Recipes

Welcome to my Cookery page. 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 differet 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 Date-filled Diamonds, Yeasted Sesame Seed Rings, Lenten Almond Cakes, Easter Characters (almond pastries cut out to represent symbolic figures) and a cake of pine nuts and nougat.

You can also find from bere some European traditional food. Click on flag icons below. Those interested, I would be glad to receive their comments. In the meantime Bon Appetite.

Hobz
Maltese Bread

23 oz (600g) flour

10g salt

½ oz (15g) sugar

½ oz (15g) margerine

1 oz (25g) yeast

345ml luke warm water

1 tablespoon milk

Mix the flour, salt and margerine together. Add the yeast.

Make a mixture of the luke warm water, sugar and the milk.

Add on to the flour and knead the mixture well until the dough is white and elasticated.

Place in a bowl, seal with cling film and a wet dish towel, place in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Work the dough, cut into small pieces (50g). Place on a baking tray, paste with egg, cut with a knife and let the pieces rest for about 15 minutes.

Cook in oven 450F (232C) gas mark 6-8 for 12-15 minutes.

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Minestra
Thick Vegetable Soup

84g cauliflower

84g carrots

84g pumpkin

56g white onions

28g celery stick

21g tomato paste

56g rice

1250ml water

Slice and wash all the vegetables.

Fry the onions, till tender.

Add all vegetables except the rice.

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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Spagetti biz-zalza tal-Qarnit
Spaghetti (Pasta) with octupus sauce

1kg Octupus

224g onions

168g peas

224g tomatoes

112g black olives

250ml red wine

84g tomato paste

herbs

mint

lemon zest

olive oil

salt and pepper

Peel and slice the onions.

Cut the octupus 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 concasse, by peeling the tomatoes and chopping them finely, add to the onions. Strain the octupus but save the liquid.

Slice the olives and lemon zest. Add all remaining ingredients to the first mixture and simmer for a while.

Add the octupus liquid and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Cook spaghetti for not more than 7 minutes or till it is al dente

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Timpana
Baked (Pasta) Macaroni Pie

1.5 lb. short pastry

1.5 lb. macaroni

1 lb minced meat

4 oz (100g) chicken liver

6 oz (150g) peeled tomatoes

4 oz (100g) chopped onion

2 oz (50g) grated cheese

2 oz (50g) tomato paste

1/4 pt water

2 hard boiled eggs

4 eggs

clove of garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper

Fry the onion and garlic.

Add the meat and liver, fry till it is cooked. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Cook for a few seconds.

Slowly add the water and simmer till the meat is tender.

Boil the macaroni, drain and cool. Chop the hard boiled eggs. Mix everything and season.

Roll the pastry into a greased dish. Pour the mixture and cover with the pastry. Brush the top with egg wash. Cook in a moderate to hot oven.

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Kosksu Bil-Ful
Kosksu (Pasta) with Broad Beans

10 oz (250g) Kosksu

1 onion

5 oz (125g) peeled broad beans

3 oz (75g) peeled tomatoes

2 oz (50g) tomato paste

garlic

mixed herbs

2 pts water

Chop the onion and garlic. Fry in a little olive oil till golden brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Add some mixed herbs, and the water.

Bring to the boil, add the kosksu, and simmer till cooked.

Add the broad beans 10 mins before removing from the cooker.

Tip: Kosksu is small pasta that looks like shotgun pellets. It is manufactured in Malta

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Bigilla
Broad Bean Paste

500g Broad Beans

Olive Oil

Chopped Parsley

Salt & Pepper

4 Crushed Garlic Cloves

A Pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda

If you're using dried broad beans, you must first soak them for two days in salted water with the bicarbonate of soda mixed in. The water must be changed after the first day. This will soften the beans.

After the second day, cook the beans in fresh water.

Bring the water to a boil and let simmer until the beans are cooked. Drain and mince the beans.

Mix in the olive oil, parsley and crushed garlic and make into a paste. For best taste, serve hot.

Tip: Bigilla is a Maltese snack that used to be sold during the cold, damp winter months.

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Fenek Moqli
Fried Rabbit

Serves 4

1 jointed rabbit

1 dessertspoon tomato purée

1 whole head of garlic

¼ pint water

Oil for frying

Place the tomato purée and the water in a deep pan. Simmer on a slow fire.

In the meantime fry the pieces of rabbit a few at a time, together with the peeled garlic. The garlic should not be allowed to turn brown, so add it after the rabbit joints.

Fry them for about 10 minutes turning them over once or twice. Put them in the pan containing tomato purée and water and simmer while frying the rest of the rabbit.

Correct seasoning, serve hot with plain boiled potatoes or chips.

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Fenek Bit-Tewm u L-Inbid
Garlic and wine-flavoured Rabbit

Serves 4

1 jointed rabbit

2 or 3 bay leaves

1 bottle of red wine

A large quantity of garlic - enough to cover the bottom of a frying pan

Oil for frying

Pour about half the bottle of wine over the rabbit and leave for a few hours or overnight.

Peel the garlic and put it in a large frying pan with about 3 tablespoons oil. Heat gently.

Add as many joints of rabbit as will fit in the pan and fry until brown on both sides.

When all the rabbit is fried return it to the pan and sprinkle it with the wine in which the rabbit was soaked.

Add the bay leaves. Cover and cook gently till the rabbit is tender.

This may be one hour, if the rabbit is young. Up to 2 hours otherwise. Add more wine, if necessary.

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Tigiega Mimlija
Stuffed Chicken

Serves 4

1 boiling fowl

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

For the stuffing:

1-2 eggs

8-10 tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs

Small pinch of salt

Pepper

4 oz (100g) cooked ham (chopped)

1 hard-boiled egg

salt and pepper

Alternative filling for chicken:

12 oz (300g) minced pork

The chicken liver

2 oz (50g) chopped bacon or ham

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon grated onion

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 hard-boiled egg

1 raw egg

Pepper and salt
Use this stuffing for a boiling or roasting chicken.

When planning to make a stuffed chicken buy a loaf of 'French' bread a couple of days beforehand, as it will be much easier to turn into crumbs when it is dry.

Maltese bread is not suitable for crumbing. Cut the loaf in half horizontally and use a fork to make crumbs. Do not discard the outer shell of crust.

Add the other ingredients, using only a little salt if you think the ham may be salty, and enough egg to bind the mixture.

Rub the bird with a halved lemon both inside and out.

Spoon the stuffing in and sew up the cavity. Boil and fry the chicken.

Tip: This is what you can make with the empty crusts of bread: Fry a sliced onion or two. Add 1 lb. of minced meat. Simmer until meat is done. Fill the bread boxes with the mixture and bake until heated through.

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Bragioli
Veal Rolls

Veal sliced not thickly cut

Red wine

Aceto Balsamico

For the Stuffing:

Bread Crumbs

Grated Cheese (Same quantity as bread crumbs)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinch of sage

Plenty of parsley

Mushrooms finely chopped (can be fresh, canned or already fried)

One egg

Ham

Mix all ingredients for the stuffing together.

Put a stuffing of the mixed ingredients on each slice of veal, roll and tie with string or skewers.

Fry in butter and oil until golden. Add a little red wine, simmer for 10 minutes, add six teaspoons aceto balsamico and simmer for 10 minutes. (Add wine if pan dries.)

Served with peas and mashed potatoes.

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