Tuna Brochette with Jerusalem Artichoke Salsa and Tomato Conserve

Any Round Oily fish can be used for this recipe, such as Swordfish, Mackarel, Bonito, and Lampuka.  In this case I used Sawrella which is from the Tuna Family with a creamy flesh.  Make sure that you cut fillets evenly and never cook more than 10 minutes.  Fish should be slightly bouncy to the touch and not firm and rigid.

1.5K Whole Tuna Fish Filleted and skin removed

12-16 slices parma ham

1 teaspoon Nigella seeds

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs

1 clove garlic crushed

Salt & Pepper

Jerusalem Artichoke Salsa

500g Jerusalem Artichokes

2 clove Garlic

1/4 tsp grated lemon rind

Salt & Pepper

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp chopped fresh parsely

Tomato Conserve

400g Tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tbsp capers in vinegar

Salt & Pepper

1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram

Pre Heat oven to 200c. In a glass bowl, add nigella seeds, 2 tbsp Olive Oil, crushed garlic, chopped fresh herbs and season with salt & Pepper.  Mix well then cut fish into 1 inch cubes and transfer half of them to the marinade and mix to coat well. Cover with cling film and set aside.  Cut each parma ham slice in two.  Wrap the remaining fish in Parma ham to make rolls. Skewer alternatively with the other fish and arrange on a baking Tray.  Bake for just ten minutes then serve on a bed of artichokes and spoonfuls of tomato conserve.

Jerusalem Artichoke Salsa

Clean and scrub Jerusalem artichokes and chop into small dice. Add to a pan and fill with enough water just to cover.  Add crushed garlic, grated lemon rind, olive oil, parsely and salt & pepper cover and bring to boil.  Lower heat then simmer with lid ajar, till all liquid nearly evaporates and artichokes are tender to touch.  Turn heat off and keep warm till needed.

Tomato Conserve,

Put tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, maple syrup and chopped marjoram in a casserole and bring to boil.  Cook uncovered till sause reduce by half and it becomes thick and pulpy.  Turn off heat, add capers and season with salt and pepper.

Rum & Raisin Ceviche

Ceviche is a delicate way to eat raw fish.  You have to be sure that your fish comes from a clean source and exceptionally fresh!  Prepare the fish even up to 6 hours in advance but marinade only forty minutes before serving!

250g white fish fillets, sea bream, monk fish, sardines, snapper,or sea bass

Juice of two limes

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 small fresh chilli pepper

1 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp white rum

1 tsp chopped fresh dill

Slice fish fillets into bite size of approx 3mm thickness.  Layer fish on a large glass dish.  In  a small bowl add lime juice, sugar, salt, chillies, raisins, rum and chopped dill and stir till sugar dissolves.  Pour over fish. Cover with cling film and chill for 40minutes. Right before serving lift fish from marinade and arrange on a serving plate and pour some of the preserving liquor over. Serve with brown bread and butter.

Pasta Shells with Fresh Borlotti Beans

Beans come into their second season during the fall. Enhance the flavour with a good marrow bone as well as some bacon trimmings and do not expect any left-overs!

200g shelled Fresh Borlotti Beans
150g Bacon Trimmings
2 marrow bones
1 celery stick
Bouquet Garni made from 2 bay leaves, and Sprig of Thyme
100g Prosciutto Dolce cut into small cubes
3 tbsp grated pecorino cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
500g pasta shells

Heat a heavy based casserole and bones and brown each sides.  Cut bacon trimmings into small cubes and dry fry together with the bones.  Add shelled beans, celery stick and bouquet garni and 1.25l water.  Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer covered for 30minutes till beans are cooked and soft when squeazed between two fingers.

Meanwhile boil pasta in plenty salted water till al dente.  Drain and return to pot add olive oil and toss gently.  Remove bouquet garni and bones from the cooked beans then add beans and remaining liquor to pasta.  Add small diced posciutto dolce, and pecorino cheese and stir well.  Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is enough to make 10inch pie dish.

350g Plain Flour
125g Butter
2tbsp cold water
few drops lemon juice
1 small egg
pinch salt

250ml Milk
125ml Cream
4 eggs
100g Grated Pecorino Cheese
125g Fresh cheeselet or
 Cottage Cheese
1 spring onion Finely chopped
100g bacon chopped and dried fried
3 sun dried tomatoes finely sliced
Salt & Pepper

Add flour and chopped cold butter to a food processor and give short pulses till butter crumbs up with flour.  Add egg, salt, lemon juice and process adding water till mixture forms into small balls.  Transfer mixture to working top and gather to form a ball.  Cover with cling film and chill for 20 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 180c.

Roll out pastry thinly and line a 9inch fluted non stick flan dish.  Trim edges then cover with baking paper and add some beans.  Bake blind for 15minutes then take out from the oven carefully lift the baking paper and beans and return the flan to cook for another five minutes.  Remove from oven and lower heat to 170c

Prepare the filling by adding milk , eggs and cream in a large bowl and whisk till combined.  Add grated cheese, crumbled fresh cheselet, finely chopped spring onion bacon and finely sliced sundried tomatoes  and stir well so that all ingredients are combined.  Transfer mixture to flan, taking care not to overfill.  Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25minutes or till it sets and to has a golden colour.  Serve with green salad

Crispy Skin Salmon, with Crushed Potato and Greens

Quantities are for four persons.  Preparation time is half an hour plus 15 minutes for cooking.

8 portions Salmon Fillets (1 inch thick)

5 medium potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

3 Pack Choy

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Chicken Powder

1 inch Ginger  - grated

1 tsp corn flour

1 tsp Peanut oil

Coarse Sea Salt

Freshly ground black Pepper

Peel Potatoes and cut into quarters.  Cover with cold water add 1 tsp salt and bring to boil, simmer covered until just tender.

Heat a large frying pan or wok, add peanut oil and  roughly chop the pack choy.  Adding stems first to pan and stir fry then add grated ginger and cover lightly for just 1 minute to create some steam. Dilute cornflour in 1 tbsp water.  Add chicken powder to pack choy and stir.  Add remaining soft leaves, then soy sauce and finally thicken with diluted cornflour.  Toss well and turn heat off.  Leave covered till serving.

Heat another large frying pan, pat dry salmon fillets and sprinkle 1 tsp salt all over the skin and a grind of black pepper. Drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and dry fry on medium heat skin side down for two minutes.  Cover with lid and continue to fry for further two minutes.  Do not turn fish.  Top will steam and fish will cook through!

Drain potatoes leaving just little water and mash roughly once.  Add olive oil, and season to taste.  Stir well using fork.

Use a round three inch mold spoon potato in the bottom then top with pack choy.  Lift mold carefully. Arrange two salmon fillets per person.  Serve with hot crusty bread!

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.

Linguine with Prawn and Hazelnut Pesto

500g Linguine
200g Peeled tiger prawns
100g chopped bacon
1/2cup roasted hazelnuts
Large bunch fresh basil
2 clove garlic
2 tbsp grated pecorino cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup creme fraiche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot with salted water to boil and boil pasta till al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup from the cooking liquid 

In a food processor process hazelnuts and garlic till finely ground, add chopped basil leaves and process.  Add creme fraiche, lemon juice, pecorino cheese and olive oil and process again till a coarse paste is formed.

Heat a large pan add chopped bacon and fry till lightly golden.  Add roughly chopped prawns then two heaped tablespoons of hazelnut pesto and stir till mixture bubbles.  Add reserved pasta liquid to loosen the sauce.  Finally toss in pasta till sauce clings evenly.

Tip  Store remaining pesto covered with a drizzle of olive oil and keep covered with cling film refrigerated.  will keep 3-4days.

Saffron Baps with pistachio and sun dried tomato pesto swirl

800g Plain Flour
200g Wholemeal Flour
4 tsp Dried active Yeast
3/4 cup Milk
1 3/4 cup Water
Pinch Saffron
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Salt
3 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Sun Flower Seed Kernels
1 egg
1 tbsp Milk Extra

Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pistacchio Pesto
250g toasted Pistachio nuts
50g Sun Dried tomatoes
3 tbsp Olive Oil

Make pesto by adding pistacchio nuts to Food Processor and process till well ground, add chopped sun dried tomatoes and process again, add olive oil from tube little by little till a thick paste is formed.

In a small bowl add just 1 tbsp hot water to saffron, stir and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

Add flour, yeast, milk, olive oil, salt and sugar in a Mixing bowl, and using the hook attachment start mixing on lowest speed.  Add saffron water then start adding water slowly till dough just holds its shape. Continue to mix for 5 more minutes, then lift the hook and cover to prove for 1 hour.  When the mixture doubles in bulk, lower back the hook and knead for another 5 minutes.  Turn the dough on to a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll to a rectangle approx 50cms x 30cms and 1cms thick. Spread the pesto on top, then sprinkle with sun flower seeds.  Roll the pastry to form a long roll.  Cut into 2cms slices place on baking tray cut side down and press gently to flatten out. Allow enough room to prove from one bap to another.  Cover and let them prove till double in bulk.  Brush with beaten egg mixed with 1 tbsp milk and bake in a pre heated oven 210c for 15-20minutes till golden and sound hollow when tapped from the bottom. Serve with cream cheese or Ztaziki

Fresh Coconut Melt in the Mouth Cookies

3 Egg Whites
1 1/2 cups Castor Sugar
3 Cups Freshly Shredded Coconut
Juice and Grated Zest of 1 Lime
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp rice flour

200g plain chocolate

Beat the egg whites till soft peaks form, add sugar slowly and beat till it dissolves.  Add lime juice, grated zest, cornflour, rice flour and shredded coconut and using a metal spoon, fold everything int the egg white mixture.  Try to have an airy mixture that holds its shape when spooned on a baking tray.

Heat the oven to 200c.

Line a baking tray with baking paper then using two spoons spoon mixture over the baking paper leaving enough space for them to spread.

Bake for 10minutes then lower heat to 160c and bake for further 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. 

Melt the chocolate and brush the bottoms with chocolate and place on a grease proof paper.  Using a teaspoon, make brisk movement over the cookies with melted chocolate for the streaky effect.  Cookies keep well in an airtight container for 4-5days.  Makes approx 20 cookies

Lime and Coconut Merengue Pie

Normally butter is added to the tangy merengue filling, however in this recipe I took a twist and replaced it with coconut milk for a taste of paradise!

1/2 quantity Rich Short Pastry

Lime and Coconut Curd Filling
4 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp Malibu
3/4 cup coconut water (or water)
Juice and zest of 2 limes
150ml coconut milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar

Merengue
4 egg Whites
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
1 tbsp water

Heat oven to 180c. Butter a 9 inch pie dish, roll out the pastry to 3mm thickness and line the pie dish with pastry.  Line the pastry with grease proof paper and fill with cooking beans.  Bake blind for 15 minutes then remove beans and baking paper and bake for an additional 5 minutes so that the pastry cooks and become golden.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Remove pastry from pie dish and place on a baking tray.

Prepare the filling by mixing cornflour, plain flour Malibu, coconut water, sugar, juice and grated zest of two limes in a casserole.  Put on a medium heat and whisk continuously till mixture boils and thickens.  Boil slowly for 3 minutes then add coconut milk and stir till well combined and mixture boils again.  Turn off heat and let the mixture cool for about 10minutes.  Separate the eggs then add yolks to mixture and stir well.

Whisk egg whites and water till soft peaks form, then add sugar beating continuously till sugar dissolves and merengue is silky smooth.

Add lime and coconut curd filling to pie shell, then pipe merengue over.  Bake in a 180c oven for 20 minutes till merengue turns golden.  Remove from oven then chill in refregerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

Tip:  If you have extra merengue pipe on to a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a 180c oven for 10 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 150c and bake for an additonal 30 minutes.  Cover in chocolate and press over freshly shredded coconut.

Prickly Pear, Lime and Vanilla Jam

Prickly Pears or cactus figs are abundant on our island.  The fruit ripens towards the end of Summer giving us a very sweet and unique flavour.  They are a bit difficult to peel as they come covered with nasty thorns, however, these days, vendors take care of this chore and sell them peeled and  ready to eat.  I do not advise children or people suffering from intestine problems to eat these fruit raw as they are full of seeds, however, this jam can be enjoyed by everyone. 

2.5kg peeled cactus figs

5 limes

1/2 stick vanilla

1 kg sugar

Using a lemon zester, zest the rind from limes, then squeeze out the juice.

Put the pears, lime zest and lime juice in a large pot, turn on heat to medium and mash slightly using a potato masher.   Simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently.  Turn off heat.  Strain mixture through a sieve pressing down with a metal spoon to extract juice as  much as possible.  Discard all seeds.  Transfer strained juice to a clean pot.  Split vanilla bean in two and scrape out the tiny seeds. Add seeds and pod to pan then add the sugar.  Put on a medium heat and stir till sugar dissolves.  Turn on heat to high and boil mixture rapidly for about 20 minutes till it reaches 105c - jam setting temperature. Lift the vanilla stick and cut into small pieces. Ladle jam into cleaned sterilised jars, adding a piece of vanilla stick in each jar.  Close securely with lid and put upside down for 2 minutes to sterilise the lid.  Turn jars upright again and leave to cool.  Jam will improve in 3 months and will keep for up to two years.

Bigilla - Tic Bean Dip

This is a traditional Maltese dried bean dip.  Till now vendors go about in the streets selling piping hot bigilla smeared with chopped chillies in vinegar!! Yum.  We eat it with crusty Maltese bread or Galletti, the traditonal Maltese Water biscuits. The best beans to use are dried "Gilba" beans or Tic beans, but dried Broad beans are a good alternative.

350g Dried Gilba or Tic beans

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp vinegar

1 small fresh chilli

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

2 tbsp olive oil

Extra chopped parsely and dried chilli flakes to garnish

Wash beans cover with cold water  and soak overnight.  The following day, wash beans again then put them in a pressure cooker and add enough water to have at least 1 inch over the beans.  Seal and turn heat on.  When the pressure starts leave on for 15 minutes then turn off.  Leave to cool so that the pressure goes down, then drain the beans reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.  

Add beans and reserved liquid to a food processor, add crushed garlic, chilli, vinegar salt and pepper and process till paste is formed.  Add parsely  and give more pulses to mix.  Paste will be a bit runny at this stage. Scrape mixture to a serving bowl, garnish with more parsely and chilli flakes and drizzle with olive oil.

Apple Tea Cake

Autumn just around the corner, and Apples are in season.  I know that Apple Pies are an old time favourite but with the limited time everybody  has the days,  I find this cake a good alternative using just a fraction of the time to prepare.  It taste wonderful and it is very easy to cut and serve.  It keeps well if refregerated for 3-4 days.  Serve it cold or warm and custard or vanilla ice cream are very good accompaniments.  Don't forget to make some tea!

1kg cooking Apples
5 cloves
1/2 lemon
800g Self Raising Flour
300g sugar
450g plain yoghurt
250g butter
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
few drops vanilla essence
6 eggs

Peel  apples and cut roughly into chunks add to a medium pan then cover with water, squeeze the half a lemon over and then add to squeezed lemon to apples, add cloves cover and bring to boil.  Simmer for 15minutes then turn off heat and drain.  Transfer apples to a clean bowl, make sure that you remove the cloves and lemon, then break slightly using a fork and leave to cool completely.

Butter a lamington dish and pre heat the oven to 180c.

Sift the flour and baking powder. Cut butter into small cubes then put them in a food processor fitted with blade.  Pulse for a few times till butter crumbles in the flour.  Add sugar, eggs, yoghurt, milk and vanilla essence, and process till a smooth cake mixture is formed.  Layer half the mixture in the prepared lamington dish, then top evenly with cooked apples. Dust a cinamon powder all over and cover with the remaining cake mix.  Even out with a spatula and bake for 35 to 40minutes till golden and a skewer comes clean when inserted in the middle.  Turn over to cool on a wire rack.  Serve with ice cream or warm custard sauce.