TASTE&FLAIR NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE No 142 by TASTE&FLAIR MAGAZINE

ISSUE 142 DISTRIBUTED WITH THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

NOVEMBER 2021

Feed your imagination Food • wine • gifts • art • architecture • interiors

Joinwell Mill Street, Qormi +356 2278 2000 info@joinwell.com.mt www.joinwell.com.mt

T&F EDITORIAL

Welcome P

reparing and sharing food is one of the simplest pleasures and what makes anywhere feel like home. For our November issue, Claire Borg picked a basketful of rose-gold pomegranates to create a feast of sweet and savoury dishes and Michael Diacono turned pasta and rice into wholesome and hearty meals that draw people together. Try out some of their tempting recipes, or our warming soups filled with the flavours of autumn and a taste of tradition. In our architecture and interiors pages, one firm of architects shows how sustainability-driven design can be aesthetically pleasing, and that retrofitting an existing building can lower environmental and operational costs. Another studio, mostly led by women, transformed a neglected historic house and garden into a contemporary serene home. There’s much here to enjoy. Make up a self-indulgent cup of hot chocolate or pour yourself a glassful from a bottle of good Maltese wine, and curl up on a favourite armchair to leaf through the luscious pages of Taste&Flair. We’ll be back on 5th December with our Christmas issue. If you missed any issue of Taste&Flair and want a copy, we may be able to help so please do get in touch with us by email, Messenger, or on Instagram.

Corinne

NOVEMBER 2021

Claire Borg’s Layer Cake with Cream and Pomegranate See feature starting on page 25. Photograph: Claire Borg

ISSUE 142 DISTRIBUTED WITH THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Feed your imagination Food • wine • gifts • art • architecture • interiors

Publisher The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation 56 Melita Street, Valletta VLT1122, Malta Editorial Board Paul Caruana Galizia Andrew Caruana Galizia Matthew Caruana Galizia Executive Editor Corinne Vella Editorial Assistants Megan Mallia • Amy Mallia Art Director Ramon Micallef +356 9949 1418 ram@box-design.net Advertising Manager & Editorial Contributor Sean Ellul +356 7921 0705 sellul@independent.com.mt Advertising Assistant Christine Mifsud +356 21 345 888 ext 138 cmifsud@independent.com.mt Production Manager André Camilleri Production Assistant Conrad Bondin Prepress & Printing Print It All communication about Taste&Flair magazine should be directed to Corinne Vella at corinne.vella@gmail.com No part of any issue of Taste&Flair may be reproduced without the written prior agreement of the publisher. Distributed with The Malta Independent on Sunday*. The Malta Independent on Sunday is published by Standard Publications Ltd - Tel +356 21 345 888

Detail from Jan van Os’s Fruit, Flowers, and a Fish (1772), an extravagant celebration of luxury. Though the exotic and costly fruits are blemished or past their best, this would have been acceptable in a painting in the days before refridgeration. The artwork is held in the collection of London’s National Gallery.

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

*The surcharge on The Malta Independent on Sunday, or any charge for this magazine is retained by Standard Publications Ltd.

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T&F CONTENTS

p50

Christmas gift ideas Start your shopping early

Comfort food for cooler nights Michael Diacono’s pasta and rice dishes

25 p66

Fruit of the season Claire Borg’s sweet and savoury feast

Cultivating quality Andrew Azzopardi on Malta’s wine industry

Castanea Megan Mallia on an enduring tradition

Souped up supper A bowlful of autumn flavours

50 p13

Decadent chocolate Pour yourself a cup of indulgence

CONTENTS 66

Timeless beauty The restoration of an historic home

Treetop House A contemporary aesthetic driven by retrofitted sustainability

p25

Impossible Conversations Francesca Balzan’s new exhibition

p54 8

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

p78

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T&F FRESH

CHRISTMAS

Gift Ideas

Côte Noire is a brand of beautiful life-like flowers, infused with luxurious scents of perfume. All scented flowers are intricately hand crafted and each flower arrangement comes with its own spray that mimics the scent of the flower itself, making it not only realistic to the eyes, but to your other senses as well. Côte Noire flowers are all wrapped up and prepared in a gorgeous gift box too. Shop online: www.greyandadler.com/cotenoire or visit Grey & Adler at their boutique in Naxxar. Who doesn’t love picture frames? To us they’re the perfect way to showcase your favorite photos and - why not? - also your favorite quotes. They add dimension and layers to a space. You don’t need to fill every surface with picture frames, just display your cherished memories. Shop online: www.greyandadler.com/home-decoration or visit Grey & Adler at their boutique in Naxxar.

Christmas is around the corner and Dical House is as always well stocked to meet all your gifting requirements. Our large Cellar houses more than 400 labels of wines and an extensive selection of Spirits many of which being pretty hard to find. Several award winners including WORLD’S BEST SINGLE MALT are available Exclusively at Dical House. With regards to packaging, choose from wicker baskets or Signature Dical House gift boxes. Dical House is open all day every day during the Festive season and is in Triq San Anton Abbati. T: 21424600/1. Full customisation and delivery of hampers is also possible. Email: foods@dicalgroup.com. www.dicalhouse.com.

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

Our best-selling Lion Pot is back in stock. This guardian lion pot is a majestic piece of art for indoor use, keeping your home safe and sound. With a matte white finish (and also available in black for more drama), made of terracotta and the detail of an ear piercing made of brass, this lion exudes confidence and drama. It comes in two sizes, and can be purchased online on www.greyandadler.com or visit Grey & Adler boutique in Naxxar.

FRESH T&F

Choosing and wrapping presents for family and friends spreads seasonal joy. Start your Christmas shopping early with our selection of gift ideas.

Share the gift of home cooked meals made with love. Evelia® is from 18/10 stainless steel and features a vent on the glass lid to eliminate internal condensation, making it easier to see your food during cooking. The set includes: Stockpot Ø 22 cm, Saucepan Ø 16 cm, Stewpot Ø 20 cm and Shallowpan Ø 26 cm with lid, Stewpot Ø 22 cm, Frypan non stick Ø 26 cm, Ladle, Skimmer, Pasta fork. Visit Oxford House in store or online to shop the range.

If you are looking for the one place on the island where you can find all your festive must-haves, head straight to DICAL HOUSE and feast your eyes on an extensive selection of gifts and hampers. All hampers can ALSO be customised according to your taste and budget to ensure yours is unique across the island. Dical House brings you the finest food products from around the world. With hundreds of gourmet items to choose from, your difficulty will be in what to leave out rather than what to choose. Corporate clients are invited to set a personalised meeting requested via email. Whatever the case don’t forget a gift to self. Dical House is in Triq San Anton Abbati. Easy to find also on google maps. T: 21424600/1. Email: foods@dicalgroup.com. www.dicalhouse.com

Meridiana Wine Estate’s Nexus DOK Malta is a premium red wine made exclusively from hand-picked locally grown Merlot grapes. Nexus has a clear, deep, purple-red colour; intense, ripe, cherry-plum aromas; and rich, well-structured, fruit flavours with soft tannins and a long finish. For more information about Meridiana’s complete range of wines please visit www.meridiana.com.mt or you may also find us on Facebook. Trade enquiries: S Rausi Trading, Stadium Street, Gzira. www.srausi.com

This Christmas, gift your loved ones a fine wine that best suits their personality. Ta’ Betta offers four wines each with its own unique character – Jean Parisot, Isabella Guasconi, Antonio Manoel, and Philippe Villiers. Ta’ Betta also offers wine tasting vouchers, perfect for anyone who would like to enjoy the full experience of their wines and the estate. Ta’ Betta wines are available to purchase directly from the winery and from a number of bottle shops. www.tabetta.com

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

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FOOD TO SHARE T&F

COSY COMFORT FOR COOLER NIGHTS

Homely meals are a pleasure to make and share. Michael Diacono’s pasta and rice dishes warm up cold, wet evenings yet taste equally good on sunny days outdoors Food by Michael Diacono, chef patron, Giuseppi’s Bar and Bistro Styling and photography: Brian Grech Wine recommendation: Andrew Azzopardi

November is a strange month. Summer is forgotten, but the cold has not arrived yet. We are all tired of grills, barbecues and salads and maybe crave more substantial, warming meals. This month I have focused on hearty, family-friendly pasta and rice dishes. Nothing gets everybody together quite like a good meal.

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

T&F FOOD TO SHARE

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

FOOD TO SHARE T&F

TRENETTE AL PESTO GENOVESE This super traditional sauce is making a bit of a comeback due to it being featured in the animated movie “Luca”. My 11-year old son, George, has been perfecting his own version. We had fun making this in a large pestle and mortar. You may use a processor, but it’s not quite the same.

YOU WILL NEED

Serves: 6 as a starter

Preparation & cooking: 45 minutes

Recommended wine: a fresh Pinot Grigio from Trentino Alto Adige

500g Trenette (you may use linguine) 50g fresh French beans, topped, tailed and halved 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed FOR THE SAUCE

2 cloves garlic sea salt 2 tablespoons pine nuts 50g young, very fresh basil leaves, washed and dried very gently 45g grated Parmesan (aged Parmesan gives a better result) 15g grated Pecorino Sardo (aged is better) 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. First, make the sauce. Begin by placing the garlic in the mortar with a ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Use the pestle to reduce the garlic to a paste, then add the pine nuts and crush them gently together till well creamed. 2. Add the basil (leaves only) and gently crush them, adding some more salt to help the process. I try to work as quickly and gently as possible so as not to bruise the leaves, but to crush them. Adding salt slowly helps preserve the vibrant green colour of the basil. 3. When the leaves are reduced to a pulp, add the grated cheeses and mix them in, then slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil while mixing. 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and beans and cook them for 2 minutes, then add the pasta and cook till al dente. 5. Thin out the pesto using 2 ladles of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and, working quickly, toss it with the pesto. Mix well and serve at once with more grated Parmesan.

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GNOCCHI WITH OCTOPUS, ‘NDUJA, FRIARIELLI AND CHICK PEAS These gnocchi are delicious and really easy to make. Just remember to use fine semola, labelled as “Farina di semola rimacinata”. The quantities are foolproof. Use the same amount of flour as water – so for every 100g semolina, use 100ml water. 1. Boil the octopus from frozen. I

Serves: 6 as a starter

Preparation & cooking: 2 hours

Recommended wine: a Cru Beaujolais

FOR THE GNOCCHI

400g semola rimacinata 400ml water salt FOR THE SAUCE

1kg octopus (previously frozen) extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic 1 to 2 teaspoons ‘nduja 100g cooked chick peas 150g friarielli salt and pepper crushed pistachio nuts chopped parsley

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

cooked it for 1 hour, starting from when the water starts boiling. Then turn off the heat and leave it to cool before draining. Cut it into large pieces and set it aside.

2. To make the gnocchi, bring the 500ml of water to the boil. Salt it well and add the semola while stirring. Cook till the semola absorbs all the water and the mixture thickens, then turn it out onto a work surface. You will need to start kneading it at once. A pair of kitchen gloves helps with the heat although the dough will become managable in a few minutes. 3. Knead the mixture to form a

smooth dough, then cut it into small pieces and roll them into a pencil shape. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into gnocchi and transfer them to a tray which is well dusted with semola.

4. When you’re done with all the mixture, make sure the gnocchi are well dusted with semola to prevent them sticking. Cover the tray well and leave the gnocchi to rest for at least 30 minutes. Cook them for a few minutes in boiling salted water until they float. 5. Meanwhile, in a large pan heat a

good glug of exra-virgin olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and ‘nduja. Cook gently for a minute or two, then add the chick peas and friarielli and stir fry for 4 minutes. Season with salt and carefully with pepper as the ‘nduja is quite fiery.

6. Add the chopped octopus and a ladle

of the pasta cooking water. Cook on high heat for a couple of minutes, then, using a spider, transfer the floating gnocchi directly from their pot into the pan with the sauce.

7. Stir gently and cook for a few minutes to thicken slightly before serving topped with chopped parsley and crushed pistachio nuts.

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SPAGHETTI WITH “PULPETTI TAL FENEK” A twist on our national dish.

Serves: 6 as a starter

Preparation & cooking: 60 minutes

Recommended wine: Burgundy Pinot Noir

FOR THE PULPETTI

1 kg minced rabbit meat 3 cloves garlic 4 slices French bread, made into bread crumbs a handful parsley, finely chopped 1 dried local sheep’s cheese, grated (Pecorino makes a good substitute) salt and pepper 1 heaped teaspoon mixed spice flour to dust oil to fry FOR THE SAUCE

extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic 1 onion, finely chopped 3 fresh bay leaves 1 tablespoon thick tomato paste 2 tins polpa di pomodoro salt and pepper sugar to taste a few peas 500g spaghetti

1. Mix all the pulpetti ingredients

together in a large bowl. Using damp hands, shape the mixture into small balls and roll them in flour.

2. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs for a few minutes until they brown slightly. They will finish cooking in the sauce. 3. Heat some extra-virgin olive oil in a large deep sauce pan. Add the garlic, onion and bay leaves and stir fry on a gentle heat for 5 minutes until they soften and turn golden. Add the tomato paste and cook out for a few minutes before adding the polpa. 4. Fill up one polpa tin with water and use it to rinse out the tins into the sauce. Season and regulate the acididty with sugar. Bring the mixture to the boil then reduce it to a very low heat. Add the fried pulpetti, cover the pan and let it simmer very gently for about 40 minutes. 5. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted

water till al dente. Drain and toss with the sauce and pulpetti. Serve with grated Parmesan. ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

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PACCHERI CON ZUCCA E SALSICCIA SICILIANA Pumpkin is one the November’s quintessential vegetables and it pairs perfectly with Sicilian sausage which is flavoured with fennel seeds and chili.

1. Remove the casing from the sausage

and form the meat into balls. Heat some extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan and fry the meat balls for a few minutes to brown them all over. Remove them from the pan and set them aside. Don’t bother cleaning the pan as you’ll need it for the next step

Serves: 4

Preparation & cooking: 30 minutes

Recommended wine: Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc or Old Vines Shiraz YOU WILL NEED

400g Sicilian sausage Extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 small fennel bulb or ½ a large one, chopped 400g pumpkin, chopped 8 sage leaves 30ml dry white wine salt and pepper chopped parsley 100g ricotta salata, coarsely grated 500g paccheri

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

4. Now, add the pumpkin and stir it in. Next, add the sage and the white wine and let the mixture cook till the liquid reduces. 5. Season the mixture well and then

add 1 glass of water. Cover the pan and let it simmer gently till the pumpkin is cooked through.

2. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to the boil.

6. Add the pasta to the boiling water

3. In the same pan you used to fry the sausage, add a little more extra-virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped fennel and stir fry on gentle heat for 5 minutes.

7. Add the sausage balls to the cooked pumpkin and heat the mixure through. Toss the pasta into the sauce, add the parsley and stir well. Serve this topped with the grated ricotta salata.

and let it cook until it is al dente.

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YOU WILL NEED

Serves: 4 as a main meal

Preparation & cooking: 60 minutes

Recommended wine: Alsace Pinot Gris or Pouilly Fumé

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

500g fresh mussels 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped extra-virgin olive oil 300g Arborio rice 100ml dry white wine 150g waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced (3mm) 1 handful parsley, chopped a few basil leaves 30g Pecorino, grated 100g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 600ml good fish stock salt and pepper

1. The first job is to

open the raw mussels. Discard any that are firmly closed and use a sharp knife to carefully prise the others open over a bowl so as to retain every single drop of juice. Place the mussel meat into a separate bowl.

FOOD TO SHARE T&F

RISO AL FORNO This is no comparison to our “ross filforn”. Actually, the two dishes are as different as they can get. The flavour of the shelled mussels and the liquid retained from them is what makes this dish.

2. Heat about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan and sweat the onion for a few minutes. Add the rice and stir fry to coat with the oil before pouring in the wine. Let the wine evaporate, then remove the pan from the heat and add the retained mussel juice. Stir the mixture, then leave it to cool.

3. Bring a small pot of salted water to the boil and cook the sliced potatoes for 2-3 minutes. Drain them, then transfer them to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the parsley and basil to the cooled rice, then mix in the Pecorino and sun-dried tomatoes.

4. Now, turn the oven on and set it to 210°C (fan oven 190°C, or gas mark 7) and lightly oil a ceramic oven dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with half the rice mix then spoon over the mussel meat. Add a layer of the potatoes. Add the rest of the rice and cover with the remaining potatoes.

5. Pour the warm fish stock

over the rice until it is just covered. Season the surface and drizzle it with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

6. Bake the dish for 30-35 minutes until the surface turns golden, then remove it from the oven, sprinkle it with grated Pecorino, and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

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Serves: 4 as a light meal

Preparation & cooking: 60 minutes

Recommended wine: U unoaked Chablis

FOR THE “GNUDI”

300g Maltese ricotta 300g boiled waxy potatoes, mashed 200g grated Parmesan ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg 1 egg yolk 2-3 tablespoons plain flour, sifted salt “PANE STRASCINATO”

75g fresh breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, crushed 6 anchovy fillets some chili 1 tablespoon smoked paprika extra-virgin olive oil 1 large lampuka (about 1.5kg), cleaned and filleted 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 2 packets sprouting broccoli, stems trimmed and cut in half lenghtwise 1 glass dry white wine fresh mint some fresh parsley, finely chopped

1. First, make the dough. In a bowl, stir the ricotta together with the mashed potatoes. Add the cheese, nutmeg, and egg yolk and stir them in. 2. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix it in to form a light dough. Should the dough be too soft add another tablespoon of flour. Knead the dough very gently and shape it into balls. Roll the dough balls in flour and place them on trays lined with kitchen paper sprinkled with flour.

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3. Heat the oven to 100°C. Place the bread onto a large baking sheet and leave it in the oven for half an hour till it dries out. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and blitz the dried bread in a food processor. 4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and anchovies and as much chili as you wish. Cook gently to brown the garlic and break down the anchovies. Remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika. 5. Add the mixture to the breadcrumbs and stir well. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and return it to the oven for about 20 minutes. Once done, run the mixture through the food processor again.

“GNUDI” WITH LAMPUKI, SPROUTING BROCCOLI AND “PANE STRASCINATO” Light and fluffy “gnudi” are made with ricotta and potatoes. They are quick to make and cook and are tasty even when served simply with melted butter, sage and cheese.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a light simmer. Very carefully, throw the gnudi into the barely simmering water and cook them till they float to the surface, the use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Reserve the cooking water as you will need some of it when cooking the fish. 7. Heat a good amount of extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan. Add the fish and cook it on both sides for about 4-5 minutes. Remove it from the pan and keep it warm on a plate. 8. Add the garlic to the same pan and cook it for a couple of minutes. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook them for 3 minutes. Add the sprouting broccoli and the wine and reduce the liquid on high heat. 9. Add a ladle of the water in which you cooked the gnudi. Return the fish to the pan, add the herbs and the cooked gnudi. Stir the mixture very gently as the gnudi are delicate and can break up. Serve at once.

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AUTUMN HARVEST T&F

FRUIT O THE SEASON Beautiful, rose-gold pomegranates are plentiful throughout October and early November when the fruit swells and drops off the tree if left unharvested after the first rains. CLAIRE BORG scooped up a basketful and produced these gorgeously colourful dishes and photographs.

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T&F AUTUMN HARVEST

Lentil, Broccoli and Gorgonzola Salad Fresh flavour, crunchy texture, creamy gorgonzola and the tang of lemon juice – you could not want more from a winter salad. Serve this at room temperature, or warm up the ingredients (except the gorgonzola and spinach leaves) by blitzing them in a microwave oven before assembling the salad.

Serves 2 YOU WILL NEED

200g lentils 120g gorgonzola cheese 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds 1 small head of broccoli baby spinach leaves 1 teaspoon caraway seeds olive oil juice from half a lemon salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash, trim and steam

or boil the broccoli until al dente. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

2. Cook the lentils in salted water, then drain them and set them aside to cool. 3. Lightly toast the pumpkin seeds and caraway seeds in a dry pan. 4. Mix the lentils, spinach, cheese and chopped broccoli together and divide the mixture between serving plates. 5. Sprinkle with

the seeds and pomegranate arils, then drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve immediately.

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AUTUMN HARVEST T&F

Plain basmati rice is the perfect foil for this tart, sweet, and spicy stew, drenched in flavour.

Serves 4 YOU WILL NEED

8 boneless chicken thighs ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds 1 medium onion 4 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cardamom pods 1 tablespoon grated ginger 200ml fresh pomegranate juice 100ml pomegranate molasses a sprinkle of cinnamon salt and pepper to taste TO SERVE

roasted broccoli coriander leaves pomegranate arils.

1. Clean any fat off the

chicken and cut the meat into small pieces. Cook the chicken with the cumin seeds in the olive oil until lightly browned. Remove the mixture from the heat and set it aside.

2. Cook the finely chopped onion in the remaining olive oil until soft. Add the crushed garlic, ginger and whole cardamom and cook for a minute with the onion. 3. Add the chicken, pomegranate molasses and fresh juice. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Pomegranate Chicken

4. Cover the pan and let it simmer gently for 40 minutes. Reduce the sauce to a thicker consistency by removing the lid and turning up the heat for a few minutes. 5. Serve the chicken with

steamed basmati rice, roasted broccoli, coriander and pomegranate arils.

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T&F AUTUMN HARVEST

Layer Cake with Cream and Pomegranate

I used a raspberry and quince jam to make this, but any red fruit jam is fine. You will need three identical cake tins to make and bake the cake layers together. Alternatively, prepare and bake the cake layers individually using the same tin. FOR EACH CAKE LAYER YOU WILL NEED

6” or 7” round cake tin 100g plain flour (for the chocolate layer, 70g flour & 30g cocoa powder) 1 teaspoon baking powder 100g sugar 1 egg 50 ml vegetable oil 50 ml milk ½ teaspoon white vinegar 2 drops vanilla essence (white layer only) red food colouring (pink layer only) TO ASSEMBLE

300ml whipped cream fruit compôte or jam pomegranate arils fresh figs

1. Line three cake tins with non-

stick baking paper. In a large bowl, sift together the baking powder, flour, and cocoa powder (chocolate layer only), then mix in the sugar.

2. In another bowl pour the vinegar over the milk, let it stand for 5 minutes, then mix in the vanilla (white layer only), red food colouring (pink layer only), eggs and oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mix and fold it in. 3. Pour the batter into the lined cake tins and bake them in a hot oven set to 170°C for around 15 minutes or until done. Let the cakes cool for a few minutes in their tins, then turn them out onto a wire rack and let them cool down completely before assembling them. 4. Spread some compôte onto two of the cake layers, top that with a layer of whipped cream and sprinkle the cream with pomegranate arils. 5. Stack the topped layers and add

the last cake layer on top. Spread the top of the cake with cream and garnish it with pomegranate arils, sliced figs and some greenery (I used a branch from a caper bush).

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AUTUMN HARVEST T&F

notes

Storing pomegranates

Whole pomegranates can be stored in a cool, dry place for a couple of weeks or a month or two when refrigerated. Arils will keep well in a refrigerator for up to two weeks or for several months in a freezer. Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice will last up to three days, if refridgerated.

Pomegranate molasses If you have a glut of pomegranate fruit, juice it and turn it into molasses which stores easily and can be used year-round in stews, sauces, salad dressings and desserts. This recipe yields a little over a cupful of molasses. 1. Stir 4 cups of filtered pomegranate

juice with the juice of 1 medium-sized lemon and ½ a cup of sugar over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.

2. Let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes then turn down the heat and simmer it for a further 15 minutes. Stir the pot occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan. 3. To test whether it is done, dip in a spoon. If the molasses is ready, it will coat the spoon thickly. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand until it cools down completely. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Pour the cooled molasses into clean sterilised bottles and seal them well.

T&F AUTUMN HARVEST

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AUTUMN HARVEST T&F

Pancetta, Brown Mushroom and Pomegranate Risotto The key to a well-made risotto is to remove it from the heat while it is still a bit runny and to whip in a tablespoon of butter before serving. The risotto will continue to cook in its own heat, reaching a perfectly creamy consistency just before it is served.

Serves 2 YOU WILL NEED

200g carnaroli rice 6 slices of very thinly sliced pancetta 100ml white wine 1 vegetable stock cube 1 tablespoon butter 60g Parmesan cheese 60g baby brown mushrooms 1 spring fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 1 small leek 600ml water salt and pepper to taste 100g pomegranate arils TO SERVE

1 tablespoon butter 4 slices of pancetta some pomegranate arils

1. Bring the 600ml of water to

a boil and dissolve the stock cube in it. Set it aside.

5. Keep adding the stock a ladleful

at a time, and stirring until most of it is absorbed before adding the next ladleful. You might need to add a little more water but it all depends on the quality of the rice. Leave the risotto a bit loose as it will continue to cook when you remove the pan from the heat.

6. Turn off the heat and use

a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, pomegranate arils and parmesan cheese.

7. Put the remaining slices of pancetta in a dry pan, set it on a medium heat for a minute or so until the pancetta turns crispy. 8. Season the risotto and serve

it piping hot, garnished with slices of crisped up pancetta and some more pomegranate arils.

2. Take 6 slices of the pancetta and chop them very finely. Place the chopped pancetta in a dry pan and cook them for about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the finely chopped leeks. Cook until soft. 3. Add the chopped rosemary (about a teaspoon), the thyme, and the finely chopped mushrooms. Cook for another minute, then add the rice and toast the grains for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 4. Add the wine and cook the mixture until the liquid is absorbed. Add the stock a little at a time, while stirring the mixture continuously.

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

T&F AUTUMN HARVEST

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

AUTUMN HARVEST T&F

Pomegranate, Feta and Fig Salad Pickle the onions just 30-60 minutes ahead of serving the salad. That will preserve the flavours and give the salad a pleasingly sharp taste.

Serves 2 FOR THE PICKLED ONIONS

1 purple onion 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoons water FOR THE DRESSING

3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 6 tablespoons olive oil FOR THE SALAD

salad leaves – I used songino (lamb’s lettuce) a handful of sugar peas, sliced in half 2 fresh figs, quartered 1 pomegranate, peeled 150g of goat feta cheese, crumbled some shelled pistachios, roughly chopped sesame seeds

1. Peel and thinly slice the onions. Put

them in a deep plate and top them with the other pickling ingredients. To hold the onions down, cover them with an inverted flat plate and put a full jam jar on top to weigh it down.

2. To make up the salad, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and spoon the mixture onto a large platter. 3. Put the salad dressing ingredients into a jar, close it and give it a good shake until the mixture is well combined. 4. Just before serving the salad, drizzle it with the dressing, drain the onions of any juices and scatter them over the dressed salad. Mix well and serve immediately. ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

T&F AUTUMN HARVEST

Crackers with Goat Cheese, Speck and Pomegranate This easy, no-cook recipe is perfect for canapés to serve with drinks, or made up as a self-indulgent snack whenever you feel like something special. YOU WILL NEED

small, round savoury crackers – or any you prefer soft goat cheese thinly sliced speck walnuts pomegranate arils parsley fresh thyme leaves freshly crushed black pepper

1. Shell and crush the walnuts.

Separate the pomegranate arils and remove any bits of pith.

2. Pick off the parsley leaves, wash and pat them dry, and chop them finely. 3. Scoop a good helping of goat cheese onto each cracker, top with crushed walnuts, thinly sliced speck and pomegranate arils. 4. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and some black pepper. Serve immediately.

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from our

y d a e r g in everyth for

assortment

s a m t Chris

Favorina

Shortbread Biscuits With coconut, hazelnuts and cinnamon, or almonds Made with barn eggs

600g pack

99 1 kg = € 4.98

200g pack

Favorina

Gingerbread Rounds Covered with chocolate

49 1 kg = € 7.45

350g pack

Favorina

Speculoos Cream

www.lidl.com.mt

29 1 kg = € 6.54

T&F WINE

CULTIVATING QUALITY

Maltese viticulture and wine-making have come a long way since the time when wines were produced principally for their barter power. Andrew Azzopardi fast forwards through their history.

or a tiny archipelago, Malta offers an incredibly vast selection of wines to the consumer. Whether you’re looking to buy a Spanish Albariño, a Cap Classique sparkling wine from South Africa or a super rare and premium wine with a cult following, such as “Screaming Eagle”, you will undoubtedly succeed. With such a wide variety of wines on offer, one wonders how Maltese winemakers could ever hope to succeed in carving out their own niche. But succeed they have. In a country where, according to the late oenologist Dr Roger Aquilina, wine was deemed safer than water as

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Maltese wines are gaining recognition at an international level.

a beverage, it’s of no surprise that wine is an integral part of Maltese culture. Wine production in Malta dates back to the time of the Phoenicians, when it was originally intended to use as barter power for wheat or tin. The quality of the wine was not considered to be particularly important, as long as it had trading value. The Knights of St John showed interest in viticulture and there may have been some improvement in quality during their rule. The French were not here long enough to have any lasting impact on viticulture, and, for the hundred years or so that followed, winemaking took a backseat as British rule had other priorities for Malta.

WINE T&F

To compete with the huge influx of imported wines, homegrown quality had to improve, and fast.

as Syrah or Viognier, indigenous grapes It was only in the mid-1940s not only add character to the wine, but that the Maltese realised that the also a degree of authenticity that was climate and terroir here are wellpreviously absent. suited to winemaking and so, by the Maltese people are some of the most 1960s, viticulture was back on the eclectic in the world, and our culture is country’s priority list, with quality a mishmash of ideas, styles and tastes now an important consideration. drawn from a broad range of historical Through investment, wine education in influences. The Maltese wine industry viticulture was introduced but as there mirrors this international character. The wasn’t a proper strategic plan in place, established wineries such as Delicata, acquired skills were not transferred and Marsovin and Meridiana, not only so were quickly forgotten. offer some of the most internationallyFast-forward to 2004, when Malta awarded Maltese wines, but also joined the European Union and continue to outperform themselves protective levies were lifted, Maltese year-on-year. winemakers realised that if they want They are now joined by a growing to compete with the huge influx of number of boutique wineries which imported wines, homegrown quality each have their own style and flavour. had to improve, and fast. Boutique winery Ta’ Betta Wine Estates Good wine depends on sunshine, produces some stunning fresh and air temperature, environment, water, elegant wines from international and terroir situated in the wine-making grape varieties such as a Frenchzones of 30 to 50 degrees latitude. inspired Burgundian Chardonnay or Malta, standing at an advantageous Merlot, while the charismatic Mark 35 degrees latitude, is lucky enough Borg at Markus Divinus is gathering to have abundant sunshine and almost quite a following as a result of his year-round warmth which helps berries experimentation with different blends to ripen, but it is equally blessed with an of Sauvignon Blanc and Girgentina or almost constant sea breeze that keeps Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon the vineyards cool and fresh. varieties. Dr Aquilina had always believed Gozitan producer Ta’ Mena has that Malta is an ideal place to make quickly acquired DOK status and is good quality wine. Spurred by increased “Maria-Anna eating grapes” by Edward Caruana Dingli producing some interesting, fruity foreign-import competition, and assisted by much investment and know-how from foreign wines with a touch of Gozitan character, whereas Mar Casar winemakers such as renowned winemaker Marchese Piero winery aims to produce Malta’s most premium natural Antinori, the quality of Maltese wines improved at an vegan wines, using an ancient Georgian “Qvervi” method where large egg-shaped, earthenware vessels are used for admirably rapid rate. fermentation, storage, and aging. In 2007 the government introduced the European Just as I am fascinated by how most wines are found in standard for IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) and DOK (Denominazzjoni ta’ Oriġini Kontrollata) protocols, referring Malta, I am enthralled by the number of different and exciting to the minimum requirements established for table wine Maltese wines sprouting from every corner of the island not and those of even higher quality. The higher quality DOK just because of their variety, but also because of their quality. The Maltese are falling back in love with their Maltese (controlled denomination of origin) further limits the yield of grapes per hectare to attain superior quality to the table produce and Maltese producers are improving the quality wines. This was an important step for the quality winemakers of their wines by the day. Better still, Maltese wines are in Malta who were happy to be recognized according to a gaining recognition at an international level. Testament to classification system based on the French and Italian systems this is the call I received from a foreign client, who invariably purchases a couple of cases of superstar Amarones from the as to where and how their wines are made. I believe that this was an important turning point for wine likes of Quinatarelli and dal Forno Romano, only this time production in Malta. The “old” Maltese culture of denigrating he asked for a case of one of one of Malta’s stellar Ġellewża anything Maltese was quickly dying out and a new trend of blends to be added to his usual delivery to his 60-metre appreciation of Maltese produce and culture was taking over. mega-yacht berthed in Birgu. Maltese wines have truly come At the same time, the improvement of Maltese wines led to into their own. n the renaissance of the indigenous grapes including Ġellewża and Girgentina. Often blended with international grapes such Andrew Azzopardi is a wine specialist certified by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

T&F FOOD CULTURE

Far left: Castanea Arnold, Mary Daisy, 1917, US National Agricultural Library Left: Apples and chestnuts, John J Francis, 1867 Kennedy Galleries, New York.

CASTANEA

The appearance of chestnuts marks the turning of seasons and, though they are not cultivated here, they are now inextricably linked with seasonal tradition. Article by Megan Mallia

n cold, wet winter days in Italy, as welcoming a sight as gelaterias in sweltering summers are the venditore di castagne, or chestnut sellers. Caldarrosta! they cry out, as the sweet warmth of the brazier, as comforting as a home hearth, swirls down the street. The chestnut is associated with celebration, thanks largely to Nat King Cole’s Christmas song. But for centuries, it was a necessity rather than a luxury as it was a key source of carbohydrate and essential vitamins and minerals. For this reason, chestnuts were grown mostly in mountainous and forest regions around Europe where wheat was unavailable, since the nuts could be used to make flour. They were dried and ground, then baked into sweet breads or used for pastry or, as in some parts of Italy, to make pasta and polenta. As with much of botanical etymology, the chestnut’s scientific name, Castanea, has its origins in classical antiquity. It stems from the name of the town Castonis in Thessaly, Greece, where the nuts were cultivated, echoed in the Italian castagne, and, in turn, the Maltese qastan.

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Altho ugh che stnuts are not cultivated in Malta, they traditionally feature in the borża ta’ San Martin, that drawstring cloth bag filled with an assortment of nuts, fresh and dried autumnal fruits, and a sweet bun studded with a sugary capsule at its centre, that is given to children on the eve of the feast of Saint Martin in mid-November. And, of course, the nuts also feature in the rhyme tied to the tradition: Ġewz, lewż, qastan, tin. Kemm inhobbu lil San Martin (walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, figs. How I love Saint Martin). To d a y, c h e s t n u t s a r e t h e quintessential winter snack in cold climates, but they are also a delicacy in many cuisines. The French have marrons glacés, which are candied chestnuts made by soaking the nuts in sugar syrup over a few days, a recipe which is at least four hundred years old. In Japan, where they have been cultivated for centuries, chestnuts are an autumn staple. The cooking of kurigohan, a dish of steamed rice and chestnuts combined with soy sauce, sake, sweet mirin rice wine, sugar, salt and kombu kelp, signals the arrival of the chestnut season. n

Castanea vulgaris, var. Americana L. Prang & Co, 1865 US Library of Congress.jpg

THE WINE

COOLING EXPERT

Triq L-Imdina, Zone 2, Central Business District, Birkirkara T. 2546 4000 | info@oxfordhouse.com.mt www.oxfordhouse.com.mt

T&F AUTUMN

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

AUTUMN T&F

SOUPED-UP

SUPPERS Brighten up dull autumn evenings with freshly made soups served with warm, crusty bread Photography: Corinne Vella

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T&F AUTUMN

Lentils with chestnuts Preparation and cooking: 80 minutes Serves 4 YOU WILL NEED

300g chestnuts, peeled and chopped 170g green lentils 1 leek (white part only), thinly sliced 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped 2 stems lovage (karfus), finely chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1.5l beef stock 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons dry Marsala salt and pepper TO GARNISH

toasted hazelnuts single cream snipped chives

1. To peel chestnuts, use a sharp

knife to score the curved side and boil the nuts for 2-3 minutes. The tough outer shell and the papery skin will come off easily, using a knife.

2. Heat the oil in a soup pot, add the leek, lovage and carrot and cook until the vegetables start to soften (around 5 minutes). 3. Stir in the garlic, sweet paprika, and the chopped chestnuts. Add 1 litre of beef stock and bring the pot to the boil. Add the lentils and simmer the pot gently until they soften. 4. Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand until the soup is cool enough to handle. Use a food processor or stick blender to purée the mixture. Add the rest of the beef stock and stir in the Marsala. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 5. Serve in warmed plates garnished

with a drizzle of cream, crushed hazelnuts and snipped chives.

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Warmly comforting on rainy evenings and evocative of long-gone childhood days filled with boroz ta’ San Martin.

AUTUMN T&F

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T&F AUTUMN

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AUTUMN T&F

Mushroom soup with honey and thyme

500g small mushrooms 200ml mushroom or chicken stock 1 medium onion, peeled and very finely chopped 4 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon plain flour 2 tablespoons cream salt and pepper fresh thyme 1 tablespoon sherry

Simple flavours that combine beautifully and taste all the better when served with warm, fresh, crusty bread.

off the rough end of the stems and slice the mushrooms thinly.

YOU WILL NEED

1. Wipe the mushrooms, trim

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a pot and add the onion. Fry until soft and starting to turn golden. Remove a few slices and set them aside. 3. Now, add the thyme and broth and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand until cool enough to handle. Use a stick blender to purée the mixture. 4. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small pan and whisk in the flour and cream. Pour the mixture into the soup pot and stir it in. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the sherry. 5. Serve in warmed bowls

topped with browned mushroom slices and sprinkled with fresh thyme.

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T&F AUTUMN

Preparation and cooking: 80 minutes Serves 4 YOU WILL NEED

2 medium-sized squash (about 1.5Kg) 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil freshly ground pepper FOR THE VEGETABLE STOCK

1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 leek, cut into chunks 1 large onion, diced 1 garlic clove 1 bay leaf 3 stems of lovage (karfus), finely chopped ½ teaspoon peppercorns FOR THE LEMON SYRUP

juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon clear honey 70g fresh ginger, peeled

1. Put all the stock

ingredients into a pan with 800ml of water and bring it to the boil. Cover the pot, turn down the heat, and let the stock simmer for an hour. Remove the vegetables and reserve the liquid.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the squash. Slice them evenly down the middle and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Dot the cut surface of each half with butter and season liberally with freshly ground pepper. Wrap each piece of squash in foil, place them in a tray and roast them in the oven at 180°C until tender (about an hour).

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3. Wash the seeds and remove any stringy bits. Toss them with olive oil, spread them on a baking tray and pop them in the oven until they brown (about 10 minutes), stirring once halfway through. 4. Once the squash is done, quickly scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a heatproof bowl. Add any juices that seeped out into the roasting tray and blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding vegetable stock. 5. Next, warm the honey

gently in a small pan until it starts to bubble, and quickly whisk in the lemon juice. Place a fine-meshed sieve over the pan and grate the ginger into it. Use a spoon to press the ginger and extract all the juice. Tip the pulp into the mixture and let it stand to infuse while it cools down.

6. Strain the lemon syrup

and stir it into the warm soup. Serve garnished with toasted seeds, lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.

Squash with lemon and ginger A silky blend of sweet squash with the soothing taste of lemon, ginger and honey.

AUTUMN T&F

ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

AUTUMN T&F

Roasted red vegetables Winter tomatoes slow-roasted with sweet pepper and drizzled with basil evoke the taste of summer.

Preparation and cooking: 2.5 hours Serves 4 YOU WILL NEED

1.5kg tomatoes, roughly quartered 2 red capsicum peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped 1 large red onion, peeled and diced 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 2 red chili peppers (optional), deseeded 1 tablespoon brown sugar 250ml vegetable stock 1 loose handful basil leaves extra-virgin olive oil 1 small, day-old baguette

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Put the prepared vegetables in a roasting tin. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Toss the vegetables until well coated and roast in the preheated oven till they soften and start to brown, stirring often to ensure they cook evenly. This will take approximately 2 hours. 3. Meanwhile, make the basil oil by blitzing the washed leaves in a blender with enough olive oil to make a runny paste.

4. When the vegetables are done, put them in a soup pot and blitz them with a stick blender. Add stock until you achieve the consistency you like. 5. Thinly slice the baguette and

toast lightly on both sides in a dry frying pan. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, top the toasted bread slices with a teaspoonful of basil paste and place them in the soup bowls. Use a teaspoon to drizzle more of the basil oil over the surface, and serve at once.

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T&F DRINKS

WHITE HOT CH 50

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DRINKS T&F

Serves 1 YOU WILL NEED

200ml milk 100g white chocolate ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon runny honey TO SERVE

100ml single cream a few drops of rose water flaked dried rose petals (optional)

Pour yourself a cup of selfindulgence with this rich, creamy, version of hot chocolate. If you’re not too fond of rosewater, substitute it with powdered cinnamon or nutmeg for a spicier flavour. Photography: Corinne Vella

HOCOLATE

1. Chop the chocolate very finely, or

grate it using the coarse side of the grater. In a bowl, whip the cream using a balloon whisk until it firms up.

2. Boil a mugful of water and pour it into the serving cup or mug. This will warm it up. Set it aside while you prepare the milk. 3. Pour the milk into a small pan and set it on a low heat to gently warm it up. Don’t let it bubble and boil up. 4. Scatter in the chopped or grated chocolate and stir the pot gently off the heat until the chocolate melts. Stir in the ½ teaspoon of honey. It’ll be easier to do this if you use a metal spoon dipped for a few seconds in hot water. 5. Stir in the vanilla extract and

place the pot back on the heat until it’s just beginning to simmer.

6. Working quickly, tip out the hot

water from the serving mug or cup and pour in the hot chocolate mixture. Sprinkle a few drops of rose water onto the cream and quickly whip it for a few seconds.

7. Scoop the cream onto the hot chocolate, sprinkle with a few dried rose petals over the top and serve immediately. ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

T&F PROMOTION

Clay Chicken and Autumn Vegetables The holidays are coming up, the weather is getting colder and our taste buds are craving meals that are warmer and richer. Tickle your taste buds with this Clay Chicken with Autumn Vegetables recipe to share a special moment with your family and friends that will be truly unforgettable – if you’re careful with the hammer you can also have a sweet token of the occasion as a keepsake.

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PROMOTION T&F

Serves: 4 Cooks: 180° C CircoTherm® for 90 minutes Preparation: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

(allergens highlighted in bold)

1 organic chicken sea salt freshly ground pepper organic lemon (juice and zest) 1 handful herbs (e.g. thyme, sage, lovage, parsley) 4 new potatoes 2 yellow beetroots 2 purple carrots 2 Jerusalem artichokes 1 spring onion 200g Greek yoghurt 3kg pottery clay

PREPARATION

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C CircoTherm®. Remove chicken from packaging, pat it dry and season all over with sea salt, pepper, a little lemon juice and zest. Wash the herbs, shake them dry and stuff the bird with all but one quarter of them. Clean the vegetables.

Step 3 Piece by piece, wrap the

Step 2 Place a quarter of the

spring onion, cut it into rings and create a dip by combine the onion with the yoghurt, remaining lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.

clay between cling-film sheets and roll it out till it is 0.5 cm thick. The clay sheet should be several centimetres larger than the chicken in all directions. Place the chicken in the middle. Cover the chicken with a sheet of clay of an equal size. Seal the edges by pinching with your fingers to create a closed clay shell.

vegetables in clay. Place the claywrapped ingredients on a tray lined with baking paper and roast in the oven for approximately 90 minutes at 180° C CircoTherm®. During roasting, open the oven door several times to allow steam to escape.

Step 4 In the meantime, clean the

Step 5 Remove the chicken and

vegetables from the oven. Carefully open the hardened clay shell with a hammer and serve the meat and vegetables with the dip. Season with salt, pepper and the remaining herbs.

About NEFF

If you love to cook, you must have heard of NEFF appliances. Bring a touch of style to your kitchen with these highly functional appliances boasting a host of features that will make your cooking easier and more enjoyable. Reduce distractions and get closer to your food with unique Slide&Hide® doors and make sure your food is cooked to perfection with CircoTherm® which circulates air more accurately than any convection oven, reducing the mix of flavours between layers and giving you flexibility to cook any dish to the desired result.

For more information about these delightful cooking companions, visit www.oxfordhouse.com.mt or the Oxford House showroom at Triq L-Imdina, Zone 2, Central Business District, Birkirkara CBD 2010 between 09:00hrs and 19:00hrs or on Saturday from 09:00hrs until 13:00hrs.

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T&F RESTORATION

TIMELESS

Architecture, interior design & project management: Openworkstudio

The loggia flanking the courtyard, once open to the elements, is now the main living area. Lighting here and throughout the home is by Glow.

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RESTORATION T&F

BEAUTY Perit Joanna Spiteri Staines & Debby De Domenico

Photography: Sean Mallia

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T&F RESTORATION

n turbulent times of social upheaval – global warming, organised crime, rampant corruption and the economic upheaval caused by a pandemic – “home” should mean an oasis of calm amid the turmoil. We escape, and frequently, to the outdoors, to enjoy the countryside by the sea or in the hills in the presence of family and friends. But, at the end of the day, we long for the safety and tranquility of home – a welcoming, familiar haven we may also have once helped mould, from which we venture out to take on the inconveniently frustrating, yet simultaneously invigorating, routine of our days. There are few properties in Malta as expressive of the idea of “home” as a restored historic house. When Openworkstudio took on the revival of this historic house and garden, the house had stood vacant for seven years, except for the presence of the gardener who had stayed on when the occupants passed away. The gardens were alive, if unkempt, but the stately house itself was dulled by its years of emptiness. It had suffered several interventions over its lifetime. It was split into separate residences and a tower-like three-storey block was built in the courtyard in the latter half of the 19th century, obstructing what should have been views over the gardens and orchard. Not unusually, the courtyard is the heart of the home. It is flanked by a gracious loggia, now sealed against the elements and used as the home’s main living space. On the opposite side, a short flight of steps leads to an open doorway with the allure of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s secret garden. Openworkstudio director Perit Joanna Spiteri Staines (right) and interior designer Debbie de Domenico. Photo: Francesca Cremona.

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T&F RESTORATION

Relinking the house and garden physically and visually without destroying their layers of history and patina of age, became one of the main challenges the architects faced.

he expansive baroque axial garden beyond, occupying some 1,200 square metres, extends to a walled orchard at the far end. The element of anticipation and surprise is deliberate, and lures the visitor into the garden. The tall dominant courtyard wall visually separates the house from the citrus-filled garden. Relinking them physically and visually without destroying the layers of history and patina of age, was one of the challenges the architects faced. “Marquis Nicholas Depiro very kindly allowed us access to his archives in Valletta,” lead architect Joanna Spiteri Staines says. Research revealed that the house itself is the

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RESTORATION T&F

product of additions and extensions carried out in the first 30 years of the 19th century. A document dating to 1926, showed that only a small house existed then on the site overlooking the courtyard, with rooms onto the street, a barrel-vaulted hall, and an external staircase rising to an open terrace providing access to the Piano Nobile. Further research showed that the house and garden, have only recently been reconnected through the “secret garden” doorway. The stately home had previously been divided, a fate shared with many other historical buildings, once conceived as country homes with tree-lined gardens but parcelled off over time to different owners.

Rather than removing the wall to provide visual connection to the baroque garden from the house, the architects retained it to create a route down into the garden along its original elevated stone pathway. Openworkstudio also modernised the interior, converting the progression of spaces into family rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. They installed contemporary infrastructure for heating and cooling and oversaw the property’s restoration.

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T&F RESTORATION

ew roofs were required throughout since, when it came to strengthening the ancient timber beams, no feasible solutions were considered aesthetically desirable. “We wanted to keep the physiognomy of the house and retain its noble proportions,” Joanna says. So they had a double roof put in. A new roof now carries the load but the older one with its timber beams and stone slabs (xorok) remains visible on the inside. The fireplaces around the house – originally designed for coal-burning – were enlarged to accommodate log fires, but the house also relies on renewable energy through a photovoltaic system with the engineering works tucked away out of sight. The old terrazzo floors were lifted and relaid to allow the installation of underfloor heating, a challenging process given that the restricted available

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space was only a few centimetres high. Air conditioning and cooling systems were designed for energy efficiency and ingeniously disguised within wardrobes and libraries. In the cinema room, the old built-in white shelving was retained and given a new look with dark paint. One section now pivots outwards to allow access to a plant room for the infrastructure hidden behind. In the hallway, layers of oil-based paint were painstakingly removed by hand, exposing the beauty of the stone barrelvault and mouldings. Around the house, the wooden doors, window frames, and louvred window shutters with their inbuilt “nemmiesa” – the small window within the shutters themselves – were restored and their iron fittings restored rather than replaced.

RESTORATION T&F

The design vocabulary in the kitchen (top left) is mirrored in the downstairs bathroom (above). The Roman-style basin was carved from a single block of marble and was supplied by Halmann Vella who also supplied the marble works in the kitchen. Left: The shower room in another of the bathrooms (far left) is clad in Moroccan tiles and incorporates a seat and a niche in the shower wall.

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In the cinema room (above), old library shelving was retained and given a fresh look with dark paint. A plant room for the infrastructure is concealed behind a hinged section of the library.

t the first-floor level, an additional path was created using traditional masonry building techniques to link the U-shaped house. The walkway over the covered portico now offers a viewing platform overlooking the citrus garden and outdoor terrace areas and is much used as an external link from the bedrooms directly to the garden below. In the courtyard, trees were kept in situ, rather than relocated. Decking, as opposed to a concrete cover, was placed over the soil bed, which allows rain water to be absorbed, and a circular hole in the stone walkway allowed an existing Nespole to be retained. An elegant swimming pool was inserted into the grounds of the garden, retaining and working with its axial division into quadrants. The site also revealed a World War II shelter that runs all around the garden, as well as a barrel-vaulted cistern connected to a cascading sedimentary system of chambers for water collection. The courtyard paving was lifted and relaid to allow the laying of foundations and for drains to be fixed, and all precious rainwater is now collected in the restored wells. All historical features were retained and absorbed into the architecture, with the original facilities restored to their original use.

We wanted to keep the physiognomy of the house and retain its noble proportions.

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T&F RESTORATION

There are few properties as expressive of the idea of “home” as a restored historic house.

hroughout, the attention to detail is meticulous. The final product is that of a contemporary serene home, a retreat away from the fractious world, crafted meticulously and welded seamlessly into the historic fabric and memories of the property – a home for devotees of Malta’s unique heritage. The end result is a harmonious and enduring grace and elegance.

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Photo: Tracy Sammut

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T&F TRANSFORMATION

TREE

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TRANSFORMATION T&F

TOPHOUSE Retrofitted sustainability drove the aesthetic design of this contemporary home, with low-intervention solutions providing high performance energy efficiency Architecture & design: Valentino Architects Photography: David Zammit

There are lots of ways to build a home, but the view is a good place to start. Before the current owners of this building bought it and had it redesigned, several of their friends had seen the place and turned down the option of buying it and moving in. It was on a single floor up a stairway accessed through a street-level entrance, lacking in natural light, poorly insulated and therefore prone to overheating in summer as the Mediterranean sun beat down. But it only takes a shift in perspective to see hidden potential. In this case, it was a visit to the roof-top with its view of tall, centuries-old trees that turned things around in more ways than one. ISSUE 142 NOVEMBER 2021

T&F TRANSFORMATION

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TRANSFORMATION T&F

hen the new owners took over the building, they had the structure extended upwards and inverted its layout so that the social spaces of the home – kitchen, dining area, and terraces – are stacked above its private areas. The sleeping quarters are downstairs, where it is quieter and darker than the upper floor, and you walk up to the kitchen and dining area through an internal staircase. “Realizing the hidden potential of the space, the idea was to really take advantage of the vertical layout,” explains Peter Valentino, who led the architectural redesign and oversaw the building works. “That meant inverting the space, which was the defining idea for the design. Sustainability was the guiding principal throughout the project, with the sustainable aspects of the building and interior forming the design aesthetic, rather than detracting from it. The colour scheme throughout is neutral to create as little distraction as possible and keep attention focused on the treetop views.” In keeping with the ethos of sustainability, some of the furniture is upcycled. The dressing table in the wardrobe area is an old piece, the dining chairs were sourced online, the white terrace chairs were originally bought from a bar in the 1950s and passed through other hands until they were acquired and restored by their new owners.

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he building runs on solar energy, with Photovolatic panels that generate enough power to run the household and feed electricity back into the grid, covering the cost of the water supply – and lowering the household’s monthly utility bills to below zero. The home is heated by a pellet stove placed on the lower level with an exposed flue that runs through the upper level, heating the house effectively. The interior is highly insulated to maximise energy efficiency, with a protective layer lining the internal walls. “Many Maltese buildings are made of stone, so when their interior is heated, a large portion of the heat is lost as the stone absorbs it,” the architect explains. “All the walls in this building are highly insulated on the inside. The idea was to wrap the inside of the building so that heating is retained and cooling is immediately effective.”

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ARCHITECT: VALENTINO ARCHITECTS. PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID ZAMMIT.

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ooden flooring provides additional insulation and contributes a natural texture to the aesthetic. The sub-floors are formed in tiles which were found in storage in an old warehouse and would have otherwise been discarded, adding to the wastestream. The interior is flooded with natural light which avoids reliance on electricity. A skylight above the internal stairwell draws sunlight down into the lower level. Apertures set at opposite ends of the home let in more light and enable cooling by cross ventilation. At the newly built upper level, a large glass door leads onto a terrace with the eponymous treetop views. The floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall door blurs the boundary between indoor and outdoor and, when it is open, it folds away to the side, extending the living space.

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o shelter the terraces from the hot Mediterranean summer sunshine and help the building to work efficiently, the architect had canopies put in to create shade and prevent solar heat gain. Different materials were considered and eventually wood was chosen to complement the flooring and keep the same material throughout the building. The canopy’s narrowly spaced wooden slats function like the traditional Mediterranean hasira, allowing air to circulate and enough light to filter through to create patterns of light and shade that shift with the seasons and the time of day. One terrace is used as kitchen garden, with pots of herbs and other food-producing plants, and both terraces are filled with trees and plants, which contribute to overall environmental wellbeing, encourage biodiversity, provide shade, offer privacy from neighbours, and are aesthetically pleasing too. As the owners like to entertain, they wanted the kitchen and dining area to be a social space but as they are averse to totally open-plan living, the TV and lounge space were distanced by positioning them on the lower level. On the upper level, the boundary between the food-preparation and dining zones is defined by the marble-framed island, but the space is left visually open, which encourages social interaction whether you are seated at table, pottering around in the kitchen, or lounging on the terrace. “Although the space is open, the dining area still feels like you’re cocooned,” Peter Valentino says. “Its proportion is just the right size for the table, and this encourages social interaction.”

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asn’t retrofitting the building challenging? When it comes to reducing carbon impact, surely a new building is more efficient? “If you want an environmentally concientious building, a good starting point is to use what is already available,” Peter Valentino says. “You can create something really exciting out of a building that was not originally designed with sustainability in mind. Many people don’t realise that most buildings hold more embodied energy – the energy that goes into their construction – than all the energy that they will consume in their lifespan.” In other words, while it may be more straightforward to design an environmentally-friendly building from scratch, retrofitting an existing building, rather than demolishing and rebuilding anew saves more energy overall. “Our office believes that sustainability is not something to be wary of and we’re trying to show that retrofit can be exciting,” Valentino says. “Visually-led architecture is compatible with energy efficiency. Once you put proper design thought into things, exciting solutions are possible.” n

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Longlisted for Dezeen Awards 2021 emerging architecture studio of the year, Valentino Architects is a design-led architecture studio based in Valletta. The studio’s projects are a study in proportion, detailing and texture, characterised by an economy of scale, colour and material. With projects spanning residential, retail and commercial sectors, Valentino Architects has built a reputation for achieving elegant, spatially innovative solutions to varied project briefs. The team’s design philosophy focuses on collaboration, driven by an interest in creating places that are considerate of their environmental, social and urban impact.

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T&F ART

Talking about

impossible conversations I

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at the heart of what used to be a hub of movement and activity. The harbour area was “the first or last glimpse of Malta for many people,” Francesca says. It saw sailors and passengers come and go, and heard the constant stream of prayers uttered in haste or at leisure to the statue of Madonna Ta’ Liesse. The streets pulsed with the cacophonous shouts and yells of street hawkers and merchants plying their trade, and with the colourful hustle and bustle of bewildered travellers and local layabouts. Quite simply, the people who inhabited, worked and passed through the district gave it character. Fascinated by Ta’ Liesse’s history, Francesca wanted to immortalise aspects of the personalities it once knew—in sculpture form, naturally. She set about researching people through the archive of passport applications housed in the National Archives of Malta, working from the 1920s onwards to present day. Her Photo: Lisa Attard

f you’re familiar with Francesca Balzan’s work you’ll know that she is incredibly drawn to faces. “I suppose it is because they tell stories—and there is such an endless supply of them,” she says. Impossible Conversations, her forthcoming first solo exhibition, brings together her terracotta sculptures of characters from different decades to create a narrative of the place in which it is located, the Ta’ Liesse area of Valletta. The site-specific exhibition combines storytelling and documentation, making it a meeting—or conversation—between art and anthropology. Francesca began working on it at the start of this year, after restorer and curator Justine Balzan Demajo suggested that she exhibit her art at Studio 87, Balzan Demajo’s gallery on Ta’ Liesse hill. Standing between Valletta’s Victoria Gate and Ta’ Liesse church, the gallery is

Photo: Reuben Balzan

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Francesca Balzan’s sculptures have reams of stories to tell. Interview by Megan Mallia

Photo: Francesca Balzan

ART T&F

Photo: Lisa Attard

sculptures are the result of her interlacing the images and facts she came across about particular characters with imagined stories. “For me,” she explains, “story writing is an intrinsic part of my sculpture.” The duality present in Francesca’s work—the combination of fact and fiction—is arguably a reflection of the dual role she herself adopts. As an art historian, she is concerned with understanding and documentation, while as an artist, her focus is expression. She read for a degree in art history and made a career out of curatorial practice and research, but, she says, “simmering on the back burner was always the wish to dedicate [herself] full time to art making”. Her sculpture portraits continued, but her principal artistic interest doesn’t lie in creating precise likenesses; she prefers “capturing spirit and emphasising character”, as she puts it. Having a background in art history, though, has clearly enriched her work. While the stories inhabiting her quirky sculptures may be partially fictive, it is through key idiosyncratic details that their narrative emerges—and one such detail is their jewellery. “Jewellery can be such an expression of a person’s beliefs, tastes and place in society,” Francesca explains. She is no stranger to the subject, having written her postgraduate dissertation about the history of jewellery in Malta, and later a book about a Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti exhibition of

jewellery history which she herself curated. “Incidentally, Daphne Caruana Galizia shared my interest and was one of the first people to write an article about Maltese jewellery,” she goes on to say. Going back to her own work, she shares how incorporating jewellery in her sculpture provides a “code” for the viewer to understand the background of the person represented. One jewellery-wearing member of Impossible Conversations is the Hollywood-haired blonde Il Marilyn ta’ Malta, who wears large, glitzy hoop earrings and a matching crucifix pendant, along with baby-blue eyeshadow and a fat cigarette between her full, pink lips. This figure is inspired by a woman who ran a bar in the Ta’ Liesse area. “I had very little information about her,” Francesca says, “but knew she was quite a character and I knew she smoked and loved to work up a tan.” It was through this loose combination of facts and research into other details like the make-up, hairstyles and cigarettes which were around at the time, that the idea of Marilyn ta’ Malta was born. But what inspired the name? Francesca says that it came to her when the figure was almost finished: “Its colours just really reminded me of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn.” This figure and the other women in the exhibition “invert the historical narrative” by refusing to be mere objects of decoration and having active roles in the conversations taking place. “Here I am an artist, not a historian,” Francesca states, once again addressing that ever-present duality. “I can look back and change the narrative as I please.” As with the jewellery details, the body language of the sculptures brings out their character. Like the title of the exhibition suggests, they are in conversation with one another, and they look as if they are conversing. You just have to observe their facial expressions. “I think we all try to read faces,” says their creator. “We rely on faces to navigate our way through the world.” Because the sculptures are installed in groups inside the gallery, shifting them around would, so to speak, create entirely different conversations. That’s the particularity of Impossible Conversations: in interpreting its meaning, context is all and time and place are at its heart. It is both a story grounded in a specific spatial context and one that transcends temporal boundaries. This is something that keeps coming up in Francesca’s art: the meeting of people from different times and the conversations they have that cut through time, made possible through her art. She hopes visitors will participate in these conversations, too. “I want people to be amused, to reflect and maybe to find a bit of themselves in these conversations,” she says. n

This figure and the other women in the exhibition “invert the historical narrative” by refusing to be mere objects of decoration

‘Impossible Conversations’ is Francesca Balzan’s first solo exhibition of terracotta sculptures and will run at Studio 87, Ta’ Liesse Hill, Valletta from 26/11/21 – 11/12/21. It is curated by Justine Balzan Demajo.

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The next issue will be out on 5th December 2021 with The Malta Independent on Sunday

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