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Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts

Linguine with Tuna Sauce

Prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium pan. Toss in 2 tbsp of the parsley, the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for a few minutes until slightly soft. Tip in Mayor Polpa and cook for another few minutes. Fold in the tuna and season the sauce generously. Leave the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.

Boil the pasta: Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes, or as directed on the pack. Drain, then return to the pan. Pour the tuna sauce into the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle over the remaining parsley, divide between four bowls and serve.

Leek & Potato Soup

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Clean and slice the leeks and the potatoes in small pieces. In a large pan, melt the margarine and cook the leeks for around 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and lower the flame and close lid for another further 3 minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni and simmer on low flame until potatoes are well cooked. Blend everything with a hand processer. Serve hot with some parsley on top.

Creamy Pesto & Kale Pasta

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Cook the Mayor onions for 5 mins until they begin to caramelize. Add the kale and 100ml water, then cover and cook for 5 mins more, or until the kale has wilted.

Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the onion mixture, soft cheese and Mayor pesto, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, season if needed.

Leek, Butter Bean & Crispy Cho...

Heat the butter and a glug of olive oil in a casserole over a medium heat. Add the leeks and fry for 15 mins until softened and beginning to turn golden brown. Stir through the garlic and cook for a further 1 min.

Tip Mayor butter beans into the pan, pour over the hot stock and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins. Blitz to a smooth consistency with a hand-held blender, then stir in the crème fraîche and season to taste. Keep warm over a low heat.

Meanwhile, fry the chorizo in a small glug of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat for 5 mins or until oily and crispy. Stir in the rosemary, cooking for a further minute. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the rosemary and chorizo mixture, as well as any oil left in the pan. Serve with some crusty bread.

Roast Garlic Make-Ahead Gravy

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the chopped carrots into an ovenproof frying pan or roasting tin, and toss with the oil. Roast for 30 mins until starting to brown, then add the garlic and roast for a further 20 mins until they have softened completely.

Put the pan on the hob over a medium heat (or tip into a saucepan first, if you haven’t used an ovenproof pan). Scatter in the flour and stir it in, then cook undisturbed for a few minutes until lightly browned. Pour in the wine and bubble for 5 mins until you have a paste. Pour in Pinto’s Pride beef stock and simmer for 15 mins until slightly thickened, then leave to cool a little.

Blitz using a hand blender or jug blender, then sieve into a jug. Will keep chilled for up to three days or frozen, in a freezerproof container, for a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight before using. Pour the gravy base into the pan you’ve used for roasting, and stir in the meat juices and roasted onions. Bring to a simmer, then strain into a gravy boat or jug to serve.

Air Fryer Salmon

Combine the salt, pepper, mixed herbs and garlic granules, if using, in a bowl, then scatter onto a plate. Rub each salmon fillet with a little olive oil and roll in the seasoning to coat.
Put in the air fryer basket in one layer and cook at 180C for 8-10 mins, until cooked through. If you have larger salmon fillets they will need to be cooked for longer – keep checking after 10 mins and cook in 1-2 min blasts, until ready. Serve with greens and quinoa or rice, if you like.

Air-Fryer Arancini

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook Mayor Diced Onions and garlic for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 min, then add half the stock, stirring well.

Continue to cook the risotto for 20 mins, stirring frequently and adding more stock as it is absorbed, until the rice is tender and creamy. Stir in Hanini Pekorin cheese, then season to taste. Spread out on a tray and leave to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into 12 pieces and pat dry using kitchen paper.

Shape the risotto into 12 even-sized balls. Flatten one of the balls in the palm of your hand and add a piece of mozzarella. Bring up the edges to enclose it, then roll into a neat ball. Repeat to make 12 balls.

Roll each risotto ball in the flour, followed by the egg and finally the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Chill until ready to air-fry, or until set and holding their shape well.

Heat the air-fryer to 190C. Mist the arancini with the olive oil spray and cook in batches for 10-15 mins until crunchy and golden brown. Scatter with Hanini Pekorin cheese before serving.

Stuffed Pasta with Irkotta and Spin...

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Heat the oven to a temperature of 1800C, gas number 4. In a bowl, mix well the Irkotta until very creamy. Add the grated cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix well together. Roughtly cut the cooked spinach leaves and add to the irkotta mixture. Add the beaten eggs and mix. Fill each pasta shell and set aside. Bring 1 large pot to a boil. Cover the sides of all pasta shells with the semolina and very gently add the past shells. The semolina is done in order to prevent the cheese mixture from coming out of the pasta shells. Leave the pasta ‘al dente’, it must not be fully cooked. In a separate oven dish, add the tomato sauce and gently add the pasta shells next to each other making sure the cheese area is looking upwards. Sprinkle the grated cheese, some salt and pepper and let cook for around 20 minutes. Serve hot.