What Librarians Eat! Issue 6: June 2013

What Librarians Eat! I S S U E

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J U N E

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

BBQs

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BBQ Pork Ribs

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Pasta Salad

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Welcome

Rosemary Hasselback Potatoes

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BBQ Marinades

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Most Expensive Foods in the World

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Caramelised Onion and Goat’s Cheese Tartlets with Balsamic Syrup

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Australian Food

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BBQ Banana Dessert

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Ask Us Something

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Who is ready for some BBQs?! June is the month of Summer, end of school and exams , the beginning of the holidays and the half-days. This issue is dedicated to the BBQ. We have recipes of meat, fish, vegetables and even desserts one can do on a BBQ. This is also a special issue for us. Issue No. 6 which means only 6 more to cover a whole year. It also means that you really like the foodletter.

We really appreciate all the support every person gives in helping the development of each issue. Starting from suggestions, ideas for recipes, questions, comments, and even by sharing this with people out side the work environment. Be it friends or relatives, knowing this, makes us more determined to deliver each issue with a certain level of quality. Thanks again and keep delivering that feedback.

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Barbeque (BBQ) Some essential BBQ tips Don’t cook cold meat If you‟re only going to change one thing about your BBQ habits, make sure you always bring your meat back

“I don't know why men like to barbecue so much.

Maybe its the only thing they can cook.

Or maybe they're just closet pyromaniacs.”

to room temperature before cooking.

The biggest struggle with cooking on the barbie is to get the heat from the outside of your steak into the middle without burning the surface to a cinder.

The warmer things are in the middle before it goes onto the fire, the easier it is to win the battle.

Preheat properly If you‟re going to get a good crust on your food and that lovely BBQ flavour, you need your barbie to be hot before you start cooking. This also helps if you‟ve been a bit slack in the cleaning department.

Thin is in The thinner your meat, the less far the heat has to travel to cook the middle, so the easier it is to get the inside right without burning the outside. I like to start with steaks about 1cm (1/2 in) thick then push them out with my hands to about 1/2cm (1/4in). This mechanical action also tenderises the meat and increases the surface area for more BBQ flavour.

If you really must have 2 inch thick steaks, think about starting them on the barbie to sear and get the flavour and then finishing them in the oven.

Don’t poke & prod It takes time for your caramelised BBQ crust to develop and this won‟t happen if you‟re continually flipping your steaks or burgers. Only turn once or twice. And definitely don‟t

― Cecelia

squash everything down as this forces the juices to run out leaving you with sad dry meat.

Sausages are also best left alone – piercing the skins dries them out.

Ahern, P.S. I Love You

Don’t fuel the fire with fat I used to pour the marinade over my meat on the grill and wonder why the flames flared up and turned everything to charcoal. It took me a while but I finally figured it out. Now I make sure my meat is well drained of excess marinade or I cook it on the hot plate. For fatty meat like chops it‟s best to either trim or cook them on the hotplate and finish them off on the grill.

Remember food hygiene It‟s funny how the outdoors can make some people forget the basics. Always put your cooked food on a clean plate or chopping board and never add marinade that was used for raw meat to cooked meat. Simple.

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Rest I recently saw a website comparing meat that had been barbequed and then rested for varying amounts of time.

The „unrested‟ sample had juices running out everywhere whereas the sample that had sat for a while before being cut looked lovely and juicy on the inside without any juices on the plate. It‟s all about letting the muscle fibres relax and take back the juices after the intensity of the heat.

Clean your BBQ I am completely guilty of being lazy when it comes to cleaning, and my poor BBQ shows the results with rusted out grill bars and a very skankey hotplate. I used to subscribe to the theory that if you just left the BBQ to burn off any food scraps for a few minutes after cooking then you don‟t need to clean. Wishful thinking Jules.

Expand your BBQ repertoire A few years ago I was working in a winery in Northern Victoria. One of my fellow winemakers was building a new house. In the mean time, he and his wife were living in the „shed‟ and all they had for cooking was a gas BBQ. Bruce was amazed at how creative his wife became. He even rocked up to work one day with a batch of delicious cookies made on the barbie.

You don‟t have to go to that extreme but it can be great fun to play around with dry rubs, pre and post cooking marinades, skewers, cooking in parcels, slow cooking and even smoking.

BBQ Leftovers Lunch Tip Usually we all end up with a little bit of leftovers from BBQs. It would be a good idea to use these leftovers for lunch the following day. Using Pita Pockets is a clever way of using BBQ leftovers and adding more flavour to them. Just fill up the Pits Pockets with the leftovers and you can add other ingredients such as fresh tomatoes, coleslaw, salads, sauces, etc... They are easy to make and are perfect during lunch hour at work.

Another idea you might want to consider, especially if you have some very good meat as a left over, is to use it in a pasta sauce. Just fry an onion and some garlic, add tomato sauce and throw in the chopped up leftovers.

Granted it is not the best pasta you ever head but it sure tastes good and its quick to make the following day. Do not forget to sprinkle some herbs for garnish and extra flavour.

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BBQ Po rk Ribs These sticky and sweet BBQ pork ribs will have everyone licking their fingers and asking for more. You can cook these in the oven or on the barbecue.

Ingredients: Rack of Pork Ribs Marinade: 250ml Barbeque Sauce Orange zest of 1 orange 3 tbsp Chinese 5 spices 6 Garlic cloves

Place the rack of ribs in a large baking dish and cover them in BBQ sauce.

Sprinkle the zest of one orange over the ribs.

Add the Chinese 5 spices.

Crush the garlic cloves and add it to the marinade.

Leave the ribs to marinade for at least 2 hours.

Before cooking let the meat rest and let the BBQ heat up.

Place the ribs on the grill and flip them over every 10 minutes.

The ribs take only 30 to 45 minutes of cooking before they are ready.

An easy recipe full of flavour, good for all year round but especially ideal for BBQs. The ribs can be left to marinade days in advance. This will give more flavour to the meat while also leaving them tender when cooked.

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Pas t a S alad A Pasta salad is the ideal side dish for BBQs. This one is one of my favourites as it includes the flavours of Italy and is really refreshing. Also leftovers from this salad can be taken for lunch the next day. And if you are looking for a vegetarian meal this recipe can be a close substitute Ingredients: Pasta (choose whatever you prefer and as much as you want) 1 small red onion (diced) 2 roasted red peppers Mozzarella cheese (cubed) 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (drained and chopped) 1 can sliced black olives 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese Olive oil Salt and pepper Balsamic vinegar Oregano Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a small pan add a little bit of olive oil and fry the onion and peppers. 4-5 minutes should be enough.

Mix the pasta with the red onion, roasted red peppers, mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts and the black olives in a large bowl.

In a small bowl make an Italian style dressing; Add 3 table spoons olive oil and 1 of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle some oregano and the garlic powder and season with salt and pepper. Whisk well and add to the pasta.

Add Parmesan cheese and mix well. Refrigerate the salad at least 2 hours before serving.

Ro s e m ary Has s e lbac k Po t at o e s This is an interesting potato dish that can be made in advance and just heated on the BBQ. This recipe was sent to us by Katja who was inspired by our previous issue which showcased the potato.

Ingredients: 4-6 yukon gold potatoes 4-6 tbsp fresh rosemary, diced 4-6 tbsp olive oil Preheat oven 375°C. Wash and dry the potatoes and carefully, with a sharp serrated knife, thinly slice cuts Ÿ inch apart across the top of potato, be careful not cut completely through the base of potato.

Place the sliced potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle each potato with 1 Tbsp olive oil, carefully separating slices as drizzling. Sprinkle rosemary, salt, and pepper on and in between cuts also.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the tops are browned.

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BBQ Marin ade s What is the best thing about meat? It can be flavour in any way one likes. Here are a couple of marinades that are sure to make your meat superb. The marinades were suggested by Bertha Grixti from Retro-Conversion.

Teriyaki Marinade Ingredients: 1/2 cup Soy sauce 1 garlic clove (shopped)

This marinade is ideal for beef.

Add everything together in a baking dish and marinate the meat.

Leave to marinate for at least 1 night.

2 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp ginger powder 2 tbsp Worcester sauce 1 tbsp lemon juice

Satay Marinade Ingredients:

Good with pork, beef and even chicken.

1 Onion (Chopped) Simplest recipes ever! Same as above!

6 garlic cloves (Chopped)

Add everything together in a baking dish and marinate the meat.

Leave to marinate for at least 1 night.

1 small piece of ginger (chopped or grated) 10 whole pepper corns Coriander Fennel seeds Saffron 8 tbsp red wine vinegar 5 tbsp olive oil 5 tbsp red wine 2 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp honey

Lemon Marinade Ingredients: 3 lemons (their juice) 1/4 cup olive oil 6 garlic cloves (minced) Thyme

Perfect with chicken breast or even kebabs.

Same as above!

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Add everything together in a baking dish and marinate the chicken.

Leave to marinate for at least 1 night.

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Most Expensive Foods in the Worlds The Golden Phoenix Cupcake The world‟s most expensive cupcake was introduced to sweet-toothed spectators in Dubai‟s new Bloomsbury‟s cafe on 5 July. The Golden Phoenix sweet treat is priced at a whopping 3,676 dirhams, and is created from a recipe that includes Italian chocolate, 23-carat edible gold sheets, organic strawberries and lots of edible gold dusting. The cake is presented on a 24-carat gold stand and must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance.

The ‘27.321’ cocktail In 2008, Dubai‟s famed sail-shaped hotel, the Burj Al Arab, poured the globe‟s most expensive cocktail: the 27.321, priced at 27,321 dirhams. So-named (and priced) after the hotel floor it was served on (the 27th), along with the hotel‟s height (321m), it was made from 55-year-old Macallan single malt natural colour whisky from Moray, Scotland, dried fruit bitters, homemade passion fruit sugar, and served in an 18-carat gold glass. Although the hotel sold 10 of these cocktails within six months to individual guests, it has now stopped serving them.

The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate A moment on the lips; a lifetime on the… credit card.

Such is the case with the world‟s most expensive dessert, the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate, priced at $18,713. Available at Serendipity 3, a restaurant in New York‟s Upper East Side, the dish combines 28 different kinds of cocoa, is adorned with 5g of edible 23-carat gold and infused with gold flakes. The sweet treat is presented in a goblet lined with edible gold leaf, served with an 18-carat gold and diamond bracelet and eaten with a solid gold spoon encrusted with rare black, white and chocolate-coloured diamonds.

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Le Burger Extravagant What does it take to make the world‟s most expensive burger? Japanese waygu beef, infused with 10herb white truffle butter, seasoned with Alderwood smoked pacific sea salt, topped with cheddar cheese, shaved black truffles and a fried quail egg served on a white truffle-buttered Campagna roll and finished with a blini, crème fraiche and Kaluga golden caviar. Oh -- and, a solid gold diamondencrusted toothpick on the side. The damage? $293, by appointment only, also at the world-famously pricey Serendipity 3 in New York.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup Head to London‟s Kai Mayfair restaurant with £108 in your pocket and you can slurp up some of the world‟s most valuable soup. The dish -called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, apparently because it is so delicious that even a vegetarian would jump over the wall to get to it -- is comprised of shark‟s fin, abalone, Japanese flower mushroom, sea cucumber, dried scallops, chicken, Hunan ham (a cured ham), pork and ginseng – and must be pre-ordered five days in advance. No jumping over walls required.

Sushi Del Oriente How about some Sushi Del Oriente -- nigiri sushi wrapped in 24-carat gold leaves and sprinkled with five 0.20-carat African diamonds? This is the dish one Japanese businessman tucked into at his personal residence in Manila, Philippines, in 2010, served by up-and-coming celebrity chef Angelito Araneta Jr of premium gastronomy company Karat Chef. The bill? A cool 85,727.59 Philippine pesos. Apparently, the chef‟s “artworks” are typically purchased as marriage proposal gifts. How could you say no?

Ideal for Lunch

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Caram e lis e d On io n an d Go at ’s Ch e e s e Tart le t s wit h Bals am ic S y ru p These make for a superb lunch; they’re also the perfect starter for a dinner party. You can make the caramelised onions in the morning, or even the night before, and keep them covered until required.

Ingredients: For the onion Jam:

4 large onions, peeled and finely sliced 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar For the tartlets:

1 large sheet good quality puff pastry 1 free-range egg yolk, mixed with a splash of milk 4 tbsp caramelised onion jam 175g good-quality goat’s cheese Thyme (to garnish) 250ml balsamic vinegar To make the onion jam:

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Place onions into a large, deep heavy-bottomed saucepan and drizzle with olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, stir the onions to coat thoroughly with the oil, then season with a good pinch of salt.

Cook over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes or until softened. Turn the heat down to low and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes, stirring frequently to scrape any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the vinegar and sugar and stir to coat well. Continue to cook over low heat for another 30-45 minutes, again scraping all the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add a splash more vinegar if the jam becomes too sticky – the consistency should be that of a thick, luscious marmalade. Set aside to cool. This will make 1.5 cups or 375ml of jam.

To make the tartlets: Preheat the oven to 200˚C (fan-forced), 220˚C Using a 12cm round pastry cutter or a small bowl as a template, cut four rounds of pastry and place on a large nonstick or lined baking sheet. Score a 2cm border around the edges of the rounds, being careful not to cut all the way through. Avoiding the border, prick the bases all over with a fork. Brush the borders with the egg wash, taking care not to let the egg run down the sides or the pastry will rise unevenly.

Again, avoiding the border, divide the caramelised onion jam among the bases, spreading it out evenly. Place a round of goat‟s cheese on top, then scatter with the thyme leaves and season with pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry borders are golden and risen and the bases of the tartlets are cooked.

Meanwhile, place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half. Add the brown sugar and simmer until the mixture becomes syrupy – it should coat the back of a spoon when it‟s ready. Set aside to cook and thicken.

Serve the tartlets drizzled with the balsamic syrup and scattered with thyme sprigs.

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FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD

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Au s t ralian Fo o d In this special issue dedicated to the BBQs we figured, who are those people who like BBQs the most? Well, it turns out that the Australians BBQ all year round. Sure the Americans like their meats grilled but it is the Ozzies that are famous for their grilled cuisine. To barbecue meat is considered traditional in Australia.

Australian cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Australia and its indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australians have occupied the lands of Australia for some 40,000–60,000 years, during which time they developed a unique hunter gatherer diet, known as "bush tucker", drawn from regional Australian flora and fauna—such as the kangaroo.

Australia was, from 1788 to 1900, a collection of British colonies in which culinary tastes were strongly influenced by British and Irish traditions - and agricultural products such as beef cattle, sheep and wheat became staples in the national diet. Post-war Australia's multicultural immigration program lead to a diversification of the cuisine of Australia, particularly under the influence of Mediterranean and East Asian migrants. However BBQ is still the preferred means of cooking on the continent.

Ch ar Grille d Kan garo o wit h Pan c e t t a Ingredients:

4 trimmed kangaroo loin fillets (marinated in virgin olive oil , garlic , rosemary & thyme) 1/4 cup red wine (shiraz is great in this) 1/2 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp fresh thyme 4 slices pancetta 2 cloves garlic 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar

Mix together 3 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp black pepper, red wine, rosemary, thyme and brown sugar.

Then marinade the kangaroo in this mixture for several hours, or overnight if possible.

When ready to cook, wrap the pancetta around the marinated kangaroo loin and cook on the BBQ. Char grill for 2 or 3 minutes each side then finish with the lid down for several minutes.

Remove them from the BBQ and let them rest for 5 minutes.

FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD:

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Australian Food

An z ac s —Au s t ralian Bis c u it s An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit popular in Australia and New Zealand made using rolled oats, flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and boiling water. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. It has been claimed the biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter 1 tablespoon golden syrup 1 cup plain flour 1 cup coconut 1 cup sugar 1 cup rolled oats 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 2 tablespoons boiling water Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 3 trays with baking paper.

Place flour, coconut, sugar and rolled oats in a large bowl.

Melt butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan (don‟t burn!), then add bicarbonate of soda and water.

Stir butter-foam into dry ingredients and mix well.

Roll a heaped teaspoonful into small balls and place on trays.

Leave about 3cm between them. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Cool slightly before lifting off with a spatula to cool on wire racks.

It is important to continuously check them in the oven so that they do not get burned!

They should spread and flatten nicely. If they are a bit puffy, remove them from oven, squash with spatula and return to oven to finish cooking (a nifty trick from my auntie).

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BBQ Ban an a wit h Ch o c o lat e an d Ho n e y Fillin g

Ingredients: Bananas (1 or 2 per person) Chocolate bar Mint (optional) Honey Cut open a banana lengthways, leaving the skin on. Make sure not to go through. Just leave an opening from the centre of the banana open.

Break the chocolate bar into small pieces and stuff it in the opening.

Add a few leaves of mint if you like.

Drizzle some honey on top of the opening.

Wrap the banana in tin foil. This process can be made in advance. Make as much bananas as you like.

Cook the banana over the BBQ in the foil. It only takes a couple of minutes to warm it up and melt the chocolate.

Do not leave the banana for too long on the heat or else you will end up with a mess not a dessert.

Open the foil and using a spoon you can scoop the inside of the banana mixed with the chocolate and honey.

“Ask Us Something!”

URGENT! WE NEED MORE QUESTIONS! We need staff members to send us food related questions in order to have things to use for this section. Usually we can come up with small bits of information but we do not know what the readers want to know about. So please whenever you have a culinary query send it to us and we will do our best to answer it.

This Month we have an easy recipe which can be made up till 2 days in advance and enjoyed as a snack on BBQ day.

Pu ff Pas t ry Ch e e s e Twis t s Ingredients:

1 pkt of pre-made puff pastry sheet 200g grated Mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp dried oregano 1 large egg All-purpose flour, for dusting

Preheat oven to 190°C. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the cheese, garlic and oregano in a small mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Stir in 2 tbsp of olive oil and combine.

In a clean small mixing bowl, beat the egg with a fork.

Brush the top of the pastry with a beaten egg. Cut in 1/2 lengthwise to form 2 (7 by 10-inch) rectangles.

Spread the herb-cheese mixture with the back of a spoon evenly across 1 rectangle. Lay the second rectangle across the coated piece, egg side-down. With the rolling pin lightly roll the 2 sheets together to seal.

With a large knife cut crosswise into strips, about 1/3-inch wide each. (Alternately, you can use a pizza wheel to cut the strips.)

One at a time, grab the ends of each strip and twist in opposite directions to form a spiral.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and Bake until light golden brown, for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let them cool on baking sheets until cool enough to handle. Serve either warm or at room temperature. You can even re-heat them on the BBQ