Recipes - Bigilla

Bigilla is a Maltese dip made with dried broadbeans.  When I decided to make it I didn't think getting my hands on some dried broadbeans would be too difficult.  I was wrong.  In their absence I used frozen.  My Mum insists that this is not a bigilla because it has not been made with dried broadbeans.  It's also true that usually the dip is a medium-dark brown and mine is bright green.  Whatever it is and whatever broadbean you use, this dip is addictive!!  And just between you and me, I think it tastes better than the original.

Ingredients

500g broadbeans

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup parsley, firmly packed

1 tsp harissa

salt and pepper, to season

Step 1 - Boil broadbeans in lightly salted water for 4-5 minutes, or until soft.  Drain and transfer to food processor while still warm.

Step 2 - Add garlic, lemon juice, parsley and harrisa to broadbeans, season well with salt and pepper and process.  With motor running, drizzle olive oil in a thin stream until incorperated.  

Step 3 - Taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Serve warm or cool with crackers or bread. 

Notes:

If using dried broadbeans reduce the amount to 300g and soak overnight. Drain and rinse before commencing step 1.  Cooking time will also need to be extended.


I forgot to pick up some harissa so used tabasco sauce instead.  Not traditional but still gave it the kick it needed.  A fresh birdseye chilli could be used also.

Recipes - Ricotta

Make you own ricotta cheese at home with two ingredients.  Ricotta is a mild, smooth creamy and versatile cheese that can be used in sweet and savoury dishes.  It is also great on a cheese plate and can be peppered, herbed or dried.  It's super simple to make, but may take a few attempts to perfect as you need to get used to how the cheese reacts to different temperatures during cooking and how it should look at feel at each stage.

Ingredients - yield 400g
1L sea water
2L milk


Basically....

 

  

plus

equals

Step 2

Step 1 - Place sea water in a large saucepan ans bring to the boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2 - Reduce heat to medium and pour in milk. Slowly warm milk and when bubbles start to reach the surface, reduce heat again to medium-low.  

Step 3 - Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, until curds and whey have separated.   


This is not the best photo, but basically, grab your spoon and pull the curds away from the edge of the pot.  If all you can see is a thin pale liquid, the curds have separated and you are ready to move to the next step.

Step 4 - Remove from heat and carefully skim curds off the whey and place in a colander lined with muslin. Slowly pour whey out of pot and scoop out any curds that settled on the bottom and did not brown. 

Step 5 - Evenly distribute curds between cheese hurdles and place over a rack at room temperature for about one hour.
Step 6 - Turn out cheese and refrigerate until required.

Recipes - Stuffat tal Fenek

Stuffat tal Fenek, Rabbit Stew, may be Malta's nation dish.  As there is not a lot of land mass in Malta, and therefore not a lot of room for grazing animals, rabbit is a popular protein on the island.  In Australia, and many other western cultures, rabbit is not considered to be a popular meat to cook with.  Most people I've encountered do not even have the inclination to try it, thinking of rabbit as a pet not a source of food.  For me, I grew up eating rabbit stew and it has always one of my favourite things that my Nan prepares.  I felt so honoured when she gave me her recipe 5 years ago.  This is awesome.  Enjoy.

NB: Wild rabbits are available at select butchers, however, wild rabbit can be tough, with a gamey flavour.  Farmed rabbits have a much milder flavours, are usually more tender and are the best choice for cooking.  It can be difficult to get your hands on farmed rabbit but is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

1 rabbit, cut into 12-15 pieces
3/4 cup red wine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
3/4 tsp all spice
3/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
500g pork spare rib, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 onions, finely diced
3 potatoes, chopped
1 1/2 tbs tomato paste 
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup beef stock
1.5 cups water
3/4 cup peas
1kg spaghetti, parmesan cheese and bread - to serve

Step 1 - Place rabbit pieces and offal in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine garlic, 1/2 cup red wine, 1/2 tsp mixed spice, and a 1/4 tsp each of all spice, garam masala, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Combine well and pour over rabbit.  Cover with glad wrap and marinade for at least two hours, stirring every half an hour or so.
Step 2 - Heat a good whack of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Add a single layer of pork spare rib pieces and fry for about a minute on each side.  Remove from pan and place on a large plate.  Fry off remaining pork spare ribs in as many batches as necessary.  Remove from pan and place on plate.

Step 3 - In small batches, fry rabbit pieces and offal in pan for about 1-3 minutes on each side, depending on the size and thickness of the piece, until well browned.  Set aside on the plate with the pork.  Reserve marinading liquid.
Step 4 - Throw onions into pan and cook until soft and translucent.  Add a little more oil if necessary.  Throw spices in the pan and cook well, stirring until spices are fragrant.  
Step 5 - Add tomato past and sugar, and cook, stirring, until tomato paste has darkened in colour significantly.  Remove from heat and pour in marinading liquid and remaining wine.  Stir until well combined then add potato, beef stock and water and return to heat.  Bring to boil, cook for 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat to low.   
Step 6 - Return rabbit and pork to the pan, season well with salt and pepper and slowly simmer for 2-3 hours, until sauce is thick and meat is falling off the bone.  In the last 5 minutes, add peas to the pot.
Step 7 - When ready to serve, cook spaghetti as per packet instructions.  Place spaghetti on serving plate, top with one or two pieces of rabbit and spoon over a generous amount of sauce.   Serve with parmesan cheese, fresh cracked black pepper and thick slices of crusty bread on the side.

Recipes - Brunġiel Mimli

This is my death row meal!  It has been my favourite dish for as long as I can remember and is something my Nan cooks often.  Even though I've been making it for over ten years, mine is never as good as hers and probably never will be, but it's pretty close to perfect.   The only bad thing about this is once you start, enough is never enough!


Brunġiel Mimli literally translates to 'Eggplant Stuffed'.  I prefer this made with Qarabali (marrow; which is a small eggplant shaped zucchini with light green skin), however, quarabali is difficult for me to source locally.

Ingredients
3 eggplant
1 kg pork and veal mince
6 rashers middle bacon, rinds removed
1 egg
2 1/2 cups tasty cheese, grated
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
4 brown onions, peeled
4 potatos, peeled
1/2 cup vegetable stock
half a lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to season


Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180. Lightly spray a large baking dish with olive oil. 
Step 2 - Top and tail eggplant and cut in half length ways.  Scoop out centre, leaving a 1cm rim.  Reserve half of the scooped out eggplant and set aside.  Discard the rest.   
Step 3 - Sprinkle eggplant boats with salt and lemon juice and rub in to flesh.  Microwave for 3 minutes.  Remove from microwave and set aside.
Step 4 - Take the reserved eggplant that was scooped out from the middle and chop roughly.  Dice two of the onions and fry them with the roughly copped eggplant in a little oil over high heat until golden.  Set aside to cool.
Step 5 - Dice two of the bacon rashers and add to a large bowl along with mince, egg, 1 cup of cheese, parsley and fried onion and eggplant.  Season well with pepper and mix with clean hands until well combined.  
Step 6 - Slice the potato and remaining 2 brown onions into thick slices and layer over base of baking tray.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.  Pour stock into tray.
Step 7 - Pack each eggplant boat firmly with mince mixture.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese over the mince.  Cut each of the remaining 4 bacon rashers into thirds and lay two pieces over each eggplant.  Place filled eggplant boats into dish on top of potato and onion.  Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes - 2 hours.
Step 8 - To serve, place eggplant on plate with some potato and onion and spoon some broth onto plate.  Serve with thick slices of fresh bread.  

Top 10 - Maltese Dishes

When I started my blog, I made a few Maltese dishes with plans to do a lot more, however, I was side tracked by requests, catering and posting the recipes of dishes I cook day to day.  


While I am Maltese and LOVE Maltese food, it's not something I generally cook a lot of at home.  I usually prepare these meals when I have an insatiable craving or want to impress my friends.  


So, I am posting my favourite Maltese Dishes in hopes it will encourage me to refocus my energies and prepare some of the dishes on this list, which are some of my favourite dishes in the whole world! Maltese cuisine is the best in the world so I couldn't limit this list to just five. Here are my top TEN Maltese Dishes. Enjoy.

• Brunġiel Mimli
• Spaghetti Malti
• Hobz biz-zejt
• Kannoli
• Stuffat tal Fenek
• Gbejniet
• Bragioli
• Maltese Antipasto  
• Ravjul
• Pal fil-Forn

Recipes - Ravjul

Ravjul is Malta's ravioli and one of its most popular pasta dishes.  While this recipe is not 100% traditional, it is a very close rendition.  I have substituted homemade pasta for won ton wrappers for two reasons, 1. It is a perfect imitation and 2. It's what my grandmother does.  I've also used a ricotta base, which is fine, but gbejniet is more traditional. 

Ingredients

300g ricotta

80g feta

1 egg

1 and 1/2 tbs flat leaf parsly, fine chopped

1 x 30 pack won ton wrappers

salt and pepper, to season

Sauce 

400g tin diced tomatoes

1 tbs tomato paste

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper, to season

grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Step 1 - Mix ricotta, feta, egg and parsley in a bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.

Step 2 - Place a tea spoon of mixture in the centre of each won ton wrapper, brush a little water around the edge, fold in half (to make a semi circle) and firmly press edges together.

Step 3 - Place ravjul on lightly floured tea towel and cover with a slightly damp tea towel.  Ravjul can be left like this for up to 4 hours before cooking,

Step 4 - To make sauce, heat a good splash of oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and fry quickly but do not allow to colour.  Add tomato paste and sugar and cook off, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until paste is darker in colour.  

Step 5 - Reduce heat, add tin tomatoes and 1/2 cup water.  Slowly simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Step 6 - To cook ravjul, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Gently lower ravjul into the water, only cook 6-8 at a time, and stir gently with a plastic slotted spoon.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until ravjul are floating on the water.  

Step 7 - Remove with a slotted spoon and place in serving plate. Top with sauce, grated cheese and cracked pepper.  Serve immediately.

Afternoon Tea

Pastizzi.  Fresh from the oven.  

Recipes - Pal fil-forn

Pal fil-forn literally means 'like in the oven'.  This dish is typical of Maltese food and is often referred to as a 'peasant's meal', that is; few ingredients, of varying quality, cooked simply over a long period of time.  Cheaper cuts of meat are best and it can be made with pork, chicken, lamb or beef, however, the meat must be on the bone.  This dish is a favourite of mine, one of my signatures and has impressed many despite its simple nature.

Ingredients

3-4 brown onion, sliced thickly

3-4 potatoes, sliced thickly

4-5 pork chops
vegetable stock and water (amount varies, see step 2 of recipe)

Step 1 - In a large pot, layer the onions on the bottom, then place the pork in a layer and top with a layer of potato.  

Step 2 - Fill pot to just under potatoes with 1/2 water 1/2 stock and put lid on pot.

Step 3 - Place pot on high heat and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, season well with salt and  pepper and simmer slowly for 3-5 hours. 

Step 4 - To serve, put a few potato slices on bottom of plate, top with pork and spoon over onion broth.  Serve with thick slices of sourdough.

Pastizzi

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that pastizzi is the national food of Malta.  The crispy, flaky, cheese filled pastries are simply divine!  Making pastizzi is not something I have ever done, nor known my grandmother to do.  The pastry required is thin and layered like a filo, buttery like a shortcrust and flaky like a puff, in other words, difficult and time consuming.  Luckily, most supermarkets stock Pepe's Pastizzi; quality, hand made, traditional pastries just like what you find in Malta.  I recommend sticking to the cheese and fetta varieties as they are the traditional flavours.  Another favourite of mine, which is widely available in Malta, is a filling made from peas, anchovies and olives, but I am yet  to see Pepe's manufacture this variety.  


Just remember, the number one rule when buying pastizzi is to stick with Pepe's.  There are a number of other companies that offer pastizzi, but these are often a highly processed rendition of the pastizzi that are small, filled with semolina and taste absolutely appalling.  It's Pepe's for the win!   

Recipes - Cheese and Spinach Pie

This is another one of those recipes my friends keep me around for and one I have been watching my grandmother make since I was a child.  She sometimes uses broadbeans instead of spinach which is also delicious.  I've labelled it as being Maltese Cuisine.  I'm not sure if it really is, or if it is just something my family has always cooked.  Either way, tastes pretty amazing.  

Ingredients
500g ricotta
150g feta
1 bunch silverbeat or 1 bag baby spinach, stalks removed and roughly chopped
3 eggs
1/4 pine nuts, toasted (optional)
puff pastry
salt and pepper, to season

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 220°C.  Grease a medium sized oven proof dish.

Step 2 - Place spinach in a colander. Fill kettle with water and bring to boil. Pour boiling water over spinach.  Squeeze water out of spinach and set aside to cool.

Step 3 - Place feta in a large bowl and mash with a fork.  Add ricotta, eggs and pine nuts and mix until combined.  Then, add the cool spinach, season with salt and pepper and mix in well. 

Step 4 - Line the oven proof dish with puff pastry and prick all over with a fork. Pour mixture in and smooth to form an even layer.  Place more puff pastry over the top and gently pinch sides and top together to seal the pie. Prick top with fork.

Step 5 - Transfer to hot oven and bake for 20 minutes then turn heat down to 180°C and bake for a further 40 mins.  

Step 6 - Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  Serve with a simple salad.

Notes:

Puff pastry can be bought ready made from supermarkets.  I buy the cheapest home brand sold in pre-cut sets of 6 sheets (I used three sheets for this pie).  Pastry needs to be kept frozen and removed 10 minutes prior to use.  Sit individual sheets on the bench and allow to thaw to the point where they are pliable.  Over thawing will cause the butter to melt and the pastry will become sticky, difficult to use and will not puff properly when cooking. Pastry can be cut and crimped together with a fork to fit any size dish. 

I don't brush pastry with egg wash, but feel free to do so if you prefer.  

Any variety of feta can be used.  For an extra cheese pie, grate some tasty, mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese into the mix.

Pies can be made in any size.  Muffin tins are great to create individual treats, just reduce the cooking time.

Recipes - Hobz biz-zejt

Hobz biz-zejt literally translates to Bread with Oil.  It is a traditional Maltese lunch, similar to the ploughman's lunch that originated in the UK and is more construction than cooking.  The mere thought of this dish sends me back to my ten year old self, sitting in my grandmothers kitchen with my sister and my cousins, fighting over the best tomatoes (straight from the vine) and the best cuts of bread (fresh from the oven).  Top quality ingredients are essential for this dish.

Ingredients

olive oil

sourdough bread

ripe tomatoes. halved

tomato paste

tuna

salt and pepper, to season

Optional

anchovies

olives

capers/caperberries 

Step 1 - Place tuna, tomatos, tomato paste and optional ingredients on a plate.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Step 2 - Rip off pieces of bread, dip in oil, rub with tomato then use to scoop other ingredients.  Enjoy. 

Recipes - Maltese Spaghetti

This recipe is the reason most of my friends keep me around.  It's probably not traditional but is my interpretation of the recipe my grandmother makes and is a good representation of Maltese Cuisine. The ingredients may seem a bit odd, but trust me, I have not met one person who has not enjoyed this.

Ingredients

600g middle bacon, diced

1/2 head garlic, about 8-12 cloves, roughly chopped

2 x 400g tins tomatoes

4 heaped tbs tomato paste

1tbs sugar

Step 1 - Heat oil in a large frying pan.  You need lots of olive oil, enough to cover the base of the pan in a thin layer.  Fry garlic and bacon until they are cooked and slightly coloured, but do not allow the garlic to burn.

Step 2 - Add tomato paste and sugar and fry off for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Step 3 - Add tin tomatoes and 1 cup water, reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2-4 hours.

Step 4 - Serve with spaghetti and freshly grated parmesan.

Notes:

The long, slow cooking of this dish is essential. 

Maltese Cuisine

Being Maltese, I've grown up eating a lot of amazing Maltese food!  My Nan is always in the kitchen, and always has been, and I've grown up watching her cook and learning my culinary heritage.

Malta is a small archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.  It's closest neighbour is Sicily, 93km north across the Malta Channel.  Due to it's geographical location, it was, historically, an important shipping port and has seen many nations conquer and rule, including the British, the French, the Spanish, the Romans and the Arabs.  While Malta is now an independent republic, it's checkered history has left many influences on the native cuisine.  

The Maltese Cuisine centres around the fisherman's catch and fresh seasonal produce.  Some of Malts's produce includes aubergines, tomatoes, olives, capers, peppers, onions, potatoes, honey, figs, peaches, oranges, almonds, dates, pomegranates, pears, grapes, melons, grapefruit, apricot and nectarines.

Seafood found around Malta's Island include bass, stone bass, grouper, white bream, amber jack, dentex and red mullet.  Swordfish and tuna are caught around early to late autumn, followed by the Lampuki (dolphin fish).  Octopus and squid are also commonly found in the catch. 

Ħobż Malti, Maltese Bread, is purchased fresh from the baker daily and served with most meals.  It is technically a sourdough, but is similar to the Italian Pane di Casa. Ħobż Malti has a flakey, dark golden crust with a dense, soft and doughy centre.  The bread is eaten with gbejniet (sheep or goat’s cheese) and is used wipe the dinner plate clean, but the most common way is to eat hobz biz-zejt (bread with oil).

Pastry of all kinds is used to encase meat, fish, cheese, rice, pasta and vegetables.  The most well known pastry is the pastizzi; a light flakey filo like pastry encasing a ricotta cheese filling.  Another traditional pastizzi filling is one of peas, olives and anchovies.  

Traditionally, a slow cooking method was used to prepare most Maltese dishes.  This is evident in the number of stews and stuffed dishes present in the Maltese Cuisine.  Stuffat tal Fenek (stewed rabbit) is cooked in red wine, garlic, spices and herbs and served on spaghetti.  Qarabali (marrow) and brunġiel (aubergine) are stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, egg and herbs and baked on a bed of onions and potatoes.

Pasta is a staple and features heavily in the Maltese Cuisine.  It is used in soup, mixed with tomato sauces and baked but one of the most noteworthy pasta dishes is the traditional ravjul (ravioli).  Ravjul are semi-ciricle pockets of pasta filled with ricotta and fresh parsely.  Once cooked they are slathered in a simple, homemade tomato and garlic salsa and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. 

Soups are common, from the aljotta (fish soup) to the minestra (minestrone), a thick vegetable soup served with fresh or dried gbejniet (sheep or goat’s cheese).  Gbejniet  comes fresh, sundried, salt cured and peppered.  Once peppered, the cheese is stored in oil and the cheese in all its forms is used in soups, pasta dishes or eaten with bread.

While sweets do not feature heavily in the Maltese Cuisine, the kannoli, a crisp, fried pastry tube filled with ricotta, chocolate and candied fruit, is one of the more common treats.  Deep-fried date-filled pastries and almond macaroons are also popular. 

Thus concludes my introduction to the Maltese Cuisine.  Recipes to follow soon.