handful of Walnuts or

Hazelnuts

½ tbsp flour

1pkt cooking Cream

Chopped parsley

Pasta of your choice

(100g per person)

Cook the minced meat in a pan and season with

salt, pepper and thyme.

Let it rest and cool down before starting the

rolls.

Spread the Puff pastry and cut it into halves.

Spread half of the minced meat along the long-

est side of the pastry into a long line.

Add the cheese on top and finish with the apple

sauce.

Roll it all up into a big long cigar shape. Use the

beaten egg on the edges so that the pastry sticks

together.

Do the same with the other half and cover with

the egg wash.

Sprinkle the Sesame seeds on top and bake it at

160 degrees for 20 minutes until the pastry turns

a golden brown colour.

Once ready chop them up into small bite size

chunks.

Snacks

Ste fan ia’s Che e s y Pas t a

Chop up the Pancetta and mushrooms.

In a pan fry the Pancetta first. (No need to add oil as the pancetta will start to

fry in its own fat)

When the cubes starts to colour add in the mushrooms.

Cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes.

Add in the Cream and the smoked cheese. The cheese will start to melt and

infuse with the cream.

If the sauce is too runny add the flour to thicken it. If it is too tick add some

water.

Add the nuts to the sauce and before plating add some chopped parsley.

Boil the pasta.

When cooked add to the sauce and mix well.

Plate up, garnish with parsley and serve with a nice glass of white or red

wine.

This is a simple recipe created by Stefania with some left over cheese.

Unfortunately she forgot to take a picture so we can’t show you the end result.

Hom e m ade Pork

“Saus age ” Ro lls

Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pkt pre-made Puff Pastry

100g Pork minced meat

100g Brie Cheese (or any melting cheese

you prefer)

Apple Sauce (Pre-made)

1 Egg (beaten used for colour)

Sesame seeds for decoration

Thyme

P A G E 6

Ingredients for the pastry:

250g Castor sugar

750g Flour

350g Butter

4 egg-yolks only

Ingredients for the filling:

600g Almonds (finely

ground)

600g Castor sugar

4 egg-whites

Sweet Tradit ional Malte s e Figo lli

These iced pastries, made in a variety of figurative shapes, are given as gifts on Easter Sunday. The word figolla is a

corruption of the Sicilian/Italian figura or figurella (which means ‘figure’), as the liquid consonants are frequently

interchanged in Maltese. Figolli are made of pastry filled with an almond mixture. The whole is then iced to create a

picture.

For the Dough

Rub the butter into the flour and sugar.

Make a hollow in the centre and put the yolks into it. Mix until you have smooth dough, adding a dash of water or

Martini Extra Dry if it is too dry.

For the filling

Stir together the dry ingredients and then add the egg-whites.

Carry on stirring until you have a fairly dry paste.

Roll out the pastry and cut it in any traditional shape. You will need 2 pieces of the same shape for each figolla.

Spread one piece fairly thickly with the almond paste, leaving a free space all round for sealing. Moisten this filling-

free edge and place the identical piece on top.

Seal all round by pressing with your fingers.

Bake them at gas mark 5/190 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Place them on a rack to cool.

Ice and decorate them with little silver balls and a small chocolate egg pressed into the centre.

Equal Partners Foundation is a parent-run, non-profit foundation which

supports children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. Join up

together with your colleagues and order some Figolli by calling us on

21250400 or email us on info@equalpartners.org.mt.

Orders will be taken until 18th March 2013.

https://www.facebook.com/FigolliForEqualPartnersFoundation

A Special Message Help a good cause and buy some delicious home made

Figolli this Easter in aid of Equal Partners Foundation

for only 6 euros!

P A G E 7 “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a

pie.” ― David Mamet, Boston Marriage

This is the queen of comfort food. You can have it for lunch, dinner

or even a picnic. I bet it is one of your favourite food and it is such a

simple humble recipe that one can not dislike such a dish. Here I

have Jamie Oliver’s Version.

Chic ke n and

Mus hroom Pie

Ingredients:

1 pkt Pre-made Puff pastry

500g free-range chicken (you can use breast

or thigh)

a knob of butter

1 bunch of spring onions

150g button mushrooms

1 heaped tsp plain flour (plus extra for dust-

ing)

2 tsp English mustard

1 tbsp crème fraiche

300ml chicken stock

a few sprigs of thyme

1/2 a nutmeg, grated

1 egg

salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

Chop up the button mushroom and spring onions and slice the chicken into strips or bite-sized chunks.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat.

Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes.

Add the mushrooms and spring onions to the pan with a tablespoon of plain flour and give it all a good stir.

Mix in two teaspoons of English mustard, a generous tablespoon of crème fraiche and 300ml of good chicken stock.

Finally add some picked thyme leaves and a good grating of nutmeg, season with sea salt and pepper.

Leave simmering on the stove whilst you sort out your pastry. When I say “sort out your pastry” I simply mean get it

out of the fridge and unroll onto a dry lightly floured work surface.

Once your chicken filling has thickened up slightly, tip it into a ovenproof baking dish slightly smaller than the sheet

of pastry. Cover the filling with the sheet of pastry; don’t worry about the edges, just tuck them in around the filling.

Lightly beat the egg with a fork, then brush it over the top of the pie.

Bake on the top shelf of the oven for around 15 minutes, or until gorgeously browned.

If you want to go all the way Jamie, serve alongside peas and

smashed carrots.

P A G E 8

English Breakfast

Muffins

In a muffin mould tray place the ba-

con strips at the bottom in the form

of an X. (you might need to cut the

strips so that you won’t have big

chucks sticking out.

Cook the bacon in the mould in the

oven for 5 minutes at about 180 de-

grees.

In the mean time, beat the eggs, sea-

son with salt and pepper, add the

grated cheese, the chopped sausage

and tomato. Add the chives and beat

vigorously. The more air you get into

the mixture the more the eggs will

rise.

After the bacon has crisped up pour

the mixture into the moulds and cook

for about 15 minutes.

If the muffins look wet after 15 min-

utes check them out by using a knife

or a skewer. If the knife or skewer

comes out wet after inserting it in the

middle of a muffin, then they need

more time. If not they are ready.

Pop them out of the moulds and en-

joy your breakfast.

Breakfast

I love Muffins and I love an English Breakfast every

now and then. So Why not Combine the two together.

Here is a recipe for a special breakfast. These are ideal

for people on the go and who like to have a big break-

fast. They can be made in advance and heated in a mi-

crowave for a filling breakfast in the form of a muffin.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 muffins)

2 Eggs

Bacon Strips

1 Large chopped Tomato

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Chives

1 Small chopped Sausage

(optional)

“Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms

with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.”

― Samuel Butler

P A G E 9

Side Dish Boiled New Potatoes with Pesto

Dressing and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

New potatoes (as many as you want)

A Jar of Pesto Sauce (you can make

your own)

Sun-dried Tomatoes

Boil the potatoes until cooked (20 mins)

Drain

While hot, pour the pesto sauce on the pota-

toes and lightly dress.

Chop the Sun-dried tomatoes and add them

to the Potatoes.

A simple easy recipe for a side dish or a potato

salad for a picnic.

Side Dish Rice Salad with Peppers and

Pickled Onions Ingredients:

1 Mug Basmati Rice

Bell Peppers

Small Pickled Onions

Chopped Tomatoes

Pour the rice in a pan and add 2 mugs of

water. Season with salt and pepper and cover.

Cook over a medium heat until the rice fluffs

up. (20 mins)

Grill the Peppers on a griddle pan on high

heat.

When the rice is ready pour it into a bowl

and add the grilled peppers, tomatoes and

pickled onions.

Give it a good stir and the rice salad is ready.

Another simple side dish or a main on its own. This

recipe can be served hot or cold. I love to have this

in a small container while on a picnic. Instead of

nibbling on junky food snacks I prefer to eat this

during small intervals

“Ask Us Something!” Thank you again for the positive feedback and the positive comments. Keep giving us

suggestions and send in your questions. This is the space of the foodletter where we can

answer your questions about everything related to food so ask away!

How do I make different kinds of pastry dough?

Carmen wants to know the differences in pastry doughs

and how to make them. First of all lets look at the most

common versions of pastry dough

Short crust pastry

Short crust, or short, pastry is the simplest and most

common pastry. The process of making pastry includes

mixing of the fat and flour, adding water, and rolling out

the paste. This is a type of pastry often used for the base of

a tart, quiche or pie. It does not puff up during baking

because it usually contains no leavening agent. Short crust

pastry can be used to make both sweet and savoury pies

such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicken pie.

Here is a basic recipe for the Short crust pastry:

Add 200g butter to 400g flour and a pinch of salt.

Blend it for 15-20 seconds until you have a breadcrumb

mixture in a food processor.

In a bowl add the mixture and slowly incorporate just un-

der 100ml of water. Start by adding 2/3 of the water and

slowly mixing it together. Add the rest of the water and

keep mixing until you have incorporated everything into a

dough.

Kneed the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour.

Place the dough in a bowl cover with clean film and store

in the fridge. (to be used within 2 to 3 days.

Phyllo (filo) Pastry

Phyllo is a paper-thin pastry dough, used

in many layers. The phyllo is generally

wrapped around a filling and brushed with

butter before baking. These pastries are

very delicate and flaky.

Hope you enjoyed this month’s foodletter. We are starting to receive recipes and requests but

we need more. Create your own recipes and share them with us. In Next month’s issue expect

to find more amazing recipes including a delicious rabbit pasta.

Flaky pastry

Flaky pastry is a simple pastry that expands when

cooked due to the number of layers. It bakes into a

crisp, buttery pastry. The "puff" is obtained by

beginning the baking process with a high

temperature and lowering the temperature to

finish.

Puff pastry

Puff pastry has many layers that cause it to

expand or “puff” when baked. Puff pastry is

made using flour, butter, salt, and water. Pastry

rises up due to the combination and reaction of

the four ingredients and also from the air that

gets between the layers. Puff pastries come out

of the oven light, flaky, and tender. Nowadays

you can buy good quality premade Puff pastry

from supermarkets. Professional chefs

themselves do not recommend making puff

pastry as it involves a lot of time and work to

create the layers of butter that puff up when

baking.

Choux pastry

Choux pastry is a very light pastry that

is often filled with cream. The pastry is

filled with various flavours of cream and

is often topped with chocolate. Choux

pastries can also be filled with

ingredients such as cheese, tuna, or

chicken to be used as appetizers.