Back to Base

Seems like it's been ages ago, but the time is ripe.
I'm just back from Malta and still very keen on eating Maltese foods and using Maltese ingredients. I must admit they are VERY hard to come by in Belgium, but with the help of my family, I do keep a constant supply of a number of items including kunserva, pastizzi and of course twistees !

This summer I tried to see what was new on the market and new Maltese products seemed to be sprouting. New cheese spreads, new brands packing bigilla and of course gbejniet.


My girls gave me a butter churner last Christmas which was put to good use a few days later when the local supermarket was trying to get rid of a large amount of soon-to-expire cream. We made butter, which we ate, froze and even made bread with the buttermilk.

They also gave me a book about cheeses and butter which I must admit I have not really used except for the part where it explains how to make butter.

Having come back from Malta though, I was keen to try my hand at making Gbejniet.  These are little cheeselets made from goat's or sheep's milk and do not taste anything like the goats cheese we find here, chèvre.



I have found a recipe from Marlene Zammit who lives in Australia and runs Maltese Mouthful. Her recipe for gbejniet seems very authentic however, the ratio of milk to rennet varies completely to the once published by Pippa Mattei.  I just need to source the fresh goat's or sheep's milk and try the recipes out! 

Look out for more updates on my Instagram or Twitter accounts !

Nanna Connie's Truffles

Spring is in the air and Easter is around the corner. These are the sort of days when you want to be out and about and definitely not tied up in the kitchen.

This week, even though the weather was warmer outside, my slow cooker made an appearance on the kitchen cupboard.

But this article is not about food, it's about something sweet to help you clear up the cupboards before the Easter eggs and and chocolate bunnies take over.  This recipe is ideal to de-clutter your shelves.

Even though the blog is "Baking in Belgium" these Truffles are the truffles in the old sense of the word and not the Belgian chocolate versions!

Quite easy to make, these truffles could be a weekend project with your little ones.

Start off by melting some butter in a sauce pan. I would use around 30g to 50g depending on the amount of cake / biscuits you have but do not exceed the 50g.

Once the butter has melted, stir in the any pastries you may have,  It is important that these are crumbled very well, alternatively you can use a blender to chop them finely.

When I say pastries, I mean yesterday's pain chocolate or pieces of Panettone, biscuits, chocolates or chocolate bars.

Make sure that they are all crushed or mashed up very well so that there are no large chunks that can be identified.

Once you have stirred them in, add enough milk or tinned milk to make sure they are well soaked.  Don't worry about adding too much milk, that will only mean you will need to cook the mixture for longer. 

Now, time to season! I like adding a few oats to my mixture to make them 'healthier'  You can add a dash or two of Rum if you have an adult audience. 

If you will be serving these to children I suggest some vanilla essence and perhaps some grated orange zest.

Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of cocoa and stir continuously.

Taste the mixture. 

At this point you could also add some candied fruit or some nuts.

Keep on stirring over a low heat until the mixture starts to come away from the sides of your pot. Your stirring will become harder as the mixture 'dries' further.

When you decide that you have cooked it long enough, remove from the heat and let it cool for about 10 mins.

Then, using a teaspoon , roll the mixture into small balls and place them in a prepared plate filled with coconut. Roll the ball in the dessicated coconut until the truffle is well coated.

Keep on repeating this until all the mixture is rolled.

Place the coconut balls in the fridge for about 30 minutes then take them out and give them a final roll in your hands to fix their shape.

Once complete, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, even though mine never last that long!
If you want to make them look a little fancy, place each truffle in a small paper case.

Easter week

So finally seems like we're having some sunshine in Belgium and I am certainly NOT complaining! Easter is synonymous with everything yellow, orange and green and that means green grass and a nice bright sun shining over it!

Here are some inspirations to help you though this gluttonous week.

Ruth from the Pink Whisk shows us how to make beautiful little chocolate eggs. Her step-by-step instructions with matching pictures are just perfect!

Paul Hollywood was on the BBC yesterday and made some Portuguese inspired chocolate custard tarts.

and here is the recipe for the Maltese Figolli. Almond filled pastries that are a must in Malta!

I wish you all a peacful Easter, Pâques, Pascqua, Ghid!

Barley Soup

Cold weather makes me want to snuggle up on the sofa with some of my books, biscuits and mug of tea or hot chocolate! Alas, over the past weeks this was not possible! The hot chocolate and biscuit part I mean. 

Winter makes us pile on the pounds so easily that you barely notice! Cold weather is conducive to eating as this makes us feel warmer!

Warming up however does not necessarily mean fatty food, so here is a low carb, low GI recipe.   Barley soup can be prepared ahead of time and heated in portions which is very handy for mid-week meals.

Barley is mostly produced for the agricultural industry but is also used for malting and is a key ingredient in beer and whiskey production. Barley has a fibrous inedible outer hull which needs to be removed before it can be eaten. Once this is removed, the grain still has its bran and germs, and hence is still considered a whole grain. Pearl barley or pearled barley is hulled barley which has been processed further to remove the bran.

Barley also has a low Glycemic Index (GI) which means that it has a low effect on the blood sugar levels after consumption. 

This is what you need to make enough soup for 4 portions.

2 medium onions,
2 medium carrots,
2 slices of bacon,
2 marrows,
1 chicken cube,
60g barley,
Hot water.

Cut the vegetables into cubes, preferably of the same size. Place the onion in a pot and cook it over low heat adding a tablespoon of water so that the onion does not stick to the pot. Once the onions start to cook, add bacon which also needs to be cut into cubes. Add another tablespoon or more of water if required.

Next add the carrots and marrows. Now add enough water to cover the vegetables. Add the stock cube and bring to the boil. Now add barley and mix until it the soup starts to return back to boiling. This will avoid your barley from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes and then turn the heat off.

Allow the soup to set for a further 30 minutes at least so that the barley may absorb the liquid.
Make sure that the barley you are using is not a quick-cook barley. If this is the case, keep an eye on the soup once the barley is added as it will be ready in 10-15 mins.

New ....2011

Starting the new year must mean new things.

Lots of new things happening this week (or since the beginning of 2011) First was my new start date.... ever changing and ever being pushed back. But I sort of got used to it now... might be surprised when I actually walk through the door!

On the internet side, I just discovered the new Google Reader and it's absolutely great if you, like me follow a few blogs.  You get the latest blog or website posts on one page and you can scroll down and choose which to read further.  All you will need to do is to "follow" or "subscribe" to the blog or site and all your pages will be displayed on your reader front page.

  

There was an interesting post on one of the blogs about Tiramisu which I must admit I have become a big fan of! Always liked the dessert but now (possibly due to an older age stated on my new ID card) I look for a hit of coffee in my sweets.

Another new gastro discovery this week was a chocolate truffle filled with pepper - absolutely divine.  Even though I didn't know what I was eating at the time, the pepper just hits the sides of your mouth and turns a tiny truffle into a new experience.

Lomo - Spanish cold cut is yet another new discovery.  There is a tiny market which sets up round the corner from my house which is now catering for it's new Spanish customers and this lomo is one of the new items on sale.  Delicious and very low in fat, fit in perfectly with my spread of parma (specially dedicated to my foodie friend) and cooked hams.

But if you are reading this post for the recipe, click here for my Healthy Options if you are trying to curb the fats and move onto healthier meals.  If you have decided that detox or January healthy eating is a thing of the past, why not try this super easy tea-time snack.

Here are my baked doughnuts.  They are delicious once filled with jam or nutella but sadly they will not keep for the following day.  If you do have any left-overs, I suggest that you heat it in the micro-wave for about 15 seconds until they are softened slightly.

Here is what you need:
500g plain flour preferably 00
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp sunflower oil
300ml warm milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
11g dried yeast

Place the sifted flour and sugar in a large bowl and stir using a knife.  Next add the salt on one side of the bowl and the yeast into the other corner of the bowl.  In another bowl, place the warm milk and stir in the vanilla, oil and egg.

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and using the knife once again stir into a dough.

Leave the dough in the bowl and allow it to rise for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.  Once the hour is up, topple the dough over a floured surface and shape into tiny balls and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Next turn on the oven on to 200C and give the doughnuts another 30 minutes to settle into their shapes.

Once you are ready to bake, pop the tray into the oven and turn the heat down to 180C.  Bake the doughnuts until they are a pale golden brown.

Take the doughnuts out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 10minutes before filling.  To fill your doughnuts with jam or nutella, fill a piping bag with your choice and using the nozzle to pierce into the doughnut squeeze your sauce into the doughnut until the piping bags starts coming off the doughnut.  This means that the doughnut is filled enough in the centre.

Serve immediately.

Qaghaq tal-hmira

Qaghaq tal-hmira are Maltese tea treats. The name translates into yeast rings; these rings are delicious brioche-type rings topped with sesame seeds and baked for not more than 15 minutes. The longest part of the preparation is the resting time.

Even though we are used to eating these rings in the colder months with some tea or coffee, try making these rings for a day at the beach and they will be devoured in no time!

Here is what you need to make approximately 20 rings of about 7 cm in diameter.

500g plain flour

200g caster sugar

200g butter

11g  dried yeast

½ tsp aniseed

½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp vanilla powder

Grated zest of 1 lemon lemon

180ml luke warm water
1 egg

Sesame Seeds

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and add the lemon zest. Using your hands, rub in the butter until you have a sandy mixture. You can use a mixer with a dough hook for this.

Next add the water a little at a time to form a dough and knead it for about 10 mins. Allow the dough to rest in a warm place for about 1 to 2 hours or even overnight.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a floured surface. Next cut small pieces of pastry and roll them round to form a long pipe. Twist the pipe around to form a ring and place it on your baking dish. Once all the rings have been formed, allow them to rest for another hour. Do not worry if the rings puff up and touch each other.

Now brush the top with eggwash (1 egg beaten with a fork) and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for not more than 15 minutes. The rings should be browned on top but still soft when you touch them.

These rings are best served warm but will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.

Bigilla

Bigilla is a traditional Maltese bean dip. Being so healthy Bigilla can be included in our daily diets in more ways than one. Bigilla can be used as a spread with Hobz biz-zejt or as an accompaniment to stuffed artichokes or simply as a dip served with warm ftira or some crudités.

I have gone back to making this dish from scratch after tasting some of the versions on sale. There is some good quality Bigilla on sale, however the home-made version always tastes better. 1 packet of 250g of beans will give you a large bowl of Bigilla to store in your fridge for a couple of days or to add to your summer buffet table.

No need for busy people to panic, I prepare this dish in a couple of minutes. The only thing you need to think about is to soak the beans in cold water, preferably from the night before.
Preparation (if you can call it that) actually takes longer than the actual process of cooking it. What you need to buy is the dried brown small beans known as Ful ta’ Girba.

Once you soak the beans, it is best to change the water as often as possible. This does not mean every 5 to 10 minutes but every 4 hours or when you notice the water turning a dirty brown.
Once the soaking is complete, drain the beans from their water and rinse under running water.

To cook the beans it is best to use a pressure cooker as this reduces the cooking time to 30minutes. Alternatively, you can boil the bean in a normal pot. In this case, the beans will need to be cooked for close to 1 hour. The duration of the boiling also varies according to your soaking process. If you have soaked them for less than 8 hours, then you will need to increase your cooking times. The best test to check if the beans are cooked is to squash a bean slightly with your fingers.

Cooking time is complete when the beans appear to start melting and the water would have taken the dark brownish colour. Should you be using a pressure cooker, stick to the exact cooking time given above.

Next, with the beans still warm, blend the beans in a food processor adding enough cooking water to have a liquid consistency. At this point, the Bigilla should look like the mixture of an un-cooked cake.

Add the following to the beans whilst you are blending. These amounts are correct for 1 packet of 250g dried beans.
1 heaped teaspoon of Maltese sea salt
1 whole garlic clove
1 red chilli pepper (or some dashes of Tobasco)
A large handful of parsley (about 1 cup)
About 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

Place the mixture into a tray or plate, spread it out evenly and allow it to cool. It is very important that the Bigilla is quite liquid when it is still warm as once it starts to cool the beans paste will harden up.

Now chop some more fresh garlic and parsley very finely and spread them over the dish. Drizzle a generous helping of olive oil and serve. This dish can be stored in the fridge of weeks if kept in an air tight container.

Bigilla can also be made with the large type of dried bean however the smaller ones are used in the original recipe. It is important to buy your dried beans in small amounts since the beans will double in size once soaked. Just as a rough indication, 200gr of dried beans will give you up to 6 portions of dip. Enjoy !

This recipe has been previously published in the Best Buy Supplement, out monthly with The Times.

Fresh Broad Bean Soup

Fresh Beans are well in season now and if you have an abundance of Beans in your fridge, here is a delicious soup you can prepare.  I know that most of us locally use the fresh beans to make "Kosksu bil-ful" pasta with beans, but i have been trying to come up with a simple yet delicious soup for a couple weeks so here goes.  You will need the following -
1 medium onion - finely chopped
1 medium potato - peeled and chopped into little bites
1 medium leek - sliced
500g fresh broad beans - podded and peeled.
Chicken stock

Start off by placing a little bit of oil in a pot and add the onions.  Cook until they have softened slightly. Next add the potatoes and the leeks. Add the beans and enough stock to cover the vegetables completely.

Allow the vegetables to simmer for about 30 minutes and once the stock is reduced switch the heat off and let the pot rest in the same burner - now switched off and with the lid on for another 10 to 15 minutes.

This soup needs time for the delicate flavours to seep into the stock so don't rush it.

Even though the recipe calls for fresh beans, if they are out of season, you can replace them with frozen ones even though the taste will be slightly different. Do not use the tinned beans however and the taste is lacking considerably.

Serve this soup with some crusty Maltese bread and some fresh gbejniet - Cheeselets

Should you like to contact me, please do so on concitademicoli@gmail.com

The pie that made it safely till Saturday

So, what to make that can serve you more than 1 portion without having to prepare anything again.... a pie of course!..  Ricotta Pie is one of my favorite pies but the one I made this week has a little twist to the original recipe.  Firstly the pastry is made with wholemeal flour and secondly I added on "gbejniet" to the ricotta.

Here is what I did:

Place 250g Margarine into your electric mixer and add 1 tsp of salt and 400g wholemeal flour. Sift in 200g plain flour and set the motor running.  Once the margarine is totally incorporated into the flour and you have a nice sandy mixture, keep the motor on and add enough water at room temperature to form a soft dough.  If you want to make this pastry extra cheesy, grate in some cheddar into the flour mixture before adding the water.

Now take out the dough and place it on a floured surface.  

Roll out two thirds of the pastry and line the bottom of your baking dish.

Place 1.5kg ricotta into your electric mixer, add 2 eggs, some chopped fresh parsley and about 1 tablespoon of grated cheese.  Mix these ingredients slowly making sure that the eggs are well mixed in.

Spread the ricotta filling in the baking dish covered with  the dough and set aside. Now slice about 4 to 5 fresh gbejniet and place them over the ricotta filling.

Roll out the remaining dough and cover the pie completely.  Brush the top of the pie with some water and lastly sprinkle some sesame seeds.  

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C (electric fan oven) for about 25 - 30 minutes until the pastry has risen and turned golden.

Ricotta pie can be served straight out of the oven with some side salad or veggies or packed for picnics or as a lunch pack!

Sugar Free Figolla

I'm sure that most of you will be baking your figolli this week. So here is something for you to prepare for your diabetic family members!

For those of you who are diabetic and would like to try this recipe make sure that the chocolate and sugar substitute you buy are suitable for diabetic. It is not good enough to read “sugar free” and definitely not suitable is there is “no added sugar” on the labels. These two labels do not make the product suitable for diabetics.

The sugar substitute I use is called Fibre Sweet and is available from Cilia Products in Hamrun, right next to the Parish Church.

Here is what you need to make around 5 large figolli. You can also make these using normal sized cookie cutters and serve them as a dessert!

300g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g butter
200g ground almonds
100g sugar substitute
2 – 3 eggs depending on the size, so add them one at a time
200g blanched almonds

To decorate
150g sugar free chocolate
100g flaked almonds

Sieve together the flour and baking powder in a bowl and add the butter. Rub the butter in with your hands and when all the butter has been worked in add the sugar substitute and ground almonds. The sugar here is not just for taste but it is require for consistency.

Next add the eggs one at a time to form a dough. Once the dough is hard enough to be rolled out but not too hard, take it out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured working top. To check your dough, you should be able to leave a finger make when you press the dough.

Once you are ready to make your Figolli, pre-heat your oven to 160C. Roll the pastry to about 1cm in thickness and cut using the large Figolli cutters. If you are not planning on coating them with chocolate you could brush them with a beaten egg before baking, if you will be covering with chocolate there is no need for this. Press the blanched almonds into the pastry and bake your figolla in a pre-heated oven at 170C for about 10 minutes.

Once your Figolli are baked to a light golden colour, take them out of the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Now, to cover your Figolli, melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. If you are preparing this recipe for someone who is diabetic, make sure that the chocolate you use is suitable for diabetics. Cover the Figolli with the chocolate and whilst the chocolate is still runny sprinkle your flaked almonds all over it.

I wish you and your family a relaxing long weekend and a Happy Easter filled with Figolli, chocolates and on a healthier note, Flowers!!

Easter Figolli

Figolli are essentially almond pies baked in different shapes to be eaten on Easter Sunday. Originally decorated with fondant icing but now-a-days you may also find Figolli coated in chocolate.
Although modern additions to Easter such as chocolate eggs and the Easter bunny can be found in most Maltese shops, Figolli are still very popular.

I like to prepare the dough the night before as this gives the pastry time to rest as well as it reduces your preparation time on the day. Here is what you will need:

Makes 10 large figolli
For the dough:
800 gr. Plain flour
400 gr. sugar
250 gr margarine
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 teaspoons baking powder

For the filling
600 gr. Sugar
600 gr. Ground Almonds
4 to 5 egg whites depending on the size

Start off by preparing the dough; sift the flour into a large bowl and add the baking powder. Now, add the margarine and rub it in with your hands until it has been completely dissolved into the flour and you are left with a sandy mixture. Next add the sugar and vanilla and make a well in the centre of your crumbs. Add the eggs and mix the ingredients together to form dough. Set it aside to rest on a floured surface or place it in the fridge overnight.

For the filling, place the ground almonds and sugar together in a bowl and add the egg whites a little at a time mixing after every addition. Once the almond turns into a paste, your filling is done. You should be able to hold the almond paste in your hands and shape it just like you would with pastry.

To prepare the figolli, just roll out the dough to about 0.5 cm in thickness and cut two identical shapes. Place a layer of filling on one of the shapes leaving a boarder around the edge of approximately 1 cm. Make sure not to press the filling too much when spreading since this will cause your pastry to lose its shape or widen and the top (identical) layer will not fit.

Now brush the edges with a little water or apricot jam and place the second shape over it. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for approximately 30 minutes or until the figolli have nicely browned.
Repeat the process until you would have used up all your dough.
Coat your Figolli with melted chocolate or icing and decorate with silver balls.

Octopus Stew

This week we have started Lent and since I have received some email asking for no-meat recipes for you to prepare during these 40 days, this week I will be giving you the recipe for Octopus Stew. Even though we might consider this as a summer dish, stew can easily be served warm as a mid-week supper.

Octopus are found fresh all the year round in our fishmongers and most supermarkets also stock pre-packed frozen ones. If you’ve never cooked octopus, don’t be discouraged. It’s very easy to handle and not difficult to clean, should it be the case. Most fishmongers are happy to clean them once you have chosen the ones you will be purchasing and the frozen ones come ready cleaned.

Should you be buying fresh octopus, always freeze it for a couple of days before using. This method, be it an old tradition, will help your octopus remain nice and soft during the cooking process and not go all chewy.
So, here is what you need to make the stew for about 2 – 4 persons depending on your portions !

1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 Kg Octopus cleaned and chopped
1 small Tin Kunserva (tomato Paste)
1 pinch of sugar
2 x 400g tins chopped Tomatoes
1 fish cube
bay leaves
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons black pitted olives – It is best to buy the big black olives (bone-in) and cut around the bone. These olives have more flavour than the pitted ones.
Chilles – Fresh, dried or ½ tsp of harissa, Optional

Start off by peeling and chopping the garlic and onions. Place them in a pan with a little oil and heat slowly until the onions start to soften. Next add the tomato paste and stir well until all the onion is nice and red, allow it to cook for a couple of seconds, then sprinkle a pinch of sugar over it.

Next add the tomato pieces and octopus together. Stir well, adding the fish cube and about 2 cups of boiling water. Make sure not to pour any water over the octopus at this stage, since this will result in boiling your tentacles.

Now add the olives, capers and bay leaves and chillies (if using). Before adding the bay leaves, wash them properly and tear at the sides for a stronger taste. Bay leaves can be found in little jars just like other dried herbs and spices.

Now, lower the heat and allow the stew to simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The longer you allow the stew to simmer, the better your end result will be. Once the sauce is reduced to a thick consistency, your stew is ready.

You can also use this recipe as a sauce and serve the stew with some spaghetti. If you wish you can also substitute the octopus for calamari.

Imbuljuta

Mulled wine seems to be sprouting at every Christmas market or event these days. Mulled wine is a warm, spiced wine drink served originally served in colder counties such as England. Other countries on mainland Europe have their own versions of the drink such as the Nordic Glogg or the German Gluewein. Click here for my mulled wine recipe

But to take us back to the Maltese tradition, this week I am giving you the recipe for the imbuljuta which is a drink made with chestnuts traditionally served over Christmas.

This drink is best served piping hot! Here is what you will need:
400 g dried chestnuts
150 g sugar
50g drinking chocolate
1 orange zest grated
1 tangerine peel finely chopped

Start off by washing your chestnuts a couple of times always discarding the water after every wash. Now place them in a bowl and cover with water again and allow the chestnuts to soak overnight.

Once you are ready to cook and serve your imbuljuta, place the chestnut and the water that they have been soaking in into a large pot and add the other ingredients. Simmer gently over a low heat until the chestnuts and nicely softened.

Imbuljuta is served in cups or mugs with or without the chestnuts depending on your personal taste.

This drink or dessert can also be served at tea time, it is quite filling, so beware!
Finally I would like to wish you and your families a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year!

Lampuki (Mahi mahi) Pie

Lampuki are back in season this month! With every purchase I made over the past week the fish seem to be getting larger so it will soon be time to prepare some delicious Lampuki pies.

Lampuki is the Maltese name for Dolphin fish or Mahi-mahi. This fish is considered by some as the only fish during these months as it can be found in abundance at most fishmongers and is also sold by hawkers parking close to home.

Most families like to remove head and tail, then cut into thick chunks, dust the pieces with some flour and fry them in oil. This typical maltese supper is served it with some crusty Maltese bread, boiled potatoes and some kunserva (tomato paste).

Here is what you need for the pie

2 onions
Lampuki fillets chopped – Number depends on the how full you like your pies
400g Spinach leaves (you can use frozen)
1 large tin of peas
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
100g green pitted olives
Chicken or Fish stock – about 250ml
Short crust pastry about 500g – depends on the size of your pies

Start off by frying the sliced onion in a little oil until it is softened. Next add the tomatoes, the spinach and some of the stock.

Now add olives and the peas and stir. Add more stock if it is required. Finally add the fish fillets and gently stir the pot so as not to break your fish chunks.

Allow the pot to simmer for a couple of minutes until your fish is cooked.
It is important that the filling is completely cooled before making you pies. It is best to make the filling a day ahead and rest it in the refrigerator.

To prepare the pies, grease your baking dish and line it with the rolled out pastry. Pour your cooled filling in the dish and spread it around evenly. Make sure that there is no water in the filling at this point. Now cover the pie with some more pastry and bake in a preheated oven at 180C until nice and brown! This should take about 45 minutes depending on your oven.

Stuffed Marrows (Qarabali Mimmli)

With Summer officially starting last Saturday, we're in for weeks of sun and hopefully clean clear seas! Most school children also finish their scholastic years this weeks so with temperatures up and little time on our hands to prepare meals, this is the time of year that I like to prepare meals such as qarabali mimmli or timpana.

Even though they might sound heavy for these hot days, these dishes are ideal as they can be prepared in advance and also they can be easily packed away for the beach.

Marrows are quite cheap and abundant at the moment, so here is the recipe for stuffed marrows, Qarabali mimmli; here is what you need :

3 marrows - long
1 small tin corned beef
200g Minced beef
1 Egg
Grated cheese
2 rashers of back bacon
1 clove of garlic – finely chopped
Salt, pepper, parsley for seasoning

Start off by washing the marrows and chopping off the tips from the top and bottom. Now cut them open into 2 pieces, cut them lengthwise and scoop out some of the flesh. Place them in a greased baking tray and set aside.

Now in a clean bowl, place the corned beef and mash it properly with a fork, add the minced beef and mix well. Now add all the other ingredients and mix properly. Place the filling into the marrows and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for about 35 mins or until your beef is cooked through.

This dish is best served with an accompaniment of Maltese baked potatoes ( the recipe for this dish I shall be giving you over the next weeks) and some Maltese bread.

Should you like to contact me, please do so on concita@demicoli.com or leave your comments on this page.

Easter Figolli

Figolli are essentially almond pies done in different shapes to be eaten on Easter Sunday. Originally decorated with fondant, now-a-days you may also find ones decorated with chocolate.
Although modern additions to Easter such as chocolates eggs and the Easter bunny can be found in most shops, Figolli are still very popular.
I like to prepare the dough the night before, this gives it time to rest as well as it reduces your preparation time on the day. Here is what you will need:
Makes 10 large figolli
For the dough:
800 gr. Plain flour
400 gr. sugar
250 gr margarine
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 teaspoons baking powder

For the filling
600 gr. Sugar
600 gr. Ground Almonds
4 to 5 egg whites depending on the size

Start off by preparing the dough, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the baking powder. Now, add the margarine and rub it in with your hands until it has been completely dissolved into the flour and you are left with a sandy mixture. Now, add the sugar and vanilla and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and mix the ingredients together to form dough. Set it aside to rest on a floured surface or place it in the fridge overnight.

For the filling, place the ground almonds and sugar together in a bowl and add the egg whites a little at a time mixing after every addition. Once the almond turns into a paste, your filling is done. You should be able to hold the almond paste in your hands and shape it just like you would with pastry.

To prepare the figolli, just roll out the dough to about 0.5 cm in thickness and cut two identical shapes. Place a layer of filling on one of the shapes leaving a boarder around the edge of approximately 1 cm. Make sure not to press the filling too much when spreading since this will cause your pastry to lose its shape or widen and the top (identical) layer will not fit.

Now brush the edges with a little water or apricot jam and place the second shape over it. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for approximately 30 minutes or until the figolli have nicely browned.
Repeat the process until you would have used up all your dough.
Coat your Figolli with melted chocolate or icing and decorate with silver balls.

Kwarezimal

Easter is celebrated next Sunday the 23rd. During this Christian period, no sweets should be consumed, however, together with the Caramelli tal-Harrub (carob sweets), it is said by fasters that Kwarezimal or Quarezimal are the permissible sweets during the Lenten period. Figolli, which are essentially an almond pies done in different shapes are to be eaten on Easter Sunday. Modern additions to this feast are chocolates eggs and the Easter bunny which can be seen on most Easter decorations.
Kwarezimal need a little more attention then the Figolli to make. The difference between a complete disaster and perfection can be a few extra drops of water added to the mixture so work slowly!
Here is what you will need:
350 gr. Ground brown almonds (not blanched) with the skin still on
350 gr. sugar
2 ¼ tablespoons golden syrup
4 teaspoons cocoa
2 teaspoons Baking powder
½ tablespoons mixed spices
Lemon Rind
200 gr. plain flour
A pinch of salt
100ml of water (room temperature)

Place all the ingredients, excluding the water, together in a large bowl or electric mixer and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Now add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix well after every addition. Do not be afraid to mix on a relatively high speed, no harm can be done by over mixing it. Make sure to mix for about 2 minutes after every addition as the water take long to mix through the ingredients.
Once a dough consistency is achieved, take the mixture out of the food processor and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, heat your oven to 160C and line your flat baking with baking paper. Now shape your kwarezimal by hand into rectangles approximately 10 cm long and 3 to 4 cm wide the height should be approximately 1 cm.
Bake the kwarezimal for 10 / 15 minutes, they should still be soft once you remove them from the oven, but don’t worry, they will harden up on cooling.
Now for decoration, heat up some golden syrup until it is runny. Brush the syrup on top of the kwarezimal then sprinkle some crushed nuts over it.

Pasta with Calamari

With sunny days becoming frequent and spring just around the corner, I changed my menu at home this week and decided to add a little bit more fish! So this week I prepared a nice plate of spaghetti with a calamari sauce. Here is the recipe for the sauce. I prefer to serve this with spaghetti, but you can use any pasta you like.

Serves 4
1 large calamari – about 30cm in length
1 medium onion sliced thinly
1 x 400g tin, chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons kunserva
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
150g green & black olives, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon capers, chopped
1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon butter

Start off by cleaning the calamari, or ask you fishmonger to do so. Once it’s cleaned, slit a knife across once side of it and open it up into a butterfly. Now cut the calamari into cubes about 2cm x 2cm.

In a pot, place some olive oil and add the onion. Once the onion softens, add the calamari and cook for about 2 minutes.

Now add the kunserva (tomato paste) and the chopped tomatoes and season with the anchovy paste. Add the capers, olives and about 1 cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes. Now add the oregano and stir in the butter and cook the sauce for another 30 minutes or until the sauce has reached the thickness required.

I prefer to serve a thick sauce in this case as it coats the pasta beautifully.

You can allow the sauce to simmer for longer if you wish. Once the pasta is cooked, stir the pasta into the sauce and serve.

You can also prepare the sauce in advance and freeze it.

Should you like to contact me, please do so on concita@demicoli.com

Recipe - Gnocchi filled with Ricotta

During lent, there are a number of households over the island which try and avoid eating meat as well as sweets on Wednesdays and Fridays. As happens in most cases when sticking to a particular menu over a period of time, inspiration runs out. So give your menu a change, here is the recipe for gnocchi filled with ricotta.

The great thing about this dish is that you can prepare it in advance and then just cook it at the last minute. Cooking only takes 20 minutes!

Here is what you will need to serve a family of 4
500g Pasta Shells, also know as pasta gnocchi
400g Ricotta
Fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon kunserva (tomato concentrate)
1 large tin aprox 400 g tomato polpa (chopped tomatoes)
grated cheese
2 litres milk

Start off by making your sauce. Fry your garlic in a little oil until it has softened, then add the kunserva and sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over it. Once it has fried, add the tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes over a medium heat. Should you like, you can also add a teaspoon of butter or margarine to make the sauce creamier. Once the sauce is ready, set aside and allow it to cool.

Now for the gnocchi; mash the ricotta with a fork and add a little hot water if it is too thick. This will soften your cheese and make it better to work with. Add a little chopped parsley and mix well. Now using a teaspoon fill the pasta shells with the ricotta. Should you have a piping bag, using a wide nozzle, filling your shells will be easier and quicker. Whilst you are filling your shells place them in a baking dish. Do not worry if your shells end up upside down, the ricotta will not run out. Once all the shells have been filled and your dish is full, pour enough milk until all the shells have been completely covered. Depending on the size and shape of your dish you might need just under 2 litres. You can use any type of milk be it UHT, fresh, skimmed or whole milk.

Now spread the tomato sauce on top, sprinkle a little grated cheese and place in the fridge, always covered, over night. This will soften your pasta and reduce your baking time.

When you are ready to eat, bake your pasta in a 150C oven for about 20 minutes.