Traditional Maltese food
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Ricotta-filled Cannoli
You can buy ready made cannoli shells Cannoli shells - the dough 175gr flour, 25gr margarine, 1/3 cup red wine, 1/3 cup water. Start off by rubbing the margarine and flour together. Next add the red wine and enough water to form dough. Allow this dough to rest for at least an hour before using. To make the cannoli shells, you will need stainless steel cylinders which can be bought in any well stocked supermarket, household store or sweet shop. Roll the pastry very thinly and cut into round shapes. The diameter of your shape has to be equal to the length of your cylinder. Now wrap the pastry tightly around a properly greased cylinder and press the edges together. It is very important that you seal the pastry together otherwise it will open up when cooked. Deep fry the cannoli in hot oil or fat (lard) until golden brown, and allow them to drip and cool on kitchen paper. Once the shapes are cooled, remove the cylinder. The kannoli are now ready to be filled. At this stage you can keep them for weeks in an airtight container. Here is what you'll need for the filling:
1kg ricotta, 200gr sugar, 100gr Chocolate pieces, 100gr Chopped roasted almonds, 100gr Mixed Chopped candied fruit,
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1 tot / Amaretto / Vermouth. Start off by mashing the ricotta with a fork in a large bowl. Now add the other ingredients one at a time, mix well after every addition. This mixing has to be done by hand since an electric mixer would whiz the ricotta too much. Once the ricotta is properly mixed, you can start filling the Kannoli. Always make sure to fill these up at the last minute. Once the Kannoli are filled, the pastry will start to soften so make sure to fill them up just before serving. You can also coat the ends with some crushed nuts and drizzle your serving plate with some icing sugar for decoration.
---------------------------------------------------------------Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Garlic Ingredents Maltese Ftira or whole meal bread Summer tomatoes 1 Fresh clove of garlic, crushed Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fresh basil leaves, torn Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method Bring some water to the boil. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour over the hot water. Leave for a minute to blanch. Drain the tomatoes, peel, halve and deseed the tomatoes. Put the halved tomatoes in a bowl and add all the other ingredients. Stir well and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes. Toast the bread of your choice and top with the tomato mixture. Serve warm.
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Easter Cookies This typical Maltese sweet is essentially an almond pie with different shapes. The most traditional shapes are the lamb and fat lady however other animals like ducks or shapes like hearts are also used. For non-Christians Easter time also coincides with a fresh start, a need to throw away the old and use the new. Spring time when flowers blossom and fields are at their best always signified a new beginning. Nevertheless, things have to be done, and not a season goes by without me preparing my lot of figolli to hand out as Easter presents to my family and friends. The amounts I am giving you below should give you 10 properly filled figolli. The shapes I use are the standard sizes and not the small ones. Also, the recipe I am giving you is with PURE ground almonds. Should you be using almond substitute, you will probably need less egg whites so add them a little at a time until you form your paste. I like to prepare the dough the night before, this gives it time to rest as well as it reduces your preparation time on the day. Here is what you will need: Makes 10 large figolli For the dough: 800gr plain flour, 400gr sugar, 250gr margarine, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 3 teaspoons baking powder. For the filling: 600gr sugar, 600gr ground almonds, 4 to 5 egg whites depending on the size. Start off by preparing the dough, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the baking powder. Now, add the margarine and rub it in with your hands until it has been completely dissolved into the flour and you are left with a sandy mixture. Now, add the sugar and vanilla and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and mix the ingredients together to form the dough. Set it aside to rest on a floured surface or place it in the fridge overnight. Now for the filling, place the ground almonds and sugar together in a bowl and add the egg whites a little at a time mixing after every addition. Once the almond turns into a paste, your filling is done. You should be able to hold the almond paste in your hands and shape it just like you would with pastry.
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To prepare the figolli, just roll out the dough to about 0.5cm in thickness and cut two identical shapes. Place a layer of filling on one of the shapes leaving a border around the edge of approximately 1cm. Make sure not to press the filling too much when spreading since this will cause your pastry to lose its shape or widen and the top (identical) layer will not fit. Now brush the edges with a little water or apricot jam and place the second shape over it. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for approximately 30 minutes or until the figolli have nicely browned. Repeat the process until you would have used up all your dough.
You can decorate the Figolli in a variety of patterns and colours.
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Easter Kwarezimal Kwarezimal or Quarezimal need a little more attention to prepare than the Easter cookies. What defines the line between perfection or a total mess is the amount of liquid that is added to form the dough so just add a little at a time! Once the dough is formed, the Kwarezimal are shaped and baked in a hot oven for a very short time. Dressed with golden syrup and nuts your family and friends will not be able to take their hands off! Here is what you will need: 350gr ground brown almonds (not blanched) with the skin still on, 350gr sugar, 2 and 1/4 tablespoons golden syrup, 4 teaspoons cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, Half tablespoon of mixed spices, Lemon Rind, 200gr plain flour, Salt, 6 tablespoons water. Place all the ingredients together in a food processor excluding the water and mix using the K-Beater. Now add a tablespoon at a time and mix well after every addition. Do not be afraid to mix the dough on a relatively high speed, no harm can be done by over mixing it. Adding too much water will result in your Kwarezimal being flat spread out. Once a dough consistency is achieved, take the mixture out of the food processor and allow the dough to rest. Once this is done, heat the oven to 160c and line your flat baking with baking paper. Now shape your Kwarezimal by hand into rectangles approximately 10cm long and 3 to 4cm wide the height should be approximately 1cm.
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Bake the Kwarezimal for 10 to 15 minutes, they should still be soft once you remove them from the oven, but don't worry, they will harden up on cooling. Now for decoration, heat up some golden syrup until it is runny. Brush the syrup on top of the Kwarezimal then sprinkle some crushed nuts over it
---------------------------------------------------------------Yeast Rings Even though these are mostly popular in the cooler days, I must say that the last time I baked these was last Sunday afternoon for tea by the beach and they disappeared from my basket in a matter of minutes! So even if you are a Maltese reader, it is worth giving this recipe a shot! Here is what you need to make approximately 20 rings of about 7 cm in diameter. 500g Plain flour 200g Castor sugar 200g margarine 1 x 11g packet dried yeast 1/2 tsp aniseed 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp vanillin (vanilla powder) Grated zest of 1 lemon 180ml Luke warm water Sesame Seeds Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and add the lemon zest. Now add the water a little at a time to form dough. Now allow it to rest in a warm place for over 2 hours or even overnight. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a floured surface. Next cut small pieces of pastry and roll them round to form a long pipe. Twist the pipe around to form a ring and place it on your baking dish. Once all the rings have been formed, allow them to rest for another hour. Do not worry if the rings puff up and touch each other. Now brush the top with a little water and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for not more than 15 minutes. The rings should be dark brown on top but still soft when you touch them. These rings are best served warm but will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.
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---------------------------------------------------------------Sesame seed rings
Here is what you'll need : 250g self raising flour, 150g butter, 25g sugar, 1 lemon zest, 1 egg beaten. Sift the flour in a bowl and using your hands rub in the butter until you reach breadcrumb consistency. Stir in the sugar and finely grated lemon zest. Now make a well in the centre and add the egg. Mix the flour in until you form a dough. Since egg sizes vary you might need to add a little water to form your dough if the egg you used is small. Always knead well before adding any water. Roll the pastry into a sausage shape about 2cm high. Now cut 10cm lengths and twist into rings. Place the rings on your baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for about 15 minutes at 180c. As a variation to the recipe above, you might want to add a pinch of ground cloves to the flour and butter mixture
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Broad Beans Dip Ingredients 1 lb dried broad beans 2tsp. chopped parsley 1 garlic crushed 1 chili pepper a dash of Tabasco 1 tbsp of mixed fresh mint, finely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil Method Soak beans overnight replace water. add salt to taste bring to boil & simmer until beans are soft mash beans and place them in a serving dish Pour olive oil on top Add other ingredients to taste Serve Hot or Cold
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Prinjolata N.Casha Head Chef
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The Prinjolata. Prinjolata is an assembly of cake or biscuits, topped with meringue and decorated with chocolate and pine nuts, hence the name Prinjolata (of pine nuts). Here is what you will need: The Cream: 150 icing sugar; 100g margarine; 150ml double cream; 1 tsp orange essence; 500g roughly broken biscuits, sponge or baked short crust pastry. Decoration: 2 egg whites; 200g sugar; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 tot Grand Marnier or brandy; Glace Cherries; Pine nuts or Roasted Almonds; 100g Melted chocolate. Start making the cream by beating the sugar and butter together. Once you have a smooth and light texture, add the essence and cream. Now in a bowl place your broken biscuits or cake and add the cream a little at a time mixing with your hands or wooden spoon. Once the biscuits stick together stop adding cream. Place the mixture in your presentation plate or bowl and pile them up into a small pyramid pressing together so that the biscuits stick. It is very important not to add too much cream otherwise the cake mixture will be too soft to stand upright. Next prepare the meringue for the outer coating. The original Prinjolata used to be made with an Italian meringue, but the standard way of preparing a meringue is also good. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Next add the sugar in 3 parts whisking as you add. Add the essence and liquor and beat until hard peaks are formed and the meringue holds its shape. Cover the pyramid with the meringue and dot with the glace cherries and pine nuts. Finally drizzle the melted chocolate all over the Prinjolata.
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Fried Dorado
Ingredients 800g.Lampuki vinegar salt and pepper olive oil lemon flour Method Cut off the head and tail of the fish and clean carefully wash and cut the fish into four portions pass through the sifted flour season and fry both sides on a very low heat till golden Serves with lemon and fresh salad & chips
---------------------------------------------------------------Ricotta Pie Ingredients 600 g. ricotta salt and pepper S eggs puff pastry or short crust 50g. Grated cheese egg wash chopped parsley, if preferred add green peas Method
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Mix ricotta with eggs and work to a smooth mixture. Add cheese parsley and seasoning. Grease a pie or sandwich tin, line with pastry and fill with Rikotta. Eggs wash the edges and cover with Pastry. Egg wash and bake in a moderate oven until a nice golden colour is reached. Serve warm.
---------------------------------------------------------------Ravioli
Ingredients For the dough 200g. Plain flour pinch of salt 150g. Semolina 2 beaten eggs
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For the filling 400g. ricotta salt and pepper 2 eggs beaten 4tbsp. grated parmesan cheese 1 tbsp chopped parsley Method Start with the dough mix the sieved flour, semolina and salt carefully, add the eggs and knead until dough is like elastic, if to stiff add a drop of cold water Rest for 1 hour now prepare the filling. put all the other ingredients ricotta, beaten eggs cheese parsley salt and pepper into a mixing bowl mix everything well Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll into long thin strips dampen the edges with water Put small balls of Rikotta some 2cm from the edge of the pastry and 4cm apart. Turn one edge of the pastry on the other one and press to seal, using a ravioli cutter cut out the pastry 10 cm away from the filling, Leave to nest for 10 minutes, boil in salted water till soft Serve with tomato sauce and grated cheese
--------------------------------------------------------------Baked Rice 2 cups cooked rice 1½ lbs grated cheese 2 tbs bread crumbs pepper & salt paprika 50g margarine 2 egg yolks 570 ml milk Combine the cooked rice, the egg yolks and 21 oz. of grated cheese and mix well. Add the milk and mix again. Grease a baking dish with butter and pour the mixture into it. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and the remaining cheese on top of the mixture. Cut the margarine into almond-sized pieces and drop on top of the mixture. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. Serve the rice with fried tomatoes.
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---------------------------------------------------------------Spaghetti with octopus sauce
Ingredients 1kg Octopus 224g onions 168g peas 224g tomatoes 112g black olives 250ml red wine 674g spaghetti 84g tomato paste N.Casha Head Chef
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herbs mint lemon zest olive oil salt and pepper Method Peel and slice the onions. Cut the octopus into even sized pieces, fry in a little oil and water. Add the tomato paste and herbs, continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Prepare the tomato, by peeling them and chopping them finely, add to the onions. Strain the octopus but save the liquid. Slice the olives and lemon zest. Add all remaining ingredients to the first mixture and simmer. Add the octopus liquid and simmer for another 15 minutes. Cook spaghetti until soft or al dente.
---------------------------------------------------------------Pasta with Broad Beans) Ingredients 10 oz. Kosksu small pasta that looks like shotgun pellets 1 onion 5 oz. peeled broad beans 3 oz. peeled tomatoes 2 oz. tomato paste 2 sprigs garlic mixed herbs 2 pt. water Method Chop the onion and garlic and fry in a little olive oil till golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the mixed herbs, and the water. Bring to the boil.
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Add the Kosksu, and simmer until cooked. Add the broad beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.
-------------------------------------------------------------Fish Soup Ingredients 500gr fish (Traditionally fish heads) 2 large onion 5 cloves garlic 4 peeled tomatoes I tablespoon oregano (fresh if available) 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 tablespoons tomato paste Half cup uncooked rice Salt, pepper, olive oil Method In a large saucepan heat 2 tbsp olive oil and fry the sliced onions until soft. Add the crushed garlic and the herbs. Fry for a few minutes then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to make the salsa.
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Add the fish pieces to the sauce while adding enough water to cover the fish. Ideally use a strainer place the fish in it. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to the boil. cook for 30 min until fish meat separates from the bones. Remove any bones from the soup and add the rice. Cook for another 20 min or until the rice is cooked, but not overcooked
---------------------------------------------------------------Stuffed Globe Artichokes Ingredients 4 artichokes 75g anchovy fillets crushed garlic 150g fresh breadcrumbs 50g olives oil and vinegar parsley salt and pepper Method Chop the anchovy fillets, garlic, olives and parsley and mix with the breadcrumbs. Add the oil and vinegar and work into a dry paste. Season. Wash the artichokes and fill between the leaves with this mixture. Place the artichokes upright in a small saucepan. Half cover them with water and add some oil. Cover with a lid, bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour. Serve hot.
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Thick Vegetable Soup Ingredients 84g cauliflower 84g carrots 84g pumpkin 56g white onions 28g celery stick 21g tomato paste 56g rice 1250ml water Method Slice and wash all the vegetables. Fry the onions, till tender. Add all vegetables except the rice.
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Add the water, bring to the boil, and simmer till vegetables are cooked. Add the washed rice. Soup must be very thick.
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(Baked Beef Olives Ingredients 8 very thin slices of beef (for 4 persons) 3 hard boiled eggs 8 slices of streaky bacon 4 sausages (preferably Maltese) Cheddar Cheese (optional) One red onion Fresh garlic Fresh parsley
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1 pint of Ale. Salt and Pepper Chop the eggs, bacon, sausages and cheddar cheese and mix in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and fresh parsley, if no Maltese sausage was found, you may add some Coriander Seeds Open a slice of beef and place approx. 2 tablespoons of mixture towards the edge of the steak Roll the steak and fold (like a Spring Roll) Stick a tooth-pick right through, to hold the fold Preheat oven (half) In a large frying pan heat some oil, and fry the beef olives with some garlic, till blood is slightly drained Prepare a medium sized dish, and place the beef olives side by side in this dish Slice the onion and place in dish Drown half the beef olives in beer and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with baking foil and put in preheated oven for about 45 mins. Uncover the dish and cook for a further 30 mins. You may serve with traditional baked potatoes
---------------------------------------------------------------Rikotta cheese cakes Ingredients For the Pastry 400g. plain flour ½ tsp.salt 200 ml. cold water 125 - 50g. Margarine, or lard, or butter
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For Filling 400g. ricotta salt and pepper 3 eggs beaten Method Mix the sieved flour and salt with approximately 200ml. of cold water into a soft pliable but not sticky dough, knead well leave to rest for about 90 minutes. when rested, roll stretch and pull the dough on a floured surface, into long strips, spread half the fat over the entire length of dough, first with a palette knife then with clean hands, take one end of the dough and roll it up like a Swiss roll, make it uneven turning it tightly sometimes then more loosely, rest it in the frig. repeat the rolling and sometimes so that the roll is once more a long strip, spread the remaining fat, roll it up again like a Swiss roll this time in a different direction from the first roll, all these rolling enhance the flakiness of the finished pastry, rest it again. Mash the ricotta with the salt and pepper , add the beaten eggs , cut off pieces of dough the size of a small ball with a sharp knife, pull out each piece with your fingers like a thin disc. place a spoonful of ricotta mixture in the center, close the dough around it and seal the edge with your fingers, place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake on 200'c / 400'f /gas 6. for 25 minutes or till golden Best eaten hot You can use minced beef, peas and onions, or anchovy, filling instead of ricotta
---------------------------------------------------------------Stuffed Eggplant N.Casha Head Chef
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Ingredients 4 large eggplants 1 lb ground meat (beef & pork) 2 tbsp margarine 2 eggs, beaten 1 tbsp parsley, chopped 2 tsp tomato paste 1 tomato, chopped 2 oz bread crumbs 1 onion, sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 4 oz grated cheese salt & pepper to taste
Method Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, Parboil halves for 10 minutes, Scoop out the middle and save, fry onion and garlic, add tomato paste, meat, eggplant pulp, tomato, parsley, bread crumbs. cook until meat is done, stirring well remove from heat, add the beaten eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Use this mixture to stuff halved eggplants. Sprinkle the tops with breadcrumbs & cheese, bake in 350-degree oven for about an hour Serve hot you can use instead of Eggplant, large marrows or green pepper
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---------------------------------------------------------------Stuffed Pork Flank Ingredients 1kg thick flank 500g grated cheese chopped parsley 200g minced pork salt and pepper Method Slit the flank with a sharp knife (like making a pocket ). Mix all the ingredients well. Stuff the flank with this mixture and sew it up. Roast the flank in a medium to hot oven for 2hours or steam for 1 hour 20 minutes. Serve with thick sauce. If preferred you can add hard boil eggs in the center of the filling
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Baked Pork with Potatoes Ingredients 1kg pork (chops or leg) lO0g onions 600mI beef stock N.Casha Head Chef
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4 cloves chopped garlic 1kg potatoes 5Og cooking fat salt and popper 1 tblsp.dried Rosemarie Method Cut the meat into four portions Peel the potatoes and onions, and cut into thick slices. Prepare a well greased baking dish. Put a layer of potatoes and onions, arrange the meat season, sprinkle the crushed garlic and Rosemarie, cover with the remaining potatoes and onions. Add stock and fat then bake for at least 2 hours. On low heat Check the stock frequently, adding more if required.
---------------------------------------------------------------Macaroni ricotta Ingredients 600g macaroni
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Chopped parsley 1 tin chopped tomatoes parmesan cheese 400g ricotta salt and pepper 50 g. butter 3 eggs Method Boil Macaronelli in salted water. When cooked, drain and put into a pan, Add butter to Macaronelli and cook for a few minutes on a very low heat. Mix Rikotta beaten eggs, chopped parsley and seasoning Add Rikotta mixture to macaroni top with the chopped tomatoes and cover with the cheese and continue cooking under a slow grill till golden about 10 minutes. Serve hot
---------------------------------------------------------------Bean & Chick Pea Salad Ingredients Lima Beans (canned) Chick Peas (canned) 4 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
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Olive Oil Salt & Pepper Chopped Parsley Chopped Mint Olives Tomato Paste Crust Bread Method This is perhaps one of the simplest yet most popular quick meals enjoyed by Maltese people, especially in the summer months. It is simple to prepare and can be extremely appetizing. The salad is eaten with crusty bread, spread with tomato paste and dipped in olive oil. Usually, anchovies, olives, canned tuna and fresh tomatoes complete the meal. Preparing the salad is quite simple. Mix one can of lima beans, one can of chick peas and the crushed garlic with olive oil. Add the chopped parsley and mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Baked Macaroni Pie Ingredients 14oz flaky dough 2 lbs. uncut macaroni 1lb extra lean hamburger 3 tbs tomato paste 4 well-beaten eggs 2 cups water or stock 1 small finely chopped onion pepper and salt 14oz grated Parmesan cheese Uncut macaroni are sometimes hard to find. However you can usually find them in Italian stores. If you cannot get uncut macaroni, substitute with cut macaroni, preferably plain cut macaroni. You can substitute Corned Beef (2 cans) for the hamburger. I personally prefer Corned Beef as it gives the Timpana extra flavour. In a large saucepan, cook the onion until tender. Add the meat and brown for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato paste and two cups of water or stock and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the saucepan and let the sauce simmer for about twenty minutes. In the mean time, cook the macaroni in salted boiling water till tender, drain, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauce, the Parmesan cheese and the beaten eggs and mix well. Grease a large baking dish (28x18x4cm Pyrex dish is ideal) with lard or margarine. Roll out the dough and line the dish with the dough. Pour the pasta and sauce mix into the baking dish. Cover the top with dough. Press the edges to seal the dish. Decorate with a dough flower in the middle. With a fork, pierce the dough. Then brush with a beaten egg.
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Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) Gas 5. Bake for about one hour. The dough should turn golden-brown. Serve the Timpana hot or cold in large pieces with grated parmesan cheese. Flaky Pastry Dough Making the dough. 8 oz. flour (use common flour) 6 oz. margarine cut into half-inch cubes 6-7 tbs. cold water dash of salt First, here are a few secrets you need to know if you are to be successful making this dough! The key one is that everything you use must be cold! The dough must also be kept cold at all times. The best working surface for the dough is a slab of marble since marble tends to stay cool. Always store the dough covered with a damp cloth in your refrigerator, but before storing it, make sure you remove any loose flour. Always sprinkle the working surface, the rolling pin, and the dough with flour before you start working the dough. Never turn over the dough while you are working it. Instead, turn it flat on the board (or turn the board itself) clockwise before each rolling and always in the same direction. This is one of the hardest dough to make and you may have to try it a few times before you get it right! Sift flour and salt together. Divide the margarine into half-inch squares. Drop margarine squares into flour making sure not to squash them. Mix lightly until all margarine cubes are covered with flour (make sure that the cubes remain intact.) Add water and mix lightly with a knife again making sure that the cubes remain intact. If some flower is left loose, add a teaspoon of cold water at a time until all the flour is used. The resulting dough should be very soft. Sprinkle the dough and the working surface with flour. Work the dough into an elongated shape using your finger tips. Sprinkle some flour on the rolling pin and roll the dough until it's about eight inches long and not more than five inches wide. Now do the steps below exactly. Fold the lower third toward the top. Now fold the upper third toward the bottom on top of the first fold. You should end up with a three-layered rectangle. With light pressure from the rolling pin, seal the three edges. Remove any extra flour. Now turn the folded dough anti-clockwise so that the right side is at the top. Roll the dough lightly until it is nine inches long and six inches wide.
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Repeat steps one and two. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and store in the refrigerator for twenty minutes. Repeat steps one through four, four times. The dough can now be rolled out to the desired thickness and used for pastizzi or even Timpana
---------------------------------------------------------------Maltese Sausage Ingredients
1 kg. Thickly minced pork with fat. + 100g.salt. 40g. crashed black peppercorns 40g. Crashed coriander seeds 5 cloves of garlic 5 tbsp. chopped parsley Pork intestines skin (for filling) Method Mix the pork well with the salt, making sure that the salt has dispersed and that all the meat has been salted properly. Add the other ingredients, mix again thoroughly and let it rest in a cool place for half an hour. Using a sausage filler, fill the skins with the mixture then tie with string at 3-4 inch. apart to form sausage, For drying, prick each sausage with fine pins and hang in the coolest place possible for 2-4 days to dry.
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---------------------------------------------------------------Fried Rabbit
Ingredient 1 Rabbit Sunflower Oil Fresh Garlic Dry White Wine Thyme Salt Pepper Cut rabbit in medium sized pieces Chop some garlic In a large bowl place the rabbit and cover with white wine Mix in the garlic, Thyme, and add some salt and pepper Cover and leave in the fridge overnight or for approx. 6 hrs In a large shallow frying pan heat some sunflower oil. Add some garlic to the oil and fry for a few minutes on moderate heat (do not fry till golden brown) Take the rabbit pieces and fry in large frying pan, turning occasionally, till rabbit cooks well.
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You may add salt, pepper and thyme (or your favourite herb) Sprinkle more white wine occasionally. Rabbit may be served with French fries and salad.
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Date Filled Snack Ingredients (makes about 30 snacks) 400g Flour 1 tablespoon lard 1 tablespoon margarine 1 tablespoon sugar 1.2 kg pitted dates 1 orange peel grated 1 tablespoon anisette 1 tablespoon orange flower water A pinch of ground cloves To make the dough, rub the lard into the flour. Add the sugar and mix. Moisten with anisette and orange flower water until you can form a soft dough. Next prepare the filling. Mash the dates and mix with the cloves, orange peel, anisette and orange flower water. Note: If the dates are hard, soak in water for about thirty minutes to soften. Drain before using. Roll the dough out into a long wide strip and spread the prepared filling on the top half of the dough to form a layer about a quarter of an inch thick. Wet the edge of the pastry and fold over to cover the filling. Press all edges well together to seal. Cut into diamond or rectangular shapes (about 3.5 x 2.5 inches.) Fry in deep hot oil till golden in colour. Let drain and eat while still hot. Enjoy
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Cauliflower Flan For four persons Ingredients Short crust pastry 800g. Cauliflower 25g. Margarine 25g. Flour 300m1.milk 3 eggs 1 onion Parmesan cheese Salt & pepper finely chopped parsley White Sauce Clean and rinse the cauliflower, put in a deep pan cover with water add the salt and boil till you see that its cooked , when ready put in a sieve and drain all the water, leave till its cool (White sauce)(On low flame) In a pan melt the margarine then add the onion that you chopped thinly cook till it starts to change color and its soften, ad the flour and stir all the time add the luke warm milk a little at a time while stirring, keep stirring till it become creamy and getting thick, remove from flame, Mash the cauliflower, add the white sauce, cheese eggs salt and pepper, mix them well in a flan dish melt a little butter then cover with pastry, add the cauliflower mixture add cheese on top and parsley cook in a moderate oven for 40-45mintues till top is golden
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Stewed Rabbit
Ingredients Serves 4 To 6 1 jointed young rabbit 500 g belly of pork, cut into portions 1 medium onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed 4 small carrots, peeled and sliced 250 g shelled peas 2 bay leaves 1 glass red wine 3 tablespoons tomato puree oil for frying salt and pepper Method: Heat the oil in a deep casserole and fry the rabbit joints lightly on both sides remove from the casserole and set aside fry the pork belly in the same oil and set aside to fry the onion and garlic in the same oil add the rabbit and pork to the casserole add the tomato puree diluted in the glass of water bring to boil add the glass of red wine bring to boil then lower the heat, add the bay leaves season to taste and simmer for 30 minutes add the carrots and peas and cook for further 15 minutes or until the rabbit is tender the sauce should have reduced by half
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Serve the sauce with spaghetti as the first meal, and the rabbit stew as the second plate if prefared
---------------------------------------------------------------Hot Chestnut
Ingredients 1 lb dried chestnuts 1 heaped tbsp cocoa 6 oz sugar A piece of tangerine peel finely chopped Method Wash the chestnuts thoroughly. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with water. Leave to soak overnight. Next day remove any loose pieces of skin. Preserve water for boiling the chestnuts. A pressure cooker will save much of the cooking time. Follow instructions given with pressure cooker. in any case allow to boil until tender.
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Add the other ingredients and continue cooking for about half an hour. If the stew is still watery at this stage reduce it by further cooking. taste for sweetness and add more cocoa, if necessary. Serve hot (Good on a cold Wintery night) Serves 4 - 5
---------------------------------------------------------------Maltese kind of biscuits Ingridients 15g fresh yeast or dried yeast 150m- 175 ml water 400g plain flour pinch of salt 50g butter 1 - 1 1/2 tsp crashed aniseed 200g caster sugar Method Cream the yeast in water, sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, rub in the butter and add the sugar and aniseed make a well and add the yeast and water at least 150ml water is used but adjust this quantity to the flour, bring the mixture together, then turn on a work surface and knead until you have a pliable bread like dough, return to bowl and prove in a warm place covered, until doubled in bulk, this will take longer then bread as the sugar retards the rising, return the dough to work surface, knead briefly to knock it back, form into 4 elongated cakes and bake on a tray at 200c/400f/gas6 until cooked through, approximately 20 mins. allow to cool overnight, cut each cake into thin slices lay out on a try and bake at 180c/ 350f/ gas4, until crisp and golden checking frequently that they do not catch, cool on a wire rack
Green Peppers Stuffed with Dorado Ingredients 4 large green peppers 25g tomato paste
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2 eggs 300g. Cooked Dorado 25g chopped Olives seasoning 150g. Cooked rice chopped chopped parsley olive oil 50g.onions little water Remove the top and inside of the pepper. Keep the top. Heat some oil and fry the onions till golden. Add the tomato paste and let water simmer for 10 minutes. Add the rice, olives, parsley, seasoning herbs and the flaked dorado. Finally add the eggs. Continue simmering for a further 10 minutes. Fill the green pepper with this mixture. Replace the tops. Bake in a moderate oven for about 60 to 75 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
---------------------------------------------------------------Village Biscuits Ingredients 200g flour 50g margarine 150g sugar Pinch of cloves 1 egg Royal icing Grated orange and lemon zest Pinch of cinnamon Milk Method
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Mix the sieved flour and margarine until the mixture is like fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg, sugar and part of the milk. Add the zest, cloves and cinnamon to the flour. Add egg and make a smooth paste. Grease a baking dish and sprinkle with the flour. Make oval shaped biscuits approximately 10cm x 6cm and about 1½cm thick. Sprinkle some castor sugar on the biscuits and bake in moderate over for 20 minutes. Decorate with piping of coloured royal icing
---------------------------------------------------------------Bread Pudding Ingredients 800 g stale bread 560ml milk 1 tbs margarine glass of brandy or rum 2 eggs 3.5 oz. Sugar a few drops of vanilla extract 2 oz. candied fruit 3.5 oz. Raisins
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grated peel from one orange 2 tbs chocolate powder few oz. of crushed almonds Remove the crust from the bread. Soak the bread in the milk until it becomes soft. Add the margarine, sugar, candied fruit, chocolate powder and the brandy to the bread and milk mixture. Mix well using your fingers. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the mixture along with the vanilla extract and the raisins. Grease a baking dish with margarine and spread the mixture in it. Sprinkle the crushed almonds on top of the mixture and bake in a moderate oven for about half an hour. Serve cold
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Treacle Rings
Ingredients For the Filling: 600g. treacle 150g. Sugar 75g. Jam zest of lemon, orange and tangerine For the Pastry: 600g flour 2 egg yolks 750ml water 50g. Very finely chopped candied peel 250g semolina pinch of ground cloves 50g margarine water Method Put all the filling ingredients (except the semolina) into a saucepan and bring to the boil. After boiling thicken with semolina, adding only a little at a time. Continue cooking for a few seconds and leave to cool. Rub the margarine into the flour, and bind with the yolks and a little water. Leave the pastry to set for two hours before using. Roll out the pastry into long strips of 8cm by 15cm. Put some filling in the middle, the whole length of the pastry. Fold the pastry. Now bring the two ends of the pastry together to form a ring. Sprinkle a baking sheet with semolina, put the rings on the sheet and bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes. Before cooking, take a sharp knife and lash the pastry in different places.
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Fried Noodles For Four Persons Ingredients 600g. Fine noodles 4 eggs salt & pepper 25g. Margarine or butter 100g. Parmesan cheese Method
Boil the noodles in boiling salted water when noodles is cooked drain well put in a big bowl, add the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper, mix together in a pan warm the butter or margarine (you can use Veg. oil) put in all the mixed noodles and fry till golden then turn and fry the other side till both sides are golden Serve hot
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Written below are some of the traditional recipes you find in my country. I am sure will please those who try them out. We, Maltese, are big on rabbit recipes, here in Malta you can find different ways of stewing, frying and putting it in pies. There is also an Imperial touch, by adding some curry powder, carrots and peas. Impassioned also by Pasta, an authoritative version is called Timpana. It is a macaroni pie with brains and chicken liver. Others are the macaroni mould and several sorts of ravioli. Maltese sweet dishes are also very interesting, they show both Middle Eastern and Italian affiliations such as Datefilled Diamonds, Yeasted Sesame Seed Rings, Lenten Almond Cakes, Easter Characters (almond pastries cut out to
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represent symbolic figures) and a cake of pine nuts and nougat.
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