Maltese Food

• Artichoke Hearts with Lemon

   

   

   

   

  Artichoke Hearts with Lemon

  Qlub tal-qaqoċċ bil-lumi 

  Ingredients

  4 globe artichokes

  olive oil

  chopped parsley

  lemon juice and zest

  Method

  1. Remove all the outside leaves from the artichokes.
  2. Wash them and cut in two.  Place them in a saucepan with the lemon juice and zest.
  3. Cover with water, add parsley and boil.  Continue cooking until cooked.
• Baked Fish Parcels

  

  Baked Fish Parcels 

  Ħut fil-Forn

  Ingredients

  4 fish steaks

  150g chopped onions

  50g anchovy fillets

  50g chopped onions

  50g chopped olives

  2 cloves peeled and chopped garlic

  olive oil

  lemon juice and zest

  chopped parsley

  fresh breadcrumbs

  vinegar

  salt and pepper

  foil

  Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 4.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, onions, garlic, olives, anchovies, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil.  Mix well.
  3. Take four pieces of foil and brush with oil.
  4. Lay a fish steak on each piece and divide the filling mixture evenly between them.
  5. Seal the parcels tightly and put them onto a baking tray.
  6. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
• Baked Potatoes

  

  Baked Potatoes

  Patata il-forn 

  Ingredients

  1kg peeled potatoes

  200g peeled onions

  garlic

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  fresh rosemary leaves

  oil

  Method

  1. Thoroughly wash and slice the potatoes in thin slices.  Put in a colander to drain.
  2. Peel and slice the onions in thin to medium slices.  Put on a plate.
  3. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  4. Preheat the oven.
  5. Layer the potatoes, onions, herbs and seasonings in a greased baking dish and pour over water and oil.
  6. Bake in a moderate to hot oven for 40-45 minutes.
• Bigilla

  

  Bigilla

  Ingredients

  400g dried broad beans

  3-4 garlic cloves

  vinegar

  parsley chopped finely

  chilli pepper

  olive oil

  bicarbonate of soda

  Method

  1. Soak the beans in salted water with some bicarbonate of soda for 24 hours.
  2. Rinse beans well and put in pan and cook in plenty of salted water.  Bring to the boil and simmer till they are cooked.  Do not leave the beans short of water, as they may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
  3. Mince beans.  Season them.  Add some olive oil and put into a serving dish.
  4. Chop the parsley, peel and crush the garlic and chilli pepper; mix with some oil and vinegar.  Pour this sauce over the beans.
• Boiled Endive with Garlic

   

  Boiled Endive with Garlic

  Indivja mgħollija bit-Tewm 

  Ingredients

  1½kg endive

  garlic clove

  olive oil

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  Method

  1. Clean endive well and boil in plenty of salted water.
  2. When cooked, leave to drain in a colander for one hour; or until all the water has drained.
  3. When well drained, chop the endive into small pieces and put in a large bowl.
  4. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  5. Heat some oil in a large frying pan and quickly fry the garlic; taking care so as not to brown it.  Add the endive and continue cooking for a few minutes, stirring all the time.
  6. Season according to taste.
• Broad Beans with Garlic

  

  Broad Beans with Garlic

  Ful bit-Tewm 

  Ingredients

  2kg broad beans

  3-4 garlic cloves

  chopped parsley

  vinegar

  olive oil

  600ml water

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  Method

  1. Remove both skins from the beans.
  2. Put into a small pan; add garlic and plenty of water.  Bring to boil.
  3. Add all the other ingredients; simmer till the beans are tender.
  4. Serve hot.
• Cabbages with Bacon

  

  Cabbages with Bacon 

  Kaboċċa bil-bejken

  Ingredients

  1kg cabbages

  150g margarine or butter

  200g lean bacon

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  Method

  1. Pick off all the dead outside leaves of the cabbage, cut off as much of the stalk as possible, and cut the cabbages across twice, at the stalk end; if they should be very large, quarter them.  Wash them well in cold water, place them in a colander, and drain; put them into plenty of fast-boiling salted water.  Stir them down once or twice in the water, keep the pan uncovered, and let them boil quickly until tender. The instant they are done, remove from pan and put into a colander to drain.
  2. Dice the bacon into small cubes.
  3. In a large frying pan melt the margarine, add the bacon and cabbage. Season well and continue cooking for about 8 minutes, mixing all the time.
• Caponata

  

  Caponata

  Kapunata

  Caponata is a Sicilian vegetable dish, and it’s brilliantly flexible; you can use it as a side dish, a salad or as a kind of saucy base for cooked meat.  It’s typical of Sicily in its Arab-influenced agrodolce, or sour/sweet flavouring, and is spiked with savoury olives and capers.  It can be served hot, cold from the fridge or at room temperature.

  Ingredients

  200g eggplants

  200g green peppers

  125g peeled tomatoes

  125g onions

  50g capers

  50g stoned black olives

  50g tomato paste

  inner leaves and stalks of a large celery

  cloves of garlic

  1 tablespoon sugar

  60ml white wine vinegar

  fresh basil

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  olive oil

  Method

  1. Wash and chop the eggplants into even dice.  Wash the tomatoes and green peppers and cut into medium sized pieces.
  2. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pan and tip the aubergines and green peppers in.  Fry, stirring all the time, until the vegetables are soft.  Remove them to a bowl.
  3. Peel the garlic and onions and chop in medium sized pieces.  Fry them in some more oil in the same pan until soft.  Wash and chop the celery heart and stalks and add it to the onion mixture.  Add the chopped tomatoes. Continue cooking stirring all the time.  Cook till the celery is tender.
  4. Wash and shred the basil.
  5. Add the cooked aubergines and shredded basil to the pan and cook, stirring gently, for another ten minutes.  Add the vinegar, sugar, stoned olives and capers and cook for another five minutes to take the edge off the vinegar.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve immediately or put in a serving dish and leave to cool.
• Clear Beef Soup

  

  Clear Beef Soup

  Brodu taċ-Ċanga

  Ingredients

  1lt water

  75g carrots

  50g onions

  40g beef shin

  50g tomato paste

  celery

  salt and pepper

  Method

  1. Peel and slice onions and carrots.  Wash and cut celery into medium sized pieces.
  2. Put vegetables in a medium sized pan.  Cover with water, add tomato paste and meat.
  3. Put pan on a medium flame and bring to boil.
  4. Lower heat and leave soup to simmer for about 1½ hours skimming regularly.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot.
• Clear Chicken Broth

  

  Clear Chicken Broth

  Brodu tat-Tiġieġa

  Ingredients

  ½ chicken

  1¼lt water

  75g carrots

  75g onions

  fine pasta

  celery

  seasoning

  Method

  1. Peel and slice onions.  Wash, scrape and slice carrots.  Put together with all the other ingredients except the chicken into a medium-sized pan.  Season and bring to the boil.
  2. Lower heat.  Add the chicken.  Continue cooking on a very low heat till chicken is cooked.  Skim as much fat as possible from the top.
  3. Whilst broth is cooking boil some fine pasta.
  4. Remove the chicken and cut the meat into small pieces.  Add to the broth.
  5. Serve hot with the cooked pasta.
• Creamed Spinach with egg

  

  Creamed Spinach with Egg

  Spinaċi bil-krema u bil-bajda

  This is a very quick snack my grandma use to make for us when we were children.

  Ingredients

  fresh spinach

  fresh nutmeg

  fresh cream

  seasoning

  little butter

  oil

  1 egg

  Method

  1. Remove the stalk from the spinach.  Wash and cook without adding any water.  Do not over cook, because it will loose its bright green colour.
  2. When cooked, remove from pan, drain well and put in a large mixing bowl.  Chop and add some freshly grated nutmeg and seasoning.
  3. In a large frying pan heat some oil and cook the spinach on low heat till all the liquid is absorbed.  Whilst cooking you have to stir the spinach frequently.  Add 2 tablespoons of fresh cream.  Mix well.
  4. In another frying pan melt some butter and fry the egg.  Season according to taste.
  5. Serve the egg on top of the spinach with potatoes.
• Dried Beans with Parsley and Garlic

  Dried Beans with Parsley and Garlic

  Fażola  bit-Tursin u t-Tewm

  Ingredients

  400g dried beans

  olive oil

  vinegar

  finely chopped parsley

  cloves of garlic

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  Method

  1. Soak the beans in salted water for 24 hours.  In necessary change the water every few hours.
  2. Cook in plenty of salted water, bring to the boil and continue simmering till beans are tender, adding more water if required.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE BEANS ARE ALWAYS COVERED WITH WATER DURING THE COOKING.
  3. When cooked, drain well and put in a serving dish.
  4. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  5. Season and add some oil and vinegar. Sprinkle chopped garlic and parsley on top.
  6. This dish can be served either warm or cold.
• Eggplant with Piquant Sauce

  Eggplant with Piquant Sauce

  Brunġiel biz-Zalza Pikkanti

  Ingredients

  1 large eggplant

  200g green peppers

  200g chopped tomatoes

  olive oil

  25g tomato paste

  garlic clove

  150g onions

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  water

  Method

  1. Wash, peel and slice the eggplant into medium slices.
  2. Wash and cut green peppers into six portions and remove the seeds.
  3. Peel onions and garlic and chop finely.
  4. In a large frying pan heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic.  Add the eggplant and peppers.  Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes.
  5. Peel and chop the tomatoes in quarters and add to the eggplant mixture.  Add tomato paste and water.  Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
  6. Season.
  7. This dish is excellent served either hot or cold.
• Fish Soup

  

  Fish Soup

  Aljotta

  Ingredients

  150g white fish

  100g leeks

  1lt water

  75g peeled tomatoes

  3 garlic cloves

  chopped parsley

  chopped mint

  boiled rice

  1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  seasoning

  Method

  1. Wash and slice leeks.  Peel and chop garlic cloves.
  2. Put garlic and leeks into a pan and add the water and lemon juice.
  3. Clean the fish and remove bones.  Put fish in the pan.  If you prefer you can put the fish in a muslin bag, fasten it securely and immerse it in the pan.  When cooked you can easily remove the muslin bag from the pan.
  4. Wash and slice tomatoes and add to the pan together with the chopped parsley and mint.  Cook on low heat for 35 minutes.
  5. Whilst soup is cooking boil some rice.
  6. When soup is ready pass through a sieve to make sure that there are no fish bones left.
  7. Before serving season and add small pieces of fish.
  8. Serve hot with boiled rice.
• Fried Cabbages with Eggs

   

   

  Fried Cabbages with Eggs

  Kaboċċi moqli bil-bajd

  Ingredients

  1 kg cabbages

  3 eggs

  50g butter

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  Method

  1. Pick off all the dead outside leaves of the cabbage, cut off as much of the stalk as possible, and shred them.  Wash them well in cold water, place them in a colander, and drain; put them into plenty of fast-boiling salted water.  Stir them down once or twice in the water, keep the pan uncovered, and let them boil quickly until tender. The instant they are done, remove from pan and put into a colander to drain.
  2. In a large frying pan melt the butter.  Fry the cabbages for a few minutes, stirring all the time.
  3. Add the eggs.  Season well and continue cooking till eggs are done.
• Fried Eggplant

   

   

   

  Fried Eggplant

  Brunġiel Moqli

  Ingredients

  1 large eggplant

  flour

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  olive oil

  Method

  1. Wash and peel the eggplant and cut into round thin slices.
  2. Season the flour and coat the eggplant slices with it.
  3. In a heavy bottomed frying pan heat some oil.
  4. When very hot fry the eggplant slices in it.
  5. Serve them whilst they are still hot, because otherwise they will loose their crispness.
• Fried Pumpkin

   

   

  Fried Pumpkin

  Qargħa ħamra moqli

  Ingredients

  600g pumpkin

  100g flour

  olive oil

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  Method

  1. Peel, remove the seeds and cut the pumpkin into squares.
  2. Put the flour in a large plate and season.  Mix well.
  3. Coat the pumpkin with the flour mixture.
  4. In a large and deep frying pan heat some oil and fry the pumpkin in it.  
  5. Cook on both sides, taking care not to burn it.
• Green Peppers Stuffed with Lampuki

   

   

   

  Green Peppers Stuffed with Lampuki

  Bżar aħdar mimli bil-Lampuki

  Ingredients

  4 large green peppers

  150g cooked rice

  25g tomato paste

  finely chopped parsley

  2 eggs lightly beaten

  oil

  300g cooked lampuki

  50g onions

  25g chopped olives

  water

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  a mixture of basil and mint leaves finely chopped

  Method

  1. Cut the top of each pepper and remove the seeds.  Wash and leave to drain.  Keep the pepper tops.
  2. Peel and chop the onions.
  3. In a large frying pan heat some oil and fry the onions till they become golden brown.  Add the tomato paste and water and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the cooked rice, olives, parsley, seasoning, herbs and the flaked lampuki.  Pay special attention to remove all fish bones.  Finally add the eggs.  Continue simmering for a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
  5. Preheat the oven.
  6. Fill the green peppers with this mixture.  Put the tops on each pepper.  Put peppers in a baking dish.
  7. Bake in a moderate oven for about 60 to 75 minutes.
  8. This dish can be served either hot or cold
• Green Peppers Stuffed with Meat

  Green Peppers Stuffed with Meat

  Bżar aħdar mimli bil-Laħam

  Ingredients

  4 large green peppers

  75g chopped onions

  25g tomato paste

  chopped parsley

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  400g minced meat

  50g grated cheese

  2 eggs

  clove of garlic

  olive oil

  Method

  1. Cut the top of each pepper and remove the seeds.  Wash and leave to drain.
  2. Continue following the recipe as for Stuffed Marrows.
  3. Put stuffed peppers in a baking dish.
  4. Bake in a moderate oven for 40 to 50 minutes.
• Green Peppers Stuffed with Tuna

   

  Green Peppers Stuffed with Tuna

  Bżar aħdar mimli bit-Tonn taż-Żejt

  Ingredients

  4 large green peppers

  150g rice

  100g chopped onions

  25g tomato paste

  one tin tuna fish

  salt and freshly ground pepper

  chopped mint

  some water

  olive oil

  Method

  1. Cut the top of each pepper and remove the seeds.  Wash and leave to drain.
  2. Boil the rice.
  3. Peel and chop the onions.
  4. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the onions till they become golden brown, add tuna, mint and tomato paste. Season.  Add the water, simmer for 5 to 8 minutes stirring once or twice during cooking.
  5. Drain rice and mix well with the sauce.
  6. Preheat the oven.
  7. Stuff the peppers with this mixture and put them in a well greased baking dish.
  8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.