Wine & Thyme risotto

Last week I had some unexpected guest at home and was low on supplies, but needed to prepare something to impress my guests. I only had some arborio rice. Them I remembered the thyme plant I bought when we started this blog and it clicked. A good creamy risotto with fresh herbs never fails to impress...

Serves 5

Ingredients:

Approximately 2 litres chicken stock (vegetable stock for vegetarians)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallots or 2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

500 grams arborio rice

3 wine glasses dry red wine

Sea salt

1 good handful fresh thyme, leaves picked

Freshly ground black pepper

80 grams butter

130 grams freshly grated Parmesan cheese

160 grams roasted almonds, lightly crushed, cracked or chopped

Olive oil

Method:

Heat the stock or prepare the stock by dissolving stock granules in boiling water.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil, add the chopped shallots or onions and chopped garlicand fry slowly for about 4 minutes.

When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat. Stir gently to fry the rice till it becomes translucent.

Add the wine and keep stirring. Don't worry about the alcohol as it will evaporate.

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of stock to the rice. In cooking risotto, it is imperative that you keep stirring throughout the cooking process. Add a good pinch of salt, the thyme leaves and black pepper and continue stirring. Turn down the heat to a high simmer.

When the stock is absorbed, add another ladle and repeat this process till the rice is cooked.

When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and add the butter and parmesan. Stir gently and leave to rest coveredfor about 2 minutes.

Serve immidiately and garnish with the chopped roasted almonds.

and voila...

a perfect creamy aromatic risotto that will impress... thyme and thyme again :)

Spicy Roast Chicken

There's nothing like roast chicken

Ingredients

1.5 k whole chicken

Juice of 1 lemon

4 garlic cloves chopped

1tbsp each cayenne pepper, paprika, dried oregano

2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Roasted potatoes or mixed sliced peppers to serve

Method

Cut the backbone from the chicken and turn it over.  Open the chicken out flat.

Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour over the lemon juice.

Combine the garlic, cayenne, paprika, oregano black pepper and oil and rub over the chicken.

Cover and leave to marinate for 3 hours at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 200C.  Season both sided with salt and pepper and place it skin side up in a shallow roasting tin.

Roast, basting with the juices in the thin for 1.5 hours.

I like roast potatoes as a side plate with 

 chicken.

Octopus Stew

This is a Maltese speciality.  Have you tried it before?  You can either enjoy the stew over some spaghetti or else by adding some quartered potatoes towards the end of cooking time.  You might even enjoy it as it is with some hot crusty bread.  You know what? I’m going for the latter….

Serves  4

Ingredients

2kg octopus cleaned and ink removed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions finely chopped

3 cloves garlic

Some olives

1 tbsp capers

1 tsp Curry powder

Chili flakes

425g tomato pulp

1 glass red wine

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

150g tomato concentrate

250ml water

Salt and pepper

Method

Cut the octopus in bite-sized pieces

In a large pan heat the oil.  Add the chili flakes, add the onions and garlic cloves until golden

Add the octopus and cook for 4 minutes.  

Add the wine bay leaves, vinegar, tomato pulp, olives, capers, tomato concentrate and water.

Simmer for 1.5 hrs stirring occasionally.

Season, add oregano and parsley and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Your octopus is now ready and can be garnished with some fresh parsley

Pea Soup

This one is simple, quick and delicious.

 

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 shallots chopped

1 garlic clove crushed

A small knob of butter

400g peas – frozen or canned

½ tsp sugar

Grated rind of ½ lemon

500ml stock

4tbsp cream

Salt and pepper

Croutons to garnish (optional)

Method

Cook the shallots and garlic gently in the butter for 5 minutes.  Add the peas, sugar, lemon, rind, stock and seasoning.  Boil, lower the heat and cover.  Simmer for 5minutes

Strain the peas and puree’ them with some of the stock in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Return the puree and remaining stock to pan.  Stir in the cream, gently reheat, without boiling and taste for seasoning.  Serve in warmed bowls.  Garnish with croutons.

Sweet and Sour Pork

An exquisite recipe without the messy batter.  Preparation time is less than 5 minutes.  I love to add some baked potatoes with my pork dishes however you can opt for a bed of coucous instead.

 

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

 
650g pork tenderloin cubed
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp worchestire sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 onion coarsly chopped and 1 garlic clove
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup water

Side Plate - Potato Wedges

2 large potatoes with skin on

salt and pepper

olive oil

mixed herbs

sesame seeds

chilli flakes

Method

for the pork

Mix all the above ingredients and pour over pork.
Make sure pork is coverend in marinade and let sit for 30 minutes (you can skip this if  you're in a real hurry).
Bake in oven for 1.5 hrs at 200C

for the potato wedges

Cut the potato in large sized wedges

Drizzle with some olive oil

Add salt and pepper, mixed herbs, chilli flakes and finally some sesame seeds

Bake for 45mins at 200C until golden brown

Mediterranean Couscous

Feel like something really easy to do, very fast and can be adapted with whatever ingredients you have at hand... This is one of my favourites when I don't know what to do or when I do not have time. Can be served as a main course or as a side salad.

Ingredients:

460ml stock (or stock powder dissolved in water)

300g couscous

quater cup raisins

1 ts tumeric

1 small chillie chopped

1 ts sage

1 ts thyme

400g Chick peas boiled and drained (or 1 can)

8 chopped sundried tomatoes

2 chopped peppered gozitan cheeslets (gbejniet tal bzar)

1 tbs capers

1 chopped pickled onion (basla tal-pikles)

Olive Oil

Method:

In a small pan, bring the stock to a boil (or dissolve the stock powder in boiling water).

Add the raisins, tumeric, chillies, sage and thyme to the stock and stir.

As soon as it starts to boil, turn off the heat, add the couscous, stir once and cover for 5 min.

In the meantime, chop the sundried tomatoes, the pickled onion and the cheeslets.

After the 5min, add some olive oil to the couscous fluff with a fork.

In a mixing bowl, add the couscous and the rest of the ingredients.

Mix and serve.

You can also garnish with some chopped almonds.

Enjoy.

Għaġin il-Forn – Oven Baked Macaroni

So you really liked the Timpana recipe however you're in a hurry or don't really fancy the pastry bit...(you don't know what you're missing!)  However, if that's the case here's a nearly identical recipe without the Pastry on the outside.  This is known by the locals as Għaġin il-Forn (aka Oven Baked Macaroni)

Ingredients

500g beef

500g macaroni or penne

750ml passata di pomodoro

3 eggs

200 gr grated parmiggiano

1tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

Dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil till translucent

Add mince and break up while cooking

When mince is cooked add passata and herbs and salt and pepper.

Simmer gently till sauce is cooked.  Around 20minutes.

In the meantime cook pasta half way.  Important Cut cooking time by half not al dente.

Drain pasta from water.

In the same pasta pot mix in the eggs and half the grated cheese and mix in well.

Add the sauce and incorporate well.

Put in a greased oaven dish and sprinkle some more grated cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or more depending how crunchy you like the pasta!

Mediterranean Minestrone

Ok, so you want to cook something really healthy, tasty and filling.

This is one of my favourites which I tend to cook on a regular basis.

Ingredients:

200g packet of mixed pulses (legumes)

1 onion

1 beef cube (or vegetable cube for vegetarian option)

2 litres water

1 bayleaf

Tomato puree

2ltrs of water

Mixed herbs

I usually leave the legumes in cold water for an hour or so and rinse touroughly before the cooking process.

Method:

In a stock pot sautee onion in olive oil until transparent.

Add 1 litre of water together with the the beef cube

Add the mixed pulses, bayleaf, mixed herbs.

Bring to a boil, add the tomato puree and simmer for approx 4 hours until pulses are tender constantly adding the remaining 1 litre of water

PS (leaving the legumes in cold water reduces cooking time)

Pudina tal-Hobz

Ingredients:

800g bread ideally maltese

60g unsalted butter

100g sugar

4 eggs beaten

100 g konfettura

50 g cherries

orange and lemon peel grated

5 TBls coacoa

200g sultanas

100g chopped dried friut (I use figs)

100g walnuts

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp vanilla essence

1.5 cup whole milk

1.5 tsp baking powder

Method:

Divide the bread, and soak in water in a bowl for about 12 hours.

Grease cake tin or oven dish

Drain soaked bread and break into small pieces. Add beaten eggs and beat mixture.

Add the melted butter and mix in the other ingredients except the baking powder.

Mix well and finally add the baking powder and mix again.

Put mixture into greased dish.

Bake at 275 degreed for 30minutes. Put heat down to 225 degrees and contimue baking for another 30 min.

Let cool before serving.

Chicken Breast a la Van

I could eat chicken breast every single day. It is so versatile, tasty and healthy! 
Here's one of our latest experiments.

 

Ingredients:

Mango Chutney

Cooked Spinach

Chorizo

Fresh Tomatoes

Basil

Maltese cheeselet (ġbejna with herbs)

 

Directions

Begin cutting down the length of the side of the breast. Carefully slice the breast in half widthwise almost to the other edge. Keep that edge intact and open the breast along the "fold."

Spread the mango chutney on both sides of the breast.

On top of that add the cooked spinach.

Add a layer of chorizo, tomatoes, some basil and finally add some slices of Maltese mixed herbs cheeselet (ġbejna)

Close the breast and rub with chicken seasoning.

Oven bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes until chicken is tender.

Timpana

Ingredients:

700g short pastry

700g macaroni

500g minced meat

100g chicken liver

200g peeled tomatoes

1 chopped onion

100g grated cheese

100g tomato paste

1/2 cup water

2 hard boiled eggs

4 eggs

clove of garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper

Method:

Fry the onion and garlic.

Add the meat and liver and fry till it is cooked.

Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Cook for a few seconds.

Slowly add the water and simmer till the meat is tender.

Boil the macaroni, drain and cool.

Chop the hard boiled eggs.

Mix everything and season.

Roll the pastry into a greased dish.

Pour the mixture and cover with the pastry.

Brush the top with egg wash.

Cook in a moderate to hot oven.

Balbuljata tal-Mazzit

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion (peeled and chopped)

1 Mazzita (blood sausage)

400g chopped tomatoes

4 eggs

Fresh Parsley chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Open the blood sausage (mazzita) and remove the skin. Add the contents of the sausage to the onions and fry briefly breaking into small pieces as you fry. Put in the tomatoes and cook over low heat until the liquid evaporates.

Whisk the eggs into a separate bowl until well blended. Season with a little salt and pepper and the chopped parsley and add to tomato mixture. 

Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon while making sure that mixture is well combined. Remove from heat as soon as the eggs are cooked through. It should be the consistency of scrambled eggs. Serve immediately with Maltese bread.

Gozitan Ravjul with gbejniet

Ingredients:

For the Pasta:

750 grams plain flour

250 grams semolina

6 eggs

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp sea salt

some water

Filling:

8 fresh Gbejniet (can be changed with ricotta)

100 grams grated cheese or 2 very dry plain white Gbejniet (grated)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

one egg

pepper

Method:

Filling:

Mash up the Gbejniet (or the ricotta),

beat the egg into them,

season and add the grated cheese and parsley.

Pasta:

Mix together the flour, salt and semolina, then make a well in the centre of the flour,

Break in the eggs and add the oil.

Bring everything together and knead together until it becomes even and smooth.

If the dough is still crumbly you might need to add a few tablespoons of water. The dough should be firm.

Ravioli

To make the Ravioli, roll out the dough, preferably using a pasta machine, until thin.

Cut the dough into discs and place a teaspoon full of the cheese filling in the middle.

Fold over, press the edges well to seal and place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with semolina until all the other ravjul are done.

You can either cook them straight away or freeze them flat, then collect into bags when well frozen, and store until needed.

To cook them, just boil in abundant salted water for around 12 minutes, sieve, then serve with the tomato sauce.