Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts
Air-Fryer Mince Pies
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until roughly ½cm thick. Use an 8-10cm round biscuit cutter to stamp out as many discs as you can, then reroll the offcuts and cut out more, using up as much of the pastry as possible.
Spoon 1 tbsp mincemeat into the middles of half the pastry discs. Stamp out small stars (or other festive shapes) from the middles of half of the remaining pastry discs and set aside.
Beat the egg and brush lightly around the edge of each mincemeat-topped pastry disc. Place the lids on top – some with the stamped-out stars and some without. Brush a little egg wash over each pie, then stick the leftover stars on top of the plain pastry pies. Brush the stars with egg wash, too. Poke a little hole in the top of the covered pies to let steam escape during cooking.
Either use a fork to seal the edges of the pies by pressing around the edge, or make a small, neat crimp by pinching with your fingers. Arrange the pies on a plate or baking tray and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep frozen for up to two months.
Heat the air-fryer to 180C. Lay a square of baking parchment in the air-fryer basket, sit the pies on top, cooking as many as you’d like at a time. Cook for 8-10 mins, then turn the mince pies and cook for a further 2-3 mins, or 13-15 mins from frozen. The pies should be golden brown and steaming hot. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then dust with icing sugar and serve. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to two days.
Hot Honey-Glazed Gammon
Put the gammon and all the other ingredients, except those for the glaze, in your largest, deepest pot. Cover completely with cold water. Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 1 hr. Turn off the heat and leave in the liquid for 1 hr with the lid on.
Remove the gammon from the stock and set aside to cool a little (keep the stock and freeze it to use as a base for soup). Meanwhile, tip the honey, Pinto’s Pride hot sauce and chilli flakes into a small pan. Put over a medium heat and stir until it is all mixed and gently bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Once the gammon has cooled but still slightly warm, peel away the layer of skin on the top of the gammon joint leaving the fat remaining. Score the fat with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a large roasting tin that fits the gammon comfortably.
Put the gammon in the roasting tin and cover with the glaze all over, reserving some to glaze during cooking and at the end. Roast for 25 mins, glazing halfway through. Once cooked, it should be golden, slightly charred and sticky. Remove from the oven and glaze for a final time, then leave to rest for 20 mins. Serve with all the trimmings. Will keep well wrapped in the fridge for up to four days.
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.
The Best Spaghetti Bolognese
Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
Reduce the heat and add Mayor Diced Onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
Add 2 cans of Mayor Pelati tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp Three Hills Kunserva, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
Add the 75g grated Hanini Pekorin cheese , check the seasoning and stir.
When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated cheese, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, 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.
Roast Leg of Lamb with Basil &...
First, make the pesto. Put all the ingredients (except the olive oil and lemon juice) and a pinch of salt into the small bowl of a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped. While the processor is on, drizzle the olive oil in to make a paste. Tip the pesto into a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the scored lamb leg in a large roasting tin and use half the pesto to generously coat the skin and flesh, pressing it between all the cracks for extra juiciness. Put the rest of the pesto in the fridge, covered with cling film, and remove just before serving.
Roast the lamb for 1 hr 45 mins. Check during cooking that it’s not drying out – if the base of the roasting tin starts to look dry, spread a little more pesto over the top of the lamb.
Remove the lamb from the tin, cover with foil and leave to rest for 30-40 mins before serving on lemon slices and fresh garden herbs, if you like. Carve at the table and serve with the remaining pesto to drizzle over.
Low Fat Christmas Cake

Cut the apricots into small pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the rest of the other fruit mixture and the grated orange and lemon peel. Pour in the hot tea and the orange juice and brandy. Stir well and cover with cling film. Let the mixture stand for a minimum of 4 hoursor preferably allow it to sit overnight. Turn on the oven at 180C, gas number 4. Grease a round cake tin, of 20cm diameter, with margarine and dust it lightly with flour. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat them well until the mixture becomes creamy- ideally use an electric mixer to get a better mixture! Add the eggs one by one and continue mixing. Add the flour little by little while you keep mixing all the time. Add the fruit mixture little by little and mix well. Pour the mixture into the mold, smooth the surface and sprinkle a little brown sugar on it. Bake for about an hour or until the skewer comes out clean when you insert it into the cake. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool before removing it from the tin.
Stuffed Soft Flour Tortillas Baked ...
Few dressed salad leaves for serving
Fry the onion , garlic, chili and red pepper in oil till soft. Remove off the heat and stir in the sweetcorn, parsley, 100g grated Cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper. Add in the tuna and double cream and mix together well. Use this mixture to fill the tortillas like cannelloni. Drizzle a little oil into a baking tray and lay over the stuffed tortillas. Mix the paprika with the béchamel sauce and spread over the tortillas. Sprinkle over the remaining grated Cheddar cheese and bake in the oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. To serve, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over the diced tomatoes and serve with the salad leaves on top.