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Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts

Thai-inspired dish: Coconut Curry C...

Start by cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces and chopping all the vegetables.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, the onion and garlic until softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the sliced bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots, and cook for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Pour in the reduced-fat coconut milk and stir in the Thai red curry paste. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add soy sauce to the curry sauce. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper according to your taste preferences. Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and stir well to combine all the ingredients. Let the curry simmer for another 5 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together. Once everything is heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly, remove from heat. Serve the coconut curry chicken over cooked rice or noodles, garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.
Enjoy your Coconut Curry Chicken with Vegetables!

Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi

Boil the kettle. Place the spinach in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Leave for 2 mins until wilted, then drain thoroughly. Leave to cool, then wrap a clean tea towel around the spinach. Hold it over the sink and squeeze out as much water as possible. Finely chop.

Place the spinach, parsley, garlic, Hanini ricotta, flour, eggs, Hanini cheese and a generous grating of nutmeg into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to stir very thoroughly until everything is completely mixed. Using wet hands, form the mixture into walnut-size balls. Place on a large plate or tray and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to warm and bring a large pan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and drop in batches of about 8-10 gnocchi at a time. They will sink to the bottom, and when they rise to the top give them about 1 min more, then remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve the gnocchi on warm plates drizzled with olive oil and scattered with rocket and more cheese.

Creamy Tomato Risotto

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Tip in Mayor Polpa and half Pinto’s Pride stock into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour into a saucepan with the remaining stock, bring to a gentle simmer and keep over a low heat.

Meanwhile, place the butter and oil in the base of a large saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Add the onion and gently cook for 6-8 mins until softened. Stir in the garlic and rosemary, then cook for 1 min more. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 min.

Start adding the hot stock and tomato mixture about a quarter at a time. Let the risotto cook, stirring often, adding more stock as it is absorbed. After you have added half the stock, add the cherry tomatoes. After 20-25 mins, the rice should be creamy and tender, the cherry tomatoes softened and all of the stock should be used up.

Cover and leave for 1 min, then stir in the basil. Serve sprinkled with Hanini Pekorin cheese and a good grinding of black pepper.

Broad Bean & Ġibniet Stew

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In a large casserole dish, add the onions, the garlic and Three Hills Kunserva. Cook for 2 minutes. After, add all other ingredients except the eggs and Hanini cheeselets. Cover and simmer for an hour. Break the eggs in a small bowl and gently pour it on top of the soup, one after the other. Add the cheeselets and cook to your taste until solid. Important not to keep the cheeselets more than 2 minutes. Serve hot with crunchy Maltese bread. Recipe by Mill Kcina ta’ Pawlina

Baked Eggs with Spinach, Tomatoes, ...

Heat the oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole or frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry Mayor onions with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, and fry for 1 min more. Tip in Mayor tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar and Three Hills sundried tomatoes. Season and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins, stirring often. Tip in the spinach and cook for another 5 mins until wilted.

Heat the grill to high. Make eight gaps in the sauce with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each. Dot over Hanini ricotta and scatter with Hanini Pekorin cheese. Cover and cook for 5 mins, then slide under the hot grill for a few minutes until the egg whites are set and the yolks runny. Scatter with the basil and serve with crusty bread for dunking.

Quick Honey & Garlic Pork Chop...

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Combine the honey, Pinto’s Pride soy, rice vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Mix the oil and butter in another bowl.

Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until searing hot. Brush the pork chops all over with the oil and butter mixture, season, then cook for 4-6 mins, turning halfway, until cooked through.

Lift the pork out of the pan and onto a plate using tongs, then brush the honey mixture over both sides and return to the pan to cook for a further minute on each side.

Rest the chops for a couple of minutes, then drizzle over any juices from the pan to serve. Sprinkle with the parsley to finish, if you like.

Lamb Shanks

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Heat the oven at a temperature of 1900C or gass mark 5. Clean the meat and place in an oven proof dish. Add the rosemary. Cook in oven until the meat is light brown from the outside. In the meantime peal and chop the garlic and the carrots. In a pan, warm some olive oil and cook the garlic and Mayor onions for around 2 minutes. Lower heat and add the carrots and some rosemary. Add the Kunserva, the wine and some water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves. Place the lamb chops in a casserole which has a lid. Pour the sauce on the meat and cook in oven for around 90 minutes. If needed, you can add some warm water while dish is cooking. Serve with some rice or roasted potatoes. Recipe by Anton Dougall

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

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First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, Pinto’s Pride vinegar, Mayor tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes. Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.

Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Hanini Pekorin cheese and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Hanini Pekorin cheese. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.