No. 54 - April 2007

Welcome to the Recipes4us.co.uk free monthly newsletter and we have yet another birthday .... our 7th! One again,  I am pleased to be able to say that we are still going strong,  and that the site is being visited by even more people - well over 6000 per day.  I'd like to thank you for your continued support and here's to the next 7 years. Don't forget - keep the faith -  spread the word as we can never have too many visitors.   If you have any suggestions for additions to this newsletter,   please write to me at Newsletter@Recipes4us.co.uk .    Happy Cooking !      Florence Sandeman, Editor     Food Funny A man asked his wife " Where do you want to go for our anniversary? She replies: “Somewhere I have never been before” He says: How about the kitchen?

What's New This Month   Cooking by Country     Finland Click the picture to find lots of information about Finnish cuisine   plus lots of recipes ____________________ Food in Film   Click the film to see the next in the series. ____________________ Baking Tip Use a cosmetic powder puff to dust your baking sheets with flour...best to keep a large one solely for use in the kitchen ____________________   What's in Season Asparagus, broccoli carrots, chervil,  early cucumbers,  Jersey Royal Potatoes,   kale,  morel mushrooms, radishes, rocket  rhubarb, rosemary, spinach, early strawberries, watercress -  don't forget  cockles, spring Lamb, brown crabs, lobsters and langoustines! ____________________   How does your  Kitchen Garden grow   Sowing is still the order of the day but unlike March, April is a time when you can sow the majority of vegetable and herb seeds outdoors unless there is an unusually long cold snap.   Outdoors Continue to sow Broad beans, Brussels sprouts, dill, summer cabbage, carrots, turnips cauliflowers, Kohl Rabi, Leeks, peas, lettuce, marjoram, parsnips,  radish, spinach, spring onions   Start thinning out seeds which were sown last month but in order to prevent large gaps occurring, only thin to half the final distance.   Indoors Continue to sow Aubergines, Capsicums (Sweet peppers), Chives, mint,,  oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage,    sweet basil, thyme, tomatoes   Start thinning out seeds which were sown in pots or trays last month once they  are about 12mm/1/2" tall.. Don't delay too long as crowded plants not only fight for light, making them grow tall and spindly, but they are also more prone to damping off disease   For detailed growing instructions visit growing herbs and vegetables section

* * * Winner of February new subscriber prize draw * * * MM of Northants, UK _______________________________________________________________   19th April is National Garlic Day   Whether you love it or hate it, the health benefits of eating garlic are now universally hailed. Although native to Asia, it’s been used in various parts of the world for thousands of years both for culinary and medicinal purposes such as treating wounds, infections and intestinal parasites and is even mentioned in Egyptian hieroglyphs.   > > > > More _______________________________________________________________   _______________________________________________________________ ? Readers' Questions Question Please can you tell me why my pickled garlic has gone blue?   Answer garlic contains anthocyanins, water-soluble pigments that turn blue, green or purple in an acid solution. Also it contains sulfur compounds which can react with copper. The amount of copper needed for this reaction is very small and is often found in normal water supplies. However, the garlic is still perfectly safe to eat. _______________________________________________________________   23rd April is St. George's Day   Not only is it St. George's Day on 23rd April, it’s also Shakespeare’s birthday.  We have some super traditional English recipes on both the St. Georges day page and the England Cooking by Country page.    As a bit of fun, we updated our St. George's Day page to include an interactive map so why not give it a try. > > > > More And in the words of the great bard “And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath." William Shakespeare, A midsummer nights dream _______________________________________________________________   Food in the news.......   Human genes in rice sparks new GM row Genetically modified rice containing human genes has received preliminary approval in the US, sparking new concerns and fears on both sides of the Atlantic. > > > > More  External Link _______________________________________________________________   26th April to 2nd May is National Bread Week   Bread in one form or another, is consumed the world over, so eating it during this celebratory week is something most of us will do without even thinking about it.  Whilst no-one is absolutely sure as to when the first bread was made, man has been eating, albeit a crude form of flatbread, since 10,000 BC. Certainly the ancient Egyptians were making leavened (raised) bread with yeast by 3000BC and it is thought that the workers who built the pyramids were paid in bread. > > > > More _______________________________________________________________

Recipe of the Month   Easter Humpty Biscuits As 8th April is Easter Day, why not bake these funky  Easter Egg biscuits - great fun for kids....and adults too! My decorating skills were a bit off the day I baked these  - you can probably do better     Prep and cooking time: 35mins plus cooling Makes approx 10 large biscuits Ingredients 100g/4oz Butter or Margarine 100g/4oz Caster Sugar 1 large Egg 1 teasp Ground cinnamon 225g/8oz Plain Flour 50g/2oz Currants A little Milk to glaze Melted Chocolate Coloured Icing Extra currants to decorate Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 190C, 375F, Gas Mark 5 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. 3. Add the egg and cinnamon and beat well. 4. Add the flour and currants, mix well then lightly knead. 5. Turn onto a floured work surface and roll out to just over 6mm/¼-inch) thickness. 6. Cut into circles using a cutter or glass, re-rolling the dough as necessary then using the heal of your hand, press and shape into egg shapes. The biscuits should be about 6mm/1/4-inch thick. 7. Arrange the biscuits on a baking tray, brush with milk and make eyes with the extra currants 8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pale golden. 9. Allow to cool on a wire rack before decorating. Use melted chocolate for the hair, pink icing for the lips and other coloured or white icing for the shirt and buttons.
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