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Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts

Seasoned Tomato Dip

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Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix together. Place in a bowl, add some olive oil and serve with some toasted bread,

Citrus, Almond & Yogurt Cake

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Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the 200g caster sugar, flour and ground almonds in a large bowl and mix well. Whisk the eggs and 75g of Hanini Natural Yogurt into the cooled melted butter, then pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Zest the lemon and orange over the bowl. Stir with a spatula until there are no streaks of flour, then scrape into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 mins. Cut a few slices each from the zested lemon and orange, then squeeze the juice from what’s left of each into a saucepan (you’ll need about 6 tbsp total). Add the 2 tbsp caster sugar and the fruit slices to the pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-10 mins, or until the juice has reduced to a thin syrup and the fruit slices have softened. Leave to cool. Remove the fruit slices to a sheet of baking parchment and leave to dry. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake – it should come out dry, with no wet cake mix clinging to it. If it’s not ready, bake for 5-10 mins more and check again. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then spoon over the citrus syrup. Leave to cool for 10 mins more, then remove from the tin. To freeze, first leave to cool completely, then wrap the cake well. Will keep frozen for up to three months. Mix the 2 tbsp of Hanini Natural Yogurt with the icing sugar to make a thick icing. Spoon this onto the centre of the cake and use the back of a spoon to ease it to the edge (it should drip over the side). Scatter over the flaked almonds and decorate with the fruit slices. Serve warm, or leave to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to five days.

Layered Rainbow Salad Pots

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Cook the pasta until it is still a little al dente (2 mins less than the pack instructions) and drain well. Cook the green beans in simmering water for 2 mins, then rinse in cold water and drain well. Mix the tuna with the Mayor mayonnaise and Hanini yogurt. Add the chives, if using. Tip the pasta into a large glass bowl or four small ones, or four wide-necked jars (useful for taking on picnics). Spoon the tuna dressing over the top of the pasta. Add a layer of green beans, followed by a layer of cherry tomatoes, then the pepper and Mayor sweetcorn. Cover and chill until you’re ready to eat.

Chickpea and Lentil dip

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Soak the lentils in water overnight. The next day change the water of the lentils and place in a large pot. Fill the pot with a lot of water and bring to a boil. When the lentils soften remove from the hob and allow to cool. Place the cooled lentils and chickpeas (leaving a few whole chickpeas to use as garnish) in a food processor and amalgamate the mixture. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and continue mixing until you get a smooth mixture. Place the dip in a serving dish and garnish with mint leaves, cherry tomatoes, whole chickpeas and pomegranate seeds. Serve with crunchy Maltese bread or Valletta.

Avocado Dip

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Half the avocado lengthwise and remove the stone. Spoon out the flesh of the avocado. Drain the Mayor Chickpeas and put aside a few whole chickpeas to use as garnish. Place the chickpeas together with the avocado in a food processor and mix until the ingredients are amalgamated. Pour in the olive oil and the lemon juice, season and continue processing until the mixture is smooth. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with the whole chickpeas, sage leaves and paprika.

Serve with crunchy Maltese bread or Valletta.

Seabream Pie

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Pour the oil in a pan and fry the seabream fillets until cooked well. When ready, let to cool down, clean from all bones and chop into small pieces. In the same pan, cook the garlic, onions, marrows, olives, mixed herbs, tomatoes. When cooked, add the marrowfat peas and anchovies and mix with the seabream. Mix well. Roll out half the pastry, cover a lined oven dish and brush with the beaten egg. Add the seabream filling and cover with the other half of the pastry. Egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake at 200 ° for around 40 minutes until golden.

Recipe by Mill-Kcina ta’ Pawlina

Welsh Rabbit

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In a small saucepan gently warm the ale, set aside. Take another small saucepan and over a medium heat melt the butter until it begins to foam, tip in the flour and stir everything together, cooking for 1 min. Whisk in the warm ale in several additions to create a thick sauce then whisk through the cheese to create a thick paste. Stir the mustard, Worcester Sauce and chives through the sauce. Heat a grill to its highest setting. Place the slices of bread on a flat baking sheet and grill on one side until golden brown. Flip the bread over and spread each one with the cheese mixture. Place back under the grill and cook for a further 1-2 mins or until golden brown and bubbling, serve immediately.

Baked Macaroni

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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.