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Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts

Gibanica Gozitana

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In a large bowl add the Gozo cheese and crumble the Greek Style Cheese and mix well. Add the parsley, beaten eggs, kefir, milk, sparkling water, and season to taste. Set aside. Melt the butter and mix it with the oil. Place 2 sheets of filo pastry in a deep baking dish. Brush the surface of the pastry with the oil/butter mixture. Crumble a sheet of filo pastry and dip it in the cheese/egg mixture. Place it in the dish and continue with this method until you cover the whole dish. Add any remaining mixture on top of them. Cover everything with 2-3 layers of filo pastry brushing them with the oil/butter mixture. Brush the surface too and bake in a preheated 180°c until golden brown. Around 40 minutes.

Apple Tart

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Prepare the sweet shortcrust pastry. Preheat the oven 1800C, gas mark 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry thinly and line a 24cm diameter, non-stick baking dish with it. If possible, use a loose bottomed tin. This will make it easier to remove the baked tart later on. If you will be using baking paper, moisten it slightly before lining the tin. Press the pastry lightly and firmly all over the base and sides of the tin, easing any overlapping pastry back down the sides, as it is important not to stretch this bit too much. Trim the edges, leaving a small edge of pastry sticking over the edge of the baking dish to allow for shrinkage in the oven. Prick the pastry’s bottom and sides a few times with a fork. Core, peel and slice the apples according to your taste. Place the sliced apples in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon rind and sultanas and mix well. Fill the baking dish with the apple mixture. Moisten the edges of the pastry with a little water. Cover completely the top with the remaining pastry, or else cut the pastry in strips and form a grid with them. Seal well and trim the edges of the tart. Make some slits in the top and brush with beaten egg. Bake for around 50 minutes, until the pastry gets a rich, golden colour.

Chocolate Swiss Roll

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Warm the oven at 235C, gas number 8. Sieve the flour together with the chocolate powder. Grease a rectangular dish, of 45cm long by 38cm wide, with a little margarine and cover the bottom with a piece of baking paper. Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in an electric mixer and work until the mixture turns white and thickens like a cream. You can also use an electric hand beater. Add the glycerin and continue to mix. Gradually add the flour little by little to the mixture while beating all the time. IMPORTANT: NEVER throw in all the flour at once! Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and see that its height is the same allover. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Take the sponge out of the oven, remove it from the dish and place it face down on a napkin until it cools. For the filling: Put 2 jars of fresh cream or half of the UHT cream in a bowl and stir well. UHT cream is better to fill the Swiss roll. Cover the sponge with this cream and roll it. Place the Swiss roll in the fridge for at least two hours. In the meantime. melt the chocolate in the microwave or a bain-marie. It is very important that neither water nor steam come into contact with the chocolate and that you do not cover it whilst melting. If you use chocolate that is button-shaped and not block-shaped, it will melt much faster. Place the remaining 2 jars of fresh cream or UHT cream in a saucepan and heat over a moderate heat. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool. Beat the cold cream well with an electric hand beater or mixer. Take the Swiss roll out of the fridge, place it on a large, oblong plate and cover it with this cream. Put it back in the fridge for at least two hours. Take out of the fridge and scratch the surface of the chocolate with a fork to make it look like a tree trunk (see photo). Sprinkle some icing sugar on top and decorate with Christmas decorations.

Panedispanja

Preheat the oven 2000C, gas mark 6. Lightly grease and dust with flour a baking dish having a 23cm diameter. Combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl.  Beat for about 10 minutes on the highest speed, until the mixture is white and thick. Use either an electric hand beater or else an electric mixer in order to have a really light sponge.  If you beat the eggs and sugar using a hand whisk, you will never have the same result. Sift the flour and, using a large metal spoon, lightly fold HALF of it into the mixture.Using a metal spoon, add the rest of the flour, half at a time, folding gently, in a figure of eight movement. Pour the mixture in the baking dish.Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the sponge is well-risen and feels firm to the touch.Allow the sponge to stand for 5 minutes before turning it on to a wire rack to cool.

Sweet and Sticky Chicken and Pineap...

Start this recipe by mixing together the orange zest, juice, BBQ sauce and chilli flakes. Add in the chicken strips and coat well. Allow to sit for 30 minutes before threading onto skewers with the pineapple and peppers. Drizzle with olive oil and BBQ till golden brown and cooked through. Meanwhile, make up the taboule with boiling hot water and allow to soak for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Mix in the olive oil, fresh mint and toasted almonds. Also, prepare guacamole using the rip avocado. To serve, place the pineapple shell onto a large board and fill with the taboule. Arrange the skewers on the board with the guacamole on the side in a bowl, Decorate with lime wedges, extra mint and chilli flakes.

Braised Beef Chilly Gluten Free Wra...

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Rub the Beef with BBQ rub and place in an oven dish, add the beef stock cover and cook at 160 degrees Celsius for 4 hours. In a sauté pan sauté the onions, chilly and garlic, add the kidney beans and toss well, finally add the coriander and remove from heat. Use a fork to pull the beef, mix with the sautéed onion mix and add the BBQ sauce. Place the beef mix across the wrap add the cheese and baby spinach, roll and grill from all the sides.

Deviled Eggs

Bring some water to the boil in a large saucepan and, once it’s boiling, add the eggs, one by one, into the pan and bring back to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn the heat off and leave the eggs to stand in the pan for 12 minutes. While you’re waiting for the eggs to cook, fill a large bowl with very cold water, and throw in a handful of ice cubes if you have them. As soon as the eggs have had their 12 minutes, spoon them into the cold water and leave for 15 minutes – no longer – before peeling patiently and carefully. Halve the eggs lengthways and gently prise the yolk out of each half and pop them into a mixing bowl. Place the neatest looking 18 halved whites on a plate or two. Add the mayonnaise, a teaspoon of English mustard, the salt and paprika to the egg yolks, and shake a few drops of Hot Pepper Sauce on top. Stir and mash with a fork, then blend with a stick blender or in a food processor. Add the oil and blend again until smooth. It will be very thick. Check for seasoning and also taste to see if you want this hotter. I generally go up to 2 teaspoons of mustard and quite a bit more Tabasco, but it’s best to proceed slowly. Now, by hand, stir in as much of the water as you need to help form a piping consistency. Spoon the golden mixture into a piping bag with a star icing nozzle, making sure it is densely packed at the bottom of the bag. Then pipe away, filling the hollowed-out whites with golden rosettes. Or you can mound the yolk mixture using a pair of teaspoons. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped chives and serve with a flourish.

Naan Bread Gozitan Pizza

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Spread the tomato sauce on the naan bread and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella. Add your favourite ingredients and finish off with fresh rosemary and chopped Peppered Cheeselet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a preheated 220°C oven for about 15 minutes or until is well baked. Add fresh basil and serve.