Celery and Jerusalem Artichoke Shot

This concentrated soup is ideal to be served in shot glasses before any meal.  Serves as a winter warmer and a great appetizer! Enough to fill 10 shots

3 celery sticks
1 medium Jerusalem Artichoke
1 small potato
2 spring onions
Small sprig of Rosemary
1/4 tsp Grated Lemon Rind
2 cloves garlic
Salt & Pepper
2 tbsp Clotted Cream
30g butter

Peel and Roughly chop potato and Jerusalem Artichoke. Chop celery sticks, spring onions and crush the garlic.  Add all vegetables to medium saucepan with enough water to cover.  Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Using a hand blender blend to a smooth soup.  Add finely chopped rosemary, lemon rind and season with salt and pepper stir and simmer for further 15 minutes.  Right before serving whisk in the chopped butter.  Serve in shot glasses and add small teaspoon of clotted cream on top.

Tuscan Zuppa di Farro - Wheat Grain Soup

500g Wheat Grain

1 carrot diced

1/4 cabbage or 2 Pack Choy

1 Onion chopped

1 tbsp flour

1.5 Litre Vegetable Stock

1 Celery Stick diced

200g chopped prosciutto (ham)

1 clove garlic crushed

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Grated Pecorino Cheese

Soak wheat grain in cold water for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a soup pot, add chopped onions and crushed garlic and fry gently till golden.  Sprinkle flour and stir then add stock.  Add chopped cabbage, ham, chopped celery stick,  wheat grain and chopped fresh rosemary and bring to boil.  Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or till all vegetables ar soft and soup thickens. Season to taste and serve sprinkled with grated pecorino cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bean and Ham Hock Soup with Cheese Croutons

I prepare this soup in the morning before leaving off to work.  Then I continue to cook the last 30minutes when I return.

 

300g Dried Lima Beans

1 Ham Bone

1 Potato

1 Onion

2 clove Garlic

1 Celery stick

1 Bay Leaf 

2 tbsp chopped Kalamatta olives

Ground Black Pepper

Chopped fresh Parsely

4 slices brown bread

2 tbsp grated gouda cheese

Wash Lima Beans under cold running water, place in a large soup pot with Ham bone, chopped onions, chopped celery, diced potato ,crushed garlic, bay leaf and 2 litres water.  Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  Turn heat off and leave covered for minimum 1 hour so that beans cook well and soak some liquid.  Remove the ham bone, scrape off any meat and return to pot. Turn heat on again and cook the soup for further 30 minutes.  Finally add chopped olives, crack some black pepper and add chopped parsely. Serve with cheese croutons.

Slice bread into thick sticks and place on a baking tray,  sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake in 160c oven for about 20 minutes till it becomes dry and crispy.

Ham Hock Soup

We call this Kawlata, which is basically, whatever vegetable you have available plus a good Ham Bone!  Ham Hock has enough salt so I suggest you taste before you add more seasonings.  For best result simmer soup on low heat for 1 hour so that all vegetable flavours mix well to the ham hock.

1 ham hock or 2 Ham Bones

3 cups Pumpkin Puree

1 potato

500g marrows

1 celery stick

1 large onion

1 tbsp tomato paste

100g French beans

50ml Fresh Cream

4 tbsp Quinoa Pearls 

1 tbsp olive oil

Freshly ground Pepper

Chop Potatoes, Marrows, Onion, Carrot and French beans into small cubes.

Heat a heavy based casserole, add olive oil and onions and fry gently.  Add the ham hock, then chopped vegetables, pumkin puree and 1 litre water. Add celery and 1 tbsp tomato paste.  Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Remove ham hock and celery stick,  then add quinoa pearls. Boil for two minutes then turn off heat. Add fresh cream and cover.  Let it stand for 15minutes till quinoa cooks right through.

For Pumpkin Puree, Cut pumpkin into large wedges, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with little oil.  Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 200c.  Turn off heat and leave pumpkin inside till it turns cold.  Remove excess water , then process in a food processor.  Will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Cream of Zucchini Soup with Quinoa Pearls

You can find Quinoa Pearls in good Asian food stores.  I prefer the pearls rather than the actual quinoa grains as they give a cleaner finish and thicken the soup.  The quinoa pearls are made from 95% quinoa and 5% water so the nutritional value is just as good.

 

1kg Zucchini or Green Marrows

100g Panchetta cubes (or bacon)

1 large onion

100ml Cream

4 tbsp Quinoa Pearls

Salt & Pepper

Snipped chives for garnish

Heat a medium heavy based casserole, add panchetta cubes and dry fry gently. Chop onions and add to bacon continue to  fry till soft. Chop zucchini into small dice, and add to onions.  Stir, then add 1.25ml water.  Bring to boil then lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Season to taste then add quinoa pearls and stir.  Cook for just two minutes, stirring from time to time to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Finally add cream, give just one stir and turn off heat.  Cover and let the soup stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Quinoa pearls will continue to cook to the right texture.  Serve garnished with snipped chives.

 

Aljotta - Maltese Fish Soup

Normally this would be the starter coming out from my mum's kitchen every Friday!  She used to buy the 'small' fish and make this wonderful soup.  Nowadays with a little touch of sophistication, I make this fish soup using the double stock method in which I first make the fish stock with bones and heads then I strain and start the soup all over again using the first stock instead of water.

1kg fish bones and heads
2 large onions
4 clove garlic
2 celery sticks
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs Marjoram
8 white pepper corns
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium potato

In a large pot, put fish bones and heads, add two litres water, celery stick, 1 onion, 2 clove garlic crushed, 1 bay leaf, salt, pepper corns, marjoram and 1 tomato cut in half ( do not skin or deseed). Bring to boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.  Save the cheeks from the fish head and any other meat.

Heat olive oil in a large pot, add 1 onion finely chopped, and remaining 2 clove garlic crushed and fry till golden. Add chopped tomato and cook for 1 minute.  Add the first stock, cubed potato, then simmer for half an hour till potato is tender.  Add reserved fish meat and cook for further two minutes.  Season with crushed pepper and salt if necessary and serve with crusty bread.

Green Marrow Soup with Baked rikotta and Poached Egg

This is a truly Maltese hearty Soup called 'Soppa ta l-Armla' which means Widow's Soup.  It is a traditional Lent food as it contains no meat.  Normally the egg is poached in the soup but I thought poaching it separately will give a cleaner finish. I also added fried green marrow slices for different texture and to me the plate looks more appetising.  This soup is poor man's food as ingredient costs are minimal, yet it has extraordinary  taste and nutritional value.

1 Kilo Green Marrows or Zucchini

1 large Potato

1 Large Onion

3 Fresh Long Garlic

2 medium tomatoes

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp olive oil

4 eggs

300g ricotta cheese

Salt & Pepper

4 tbsp short pasta of your choice (ditalini are the best)

Slice thinly 1 small green marrow and set aside.  Cut into small cubes, the remaining marrows, onion, potato and tomatoes. Finely slice the long fresh garlic.  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a heavy based soup pot. Gently fry the onions and garlic.  Add one tablespoon flour and stir.  Add 1 1/2 litres of water and stir.  Add chopped marrows, potato, peas and tomatoes. Season well with salt & pepper, cover and cook for 30minutes.

Cut the ricotta into 1 inch thick slices and place in an oven proof dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with Salt & Pepper.  Bake in a 200c oven for 20minutes.

Poach the eggs by breaking in salted boiling water and lift after 2 1/2 minutes. Lift them using slotted spoo and set aside on a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and fry marrow slices for two minutes on each side. Do not overlap. Lift and drain on kitchen paper.

Using a hand blender, give a few pulses to the soup, do not blend it! Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn heat off and cover for further 5 mintues.

Ladle soup into deep plates, arrange poached egg on one side and ricotta on another and garnish with fried marrows.