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Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts

Chicken and Leek Pie

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Cut the chicken into bite size chunks, season with salt and pepper. Shallow fry the chicken pieces in a spoon of hot melted butter until browned. Next stir in the bacon, leeks and mushrooms, sprinkle with rosemary and nutmeg. Splash with white wine, allow simmering, mix in the spinach and bind with enough white sauce. Transfer the mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish. Mix the mashed potatoes with the butter, cheeses and parsley, season to taste, beat in the yolks. Spread the mash potatoes over the chicken mixture and bake in a moderately hot oven until the mash is golden.

Colourful Bruschetta

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Slice the bread in thick slices. Drizzle some olive oil and grill on a pan or in oven. In a separate bowl, drain the Mayor Cherry Tomatoes and add the mozzarella balls and roughly cut basil leaves. When bread is done and still warm, top with the tomato mixture and drizzle some more olive oil.

Maltese Sausage and pumpkin risotto

Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, and sausage in butter until softened without browning. Add the rice still for 2 minutes on low heat then pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Add the warm stock and simmer until liquid is almost absorbed and rice is almost cooked. Add the pumpkin and rosemary and mix well, continue cooking until rice is cooked through. Add the tomato cream and simmer for a few more minutes, adjust seasoning and serve with mascarpone on top.

Ricotta Ravioli with Lemon and Oliv...

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Heat a knob of butter in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add in the olives, thyme and tomatoes and sauté for 2 more minutes. Splash in the white wine, stock and simmer by half. Add in the cream, lemon zest, juice and simmer again by half. Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in salted boiling later. Finish off the sauce by whisking in the remaining butter, season and toss in the ravioli.

Roasted Leg of Lamb

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Cover the lamb with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and roughtly chopped sage. Add the water and the oil in the pan and place the meat. Cover with foil and cook in moderate oven for around 1 hour and 30 minutes. Uncover the lamb and cook for some more time until golden. Switch off oven and let set for at least 25minutes. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, gravy and some ready made mint sauce.

Salt Cod Salad

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The balance of salt cod, potatoes, onions, and fresh parsley makes this salad extremely tasty. Rinse any excess salt off the cod. Place the cod into a large bowl and cover it with cold water. Leave it to soak in the fridge for at least 24 hours, changing the water three to four times. If, upon tasting a small piece after allotted time has lapsed, the cod is still salty, soak it for a bit longer. Put the cod into a pan with the bay leaf and cover it with fresh, cold water. Bring it to just below boiling point over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to stand for about 10 minutes. Remove the cod from the water and leave it to cool, setting the water aside. Once cooled, remove the cod’s skin and any bones and flake the flesh with a fork. Place it in a large bowl. Peel and quarter the potatoes and cook them, over medium-high heat in the poaching water previously put aside, for about 15 minutes or until tender. DON’T OVERCOOK THEM. Drain, allow to cool slightly and then add them to the cod. Wash, peel and finely chop the leeks. Add them to the cod and potatoes. Add the sliced tomato and mix gently together. Wash and trim the parsley, discarding the stems. Dry and finely chop the leaves. Add the chopped parsley leaves to the potatoes and cod. Combine the oil, vinegar, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Whisk the vinaigrette until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the salad to a platter and garnish the edges with olives and wedges of hard boiled egg. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until serving.

Whitebait Patties

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Roughly cut the fish. Peel and crush the garlic. Mix well together the egg yolk, crushed garlic, coriander and chopped parsley in a bowl. Add some flour, seasoning and the whitebait to this mixture. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Using your hands, shape the mixture into small, round patties. Put some semolina on a large, flat plate and pass these patties in it. Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat, and once heated, add the oil. Gently drop the raw patty into the hot oil. Fry the patties until they are a deep, golden colour, turning them to ensure that each side is done. Keep them in a warm place until they are ready to serve. Serve hot with lemon wedges, tartar sauce and a crisp, green salad.

Roughly cut the fish. Peel and crush the garlic. Mix well together the egg yolk, crushed garlic, coriander and chopped parsley in a bowl. Add some flour, seasoning and the whitebait to this mixture. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Using your hands, s

hape the mixture into small, round patties. Put some semolina on a large, flat plate and pass these patties in it. Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat, and once heated, add the oil. Gently drop the raw patty into the hot oil. Fry the patties until they are a deep, golden colour, turning them to ensure that each side is done. Keep them in a warm place until they are ready to serve. Serve hot with lemon wedges, tartar sauce and a crisp, green salad.

Stuffed Calamari

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Clean the calamari. Holding the body firmly, grasp the head and pull gently, twisting, if necessary, to pull the head away from the body without breaking the ink sac. The internal body and tentacles will come out with it. Cut the tentacles from the head just below the eyes. At the centre of the tentacles is a small beak. Squeeze to remove it and discard. Set aside the tentacles. If the recipe calls for ink, reserve it; otherwise, discard the head and ink sac. At the top of the body, there is a clear piece of cartilage. Pull it out and discard as well. If the squid has an outer, spotted, membrane-type skin, pull it off and discard too. Wash the tube carefully, inside and out, together with the tentacles under cold running water. Set the calamari aside to drain. Finely chop the tentacles and set them aside. Pit the olives, slice them into thin slivers and set them aside. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and garlic and fry them gently until soft and golden. Preheat the oven 1790C, gas mark 3. Add the reserved squid tentacles and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring often. Stuff the calamari with the mixture, allowing a little room for the stuffing to expand during cooking. Seal the ends with cocktail sticks. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil and place the stuffed calamari in it. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes. Serve hot with tomato sauce.