Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts
Vegan Chickpea and Lentil Curry
Start by heating the oil and frying together the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger for 2-3 minutes. Add in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Add in the lentils, coconut milk, polpa, salt and ½ glass of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes to cook the lentils. When ready, check if any more water is needed and stir in the chickpeas to heat through. To serve, stir in the fresh chopped coriander and serve with the cooked basmati rice and lime wedges.
Meat Stew
Coat the meat with the flour. In a large pan, heat some olive oil and shallow fry the meat from outside. Place the mean in a casserole dish. In the same pan, cook the onion for 2 minutes and then add the nutmeg, bay leaf, the beer, stock and Kunserva and cook for around 4 minutes. After, pour onion mixture on the meat. Slice the carrots, potatoes, peas and celery and cook on low flame for around 70 minutes. Serve hot with some Maltese bread.
Baked Macaroni
Boil the macaroni according to instructions on the packet. In the meantime, in a pan fry the onions in the 3 tbsp oil. Add the garlic, carrots, salt and pepper and continue frying stirring from time to time. Add the minced pork and fry till the meat is almost done. Add the chicken stock together with the 1/2 glass of water and mix all together. Add the tomato paste and the peas and stir all together. Put the heat off. Drain the macaroni when they are ready and mix in the eggs and the grated cheese. Pour the sauce over the macaroni and mix all well. Pour all into a deep oven dish. Sprinkle some paprika on top and also a dash of oil. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven, temperature 200c until the top gets a golden colour. More or less it takes around 35 to 45 minutes.
Pastizzi Pie
Preheat the oven to 180°c. In a medium-size bowl mix ricotta, grated gibna roll, pecorino, grana, beans, raisins, pepper, parsley & 3 eggs together. Set aside. Roll out around 400g of short crust pastry. Transfer dough to a 30cm pie dish, gently fit into the dish and trim the edges. Beat an egg and brush the dough with it. This creates a seal. Gently spread the ricotta mixture and fold the edges. Place 6 large (still frozen) pastizzi and 6 party size ones to create the ‘crust’ Make sure to cover most of the surface. Add a tablespoon of milk to the remaining beaten egg and mix well. Brush the surface completely and bake until golden brown. This should take between an hour to 75mins.
Alexandrina’s Tart
For the pasty, in a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, butter and salt. Add the beaten eggs and form a dough. Wrap this dough in cling film and place it in the fridge for about 2 hours.
For the filling, in a bowl mash the Irkotta and mix with it the chocolate, 6 tbsp sugar, hazelnuts and cherries. In another bowl mix the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, milk, 6 tbsp sugar, eggs and coconut.
To assemble tart, line 2 cake tins 25cm by 18cm. Cut the pastry in two and roll each piece on a lightly floured surface. Roll it open enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tins. Prick the bottom with a fork and place the two tins in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200c. Cover the dough bottom and sides with baking paper and weigh it down with dried beans or rice and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove the baking paper with the beans or rice and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool a little. Trim the edges. Divide the irkotta mix between the 2 tins and spread it evenly over the pastry. Mix the bread mix and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes. Let the tarts cool completely and place them in the fridge. For the topping, whip together the ingredients for the topping until forming a thick consistency.
To decorate, cover the top of the tart with cream leaving some to do the design on top. One could also spread some crispy dried fruits or spread some melted chocolate. Keep this tart in the fridge.
Roasted Rabbit in Gin
Place the rabbit in an oven dish and brush with the bbq and ketchup sauces. Add spoon stock, chopped garlic and onion, dry herbs and parsley. Pour olive all over, add the gin and sprinkle the pepper. Cover with kitchen foil and bake at 200 c for one hour. Remove foil and bake for a further 15 minutes close to the grill for a scorching affect.
Oven Baked Red Mullet
Heat the oven to a temperature of 1800C, gass number 4. Clean the fish well. You may ask the fishmonger to clean the fish for you. Place in an oven dish. Drizzle some olive oil and lemon juice. Add some salt and pepper and cook in oven for around 20 to 25 minutes. Half way through the cooking time, rotate the fish. Serve immediately with some grilled vegetables and lemon slices.
Mixed Season Vegetable Soup
In a large pot, pour the oil and fry the onion and garlic, add the Kunserva and cook for another minute. Add all the vegetables and lightly cook for a couple of minutes. Add the water, season, and bring to boil. Simmer on a low flame for around 40 minutes. Serve with Ħanini Ġibna slices.