What Librarians Eat! Issue 12: December 2013

What Librarians Eat! I S S U E

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D E C E M B E R

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Christmas food traditions from around the world

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Mulled wine

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Eggnog

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Prawn Cocktail

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Welcome

Brie & cranberry twists

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Butternut squash & sage soup

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Roast Turkey

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Brussels sprouts gratin with bacon, cream and almonds

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Ask Us Something!: Christmas Pudding 10

Again, it is that time of the year. Christmas brings with it the cold weather, carols, presents, and that loving feeling that makes even the oldest of all feel like a child again.

So this issue is all about that comfort food we all enjoy during a Christmas lunch or Christmas eve dinner.

On a side note, this is the last issue of the year 2013. The Social Events Committee would like to thank everyone that supports the foodletter. Some people read it online others share it with family and friends. That was the whole point for creating the foodletter. The sharing and experimenting of recipes. We hope to receive more feedback and more recipes from all the staff so that we can publish them in future issues.

We wish you all a happy Christmas season and let the new year bring more happiness, joy and obviously more food!

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Christmas food traditions from around the world United Kingdom Turkey is the star of Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom. Classic accompaniments are bread sauce (a thick, textured sauce made with day-old bread) and Christmas pudding.

Pudding — a dense, moist cake made with fruit, spices, nuts and brandy — is steamed for hours and typically made weeks ahead of time.

The day it's made is known as Stir-up Sunday, when each family member stirs the batter and makes a wish.

Then, the Christmas pudding is stored away for weeks and allowed to mature. On Christmas day, the pudding is steamed again. When it's time to serve, the pudding is doused in flaming brandy.

Japan KFC — yep, the fried chicken chain — is the hot place for take-out on Christmas in Japan. It's so popular that the chain lets customers reserve their Christmas party buckets two months in advance. The family-size meal, about $40, has fried chicken, salad and chocolate cake.

This fast-food festivity reportedly started because of a successful ad campaign in the '70s. Now, people line up outside KFC stores for Christmas, sales go through the roof and Colonel Sanders wears a Santa suit and hat to wish customers a merry Kentucky Fried Christmas.

Caribbean No eggnog here. Toast to the holidays with Sorrel punch, a seasonal island drink that gets its bright red colour from hibiscus flowers. The flowers and other ingredients like cloves and cinnamon are steeped in water overnight to make an aromatic liquid, which can be combined with rum to make a sweet cocktail.

Italy On Christmas Eve, Southern Italians celebrate with a dinner called the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which features seven seafood dishes prepared in every way. There is no traditional menu, but there are some popular dishes, including pan-fried smelts, calamari, homemade linguine with clams, baked eel, and baccala, or salt cod.

Why seven dishes? It's unclear, but most explanations point to how the number seven is referenced in the Bible and the Roman Catholic Church. Some families prepare more than seven seafood dishes, with the numbers having religious significance.

France If you have a sweet tooth, you might want to borrow this tradition from the Provence region: 13 desserts are set out on Christmas Eve. The number of sweets is a nod to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles at the Last Supper.

The desserts vary, and not all are over-the-top concoctions. There are some healthy snacks, like fresh fruits, almonds and raisins, plus sweets like black and white nougat, dates stuffed with marzipan, fudge, an olive oil flatbread, buche de Noel (a Christmas yule log cake) and other pastries.

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Transport will be organised as follows.

We will have 3 pick up points from Valletta (in front of Phoenicia Hotel), Msida (University Campus) and Mosta (Near the Parish Church).

On the way to Paradise Bay Hotel we will go by coach.

On the way back from Paradise Bay Hotel we will have mini vans sorted by region that will take you to your home!

Those who will make use of transport will have to pay 25 Euro instead of 23 Euro (2 Euro for the transport, includes both ways) (Optional), Also for those interested, we have been offered special rates for anyone who would like to book a room and spend the night at the Hotel.

Remember the following day is going to be a public holiday.

A room on Bed and Breakfast will only cost 24.50 Euro per person. This is only optional, and if we book 5 rooms we will also receive an extra discount of 10% on each room.

It is important to start letting me know who is coming and pay for the event. Are going to use transport and from which pick up point? And also inform me if you want to book a room or not.

The deadline for confirmations and payments is Friday 29th November, 2013.

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Mulled wine Mulled wine is a beverage usually made with red wine along with various spices and raisins. It is served hot or warm and may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas and Halloween.

Ingredients

2 Clementine 1 lemon 1 lime 200 g caster sugar 6 whole cloves 1 stick cinnamon 3 fresh bay leaves 1 whole nutmeg, for grating 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways 2 star anise

Come the festive season, there's nothing better than a spiced, warming glass of this mulled wine

2 bottles Chianti or other Italian red wine

Peel large sections of peel from your Clementine, lemon and lime using a speed peeler.

Put the sugar in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the pieces of peel and squeeze in the Clementine juice. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and about 10 to 12 gratings of nutmeg.

Throw in your halved vanilla pod and stir in just enough red wine to cover the sugar.

Let this simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved into the red wine and then bring to the boil.

Keep on a rolling boil for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until you've got a beautiful thick syrup. It's important to make a syrup base first because it needs to be quite hot, and if you do this with both bottles of wine in there, you'll burn off the alcohol.

When your syrup is ready, turn the heat down to low and add your star anise and the rest of the wine.

Gently heat the wine and after around 5 minutes, when it's warm and delicious, ladle it into glasses and serve.

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Eggnog Eggnog is a classic Christmas season drink. This eggnog's rich, cloudlike texture is produced by separating the eggs and beating the whites before adding them to the milk mixture. The eggnog base can be made one day in advance; just beat in the stiff egg whites and whipped cream just before serving.

Ingredients 路

12 eggs, separated 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar 1 quart whole milk 1 1/2 quarts heavy cream 3 cups bourbon 1/2 cup dark rum 2 cups cognac Freshly grated nutmeg

In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar to yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in milk and 1 quart cream. Add bourbon, rum, and cognac, stirring constantly.

Just before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining 1/2 quart heavy cream until stiff, and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

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A Full Christmas Dinner What is better than a stress free Christmas? That is why in this issue you will find a whole Christmas dinner or lunch for all the family. Starting from starters and canapĂŠs , roast turkey and a seasonal dessert. Most of the items can be prepared a day in advance so that you can enjoy the day with your family and not spend it in the kitchen.

Starters & CanapĂŠs: Ingredients For the dressing

275g/10oz mayonnaise 2 small garlic cloves, crushed

Prawn Cocktail

6 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tsp apricot jam 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper For the prawn cocktail

900g/2lb mixed cooked unpeeled prawns, shells removed 2 firm pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented ½ small white cabbage, cored and shredded 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, quartered and thinly sliced 2 Little Gem lettuces, thinly sliced Place all of the dressing ingredients into a food processor and blend until combined and smooth, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place into a bowl and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

To make the prawn cocktail, place the prawns and dressing into a bowl and mix together gently.

Tear the grapefruit segments into chunks and add them to the prawn mixture, stirring to combine.

Place the cabbage, fennel and lettuce into a separate large bowl and mix together well.

Divide the salad mixture among eight flat sundae glasses or bowls.

Spoon equal portions of the prawn and grapefruit mixture over the top of each.

Garnish with a slice of lime, a few coriander leaves and a few shreds of red chilli and serve.

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Brie & cranberry twists Ingredients

12 sheets filo pastry 100g butter, melted 250g brie, cut into 18 chunky fingers 18 tsp cranberry sauce 50g walnuts, roughly chopped sprinkling of poppy seeds Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

Stack 2 of the filo sheets. With a widest edge facing you, brush with some melted butter.

Put 3 Brie fingers at even intervals across the bottom of the filo.

Top each finger with 1 tsp cranberry sauce, then sprinkle over a few chopped walnuts.

Roll up the filo from the bottom. Cut into 3 parcels, and twist the ends to seal.

Brush with more butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for 10 mins. Or, cover the unbaked twists with cling film, chill for up to 1 day and bake just before serving.

Butternut squash & sage soup Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 3 onions, chopped 2 tbsp chopped sage 1.4kg peeled, deseeded butternut squash - buy whole squash and prepare, or buy bags of ready-prepared 1 tbsp clear honey 1½ l vegetable stock bunch chives, snipped, and cracked black pepper, to serve Melt the oil and butter in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole.

Add the onions and sage, and gently cook until really soft – about 15 mins. Tip in the squash and cook for 5 mins, stirring.

Add the honey and stock, bring to a simmer and cook until the squash is tender.

Let the soup cool a bit so you don’t burn yourself, then whizz until really smooth with a hand blender, or in batches in a blender. Season to taste, adding a drop more stock or water if the soup is too thick.

Reheat before serving, sprinkle with chives and cracked black pepper.

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Main Course: Roast Turkey Ingredients

1 free-range turkey weighing 4kg/8lb 11oz salt and freshly ground black pepper 175g/6oz unsalted or lightly salted butter For the bread sauce

450ml/15fl oz full-cream milk 1 small onion 4 cloves 75-100g (2½ to 3½ oz) fresh white breadcrumbs freshly grated nutmeg, to taste 40g/1½oz butter or 2 tbsp double cream cayenne pepper, for sprinkling Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Check that you have not left the plastic bag of giblets lurking inside the bird. Put the turkey in a large, deep roasting tin. Season generously all over with salt and pepper and massage the seasoning into the skin.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Fold the muslin in four and lower it into the melted butter, pushing it in so that it soaks up virtually all the butter.

Lift out the butter-soaked muslin and lay it over the turkey, making sure that it completely covers the breast and upper thighs.

Pour about 300ml//½ pint water into the roasting tin and slide it into the oven. Cook for approximately 3 hours 20 minutes, basting the bird approximately every 30 minutes with the pan juices.

Test that the turkey is properly cooked in just the same way as you would a chicken. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. If the juices run clear then the turkey is done. If they are pink, slide it straight back into the oven for a further 15 minutes before testing again and continue to do this until they do run clear.

Once it's done, transfer the turkey to a large serving dish, discard the muslin and leave in a warm place to rest for at least half an hour. Cover with foil to stop the meat going cold.

While the turkey is cooking, make the bread sauce. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Stick the four cloves into the onion, add to the milk and bring very, very slowly up to the boil, so that the milk has plenty of time to absorb the flavours of the onion and the cloves.

Remove the onion and cloves and stir enough breadcrumbs into the milk to give a thick sauce. Season to taste with nutmeg and salt. Stir in the butter or cream, adjust the seasoning, then spoon into a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper and place on the table.

If making in advance, leave to cool, then cover with cling film and store in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat thoroughly before serving. Sprinkle with the cayenne pepper just before serving.

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Side Dish: Brussels sprouts gratin with bacon, cream and almonds

Ingredients

900g/2lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

4 tsp sunflower oil

Place the sprouts into a saucepan of simmering salted water and cook for 4-5 minutes, until almost, but not quite, cooked. Drain thoroughly, allow to cool slightly, then cut in half.

150g/5oz bacon lardons (or rind-less back bacon, cut into short fat strips)

Place the butter and oil into a wide frying pan over a medium heat.

20g/¾oz butter

20g/¾oz flaked almonds 400ml/14fl oz double cream 2½ tsp lemon juice 5½ tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the bacon lardons and almonds and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned.

Add the sprouts and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the cream and bring the mixture to the boil. Boil for 2 -4 minutes, until the cream has reduced to a rich sauce.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and spoon into an ovenproof gratin dish.

Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese together in a bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the top of the sprout mixture.

Place into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and the cream visibly boiling.

Remove from the oven and serve in the gratin dish (when the dish has cooled slightly).

“Ask Us Something!”

Anyone for some Christmas desserts?

Christmas pudding Ingredients The dry ingredients

275g/10oz soft brown or white breadcrumbs 100g/4oz dried apricots, chopped (to about the same size as the raisins) 100g/4oz dried figs, chopped (to about the same size as the raisins) 225g/8oz currants 225g/8oz seedless raisins 225g/8oz sultanas 75g/3oz high quality candied peel, finely chopped 50g/2oz almonds, finely chopped 225g/8oz light or dark muscovado sugar 225g/8oz shredded suet ½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground mixed spice 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg The wet ingredients

1 orange, zest and juice 1 lemon, zest and juice 1 eating apple, cored and grated 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten 150ml/5fl oz stout or similar dark beer 150ml/5fl oz milk 4 tbsp brandy butter, for greasing pudding bowls

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly.

Add the wet ingredients and mix together well with your hands (a spoon doesn't do the job half as well).

Divide the mixture between two greased 1½ litre/2½ pint heatproof pudding bowls, filling almost to the rim, then smooth down the surface.

Cover each bowl with a large square of greaseproof paper, then cover that with a large square of aluminium foil. Tie the two sheets tightly into place under the rim with string, leaving long ends of excess string to make a handle. Loop one of the excess string lengths over the pudding basin and slide underneath the taut string holding the sheets in place on the other side. Bring up the string and firmly knot with the other piece of excess string, to form a secure handle to lift the pudding in and out of the water.

Leave the puddings somewhere cool overnight before cooking.

To cook, stand both puddings on a trivet in a large, deep, heavy-based pan (or each pudding in a separate pan). Pour boiling water into the pan(s), enough to come about halfway up the sides of the bowls.

Cover the pan(s) with a lid or a dome of foil and boil for seven hours. Check the water level regularly, topping it up with more boiling water as necessary to keep the bowls half submerged.

After seven hours, remove the bowls from the pan and leave to cool. Untie and remove the foil and greaseproof sheets and replace with clean, dry sheets of both greaseproof paper and foil. Store in a cool, dry place (or freeze if you prefer, though they will keep perfectly well for a year or more unfrozen).

To reheat at Christmas-time, return to a pan containing a few inches of boiling water, cover and steam for two hours, checking the water levels now and then, until completely heated through.