Baked Potatoes - Patata fil Forn

On Sundays, families in Malta would take their Roast and Baked Potatoes to be cooked at the local bakery. Bakeries would operate entirely on wood fuel - often old doors and Windows that would have been painted....and no lead free paint at that time! Nevertheless, the food never tasted as good as it did cooked that way.

Ingredients

6 large baking potatoes(skin on or off as preferred)

Olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Sprig of fresh rosemary

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

Method
Preheat your oven to 475 degrees F
Chop potatoes into quarters.
Cut onions and garlic and put into a large ovenproof dish
Add the potatoes and spices
Add about 2 cups of water or until the water reaches half way up the potatoes.
Drizzle the oil over the potatoes - about 2-3 tablespoons will do
Sprinkle your spice mixture generously over the potatoes, making sure each side is generously covered in the mix.
Place on bottom rack of oven and bake for one hour or until done (turning over or stirring half way through
The potatoes will be a mixture of crispy and soft - delicious!

Garibaldi Biscuits

I am yearning for these biscuits - i must have ate a zillion kilos of them as a child....difficult to find in the states...
The Garibaldi biscuit consists of currants in a plain biscuit, best enjoyed with tea or coffee. They are also called dead fly biscuits, because the currants resemble dead flies!!They consist of a dry, not too sweet dough, a shiny glazed top,  squashed currants and the brilliant device of leaving strips of five biscuits joined together, like perforated cardboard. This biscuit is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian general and leader in the fight to unify Italy. It was first manufactured by Peak Freans in 1861 after Garibaldi visited England.

I actually found them for sale here in the Vermont Country Store

Had a shot at making them....not quite the same thing but they will do for now!

Ingredients:

7oz plain flour
1oz cornflour
2oz caster sugar
pinch of salt
2oz butter
1 egg yolk
a little milk
4oz currants
egg white to glaze

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F and prepare a baking sheet. Sift the flour and cornflour into a bowl with the sugar and salt. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Squash the currents with a fork

Add the egg yolk and mix to a stiffish dough with sufficient milk. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll out thinly to a long thin rectangle. Trim the edges square and sprinkle one half of the dough evenly with currants.

Fold over the dough and press the edges together. Roll with a floured rolling pin to about ¼ inch thick, cut into convenient squares or rectangles and brush with egg white to glaze. Prick with a fork to make the little holes.

Place on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Maltese Bigilla - Bean Dip

Bigilla is a traditional Maltese snack (or dip) made out of beans (usually Fava beans). In Malta they are called "ful tal-Ġirba".

This Maltese dip is traditionally made with dried favas, but using fresh beans means they don't need to be soaked overnight first and slashes the cooking time. Serve with crackers or crusty bread.


If you're using dried broad beans, you must first soak them for two days in salted water with the bicarbonate of soda mixed in. The water must be changed after the first day. This will soften the beans. After the second day, cook the beans in fresh water. Bring the water to a boil and let simmer until the beans are cooked. (generally easier and faster if you use a pressure cooker) Drain.


Lets start with 250gms of beans, prepared as above. (you can use canned beans but that's cheating!)
Once the beans are cooked, and soft, put them in a food processor (while still hot) and mix for a few seconds
Add salt (rock salt is the best) and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic (or more!)
A handful of parsley
Some chopped red pepper
About 4 tbs Olive oil


Mix till you get a rough consistency. Serve immediately (so the bigilla is still warm,) drizzle some more olive oil over the plate and some chipped parsley to garnish.


Serve with Maltese Galletti (if you are in Malta!) or crackers or crusty bread

Cottage Pie

I love cottage pie! It is a winter dish so this will probably be the last time I make it for a while. I have terrible allergies this week - and to think Arizona was once a place where one came because it was good for people with allergies! I need some comfort food....

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

560g/1¼ lb beef mince

400g/14oz can tomatoes

290ml/10fl oz beef stock

1 bay leaf

fresh thyme leaves from 1 sprig

2 tbsp tomato purée

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic

75ml Worcestershire sauce

Mash Potato Topping:
750g/1½ lb potatoes, peeled and chopped
75g/2½oz butter

55ml/2fl oz milk

Grated parmesan.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.

3. Add the minced beef and cook for 3 minutes to brown. Drain any excess grease

4. Add the tomatoes, purée, beef stock, bay leaf, worchestershire sauce and thyme.

5. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Season.

6. Make the mash: boil the potatoes until soft. Drain and mash with the butter and milk. season with salt and pepper.

7. Spoon the meat into an ovenproof dish. Top with the mash and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

8.Add the cheese and grill for a few minuites until the cheese melts and forms a crust.

ENJOY!!!!

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Vichyssoise

This cold soup has so few ingredients that you should only use the best. Try and use homemade broth and not a bouillon cube. With their mild, sweet, onion flavor, leeks make a wonderful addition to this cold soup. Because they're grown in sandy soil, leeks tend to trap grit between their multi layered leaves and must be washed thoroughly before cooking. Yukon Gold potatoes are the best here.

Ingredients

4 leeks

1 medium onion

2 tbs butter

2 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cups chicken broth(home made if possible)

2 cups cream

4 tbs chives

Method

Gently sweat the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in the butter until soft, about 8 minutes. Do NOT let them brown.

Add potatoes and stock to the saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste

Bring to the boil, and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes or until done, adding more broth if necessary.

Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth.

Cool.

Gently stir in the cream before serving and top with the chopped chives.

Arancini di Riso

Gli arancini di riso

This Sicilian recipe may take a bit of time to make but it's worth it
Time: 50 mins


Ingredients for 15 arancini:
500 gms riso arborio (risotto rice)
1 small packet of saffron
150gms mozzarella cubed
350 gr. Minced meat (mix beef , and pork)
150 gr. Small peas
200 gr. Tomato sauce
150 gr. Grated cheese
3 eggs
200 gr. flour
400 gr. breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper


Method
Boil the rice in a pan of salted water adding the pack of saffron when it reaches boiling.
When the water has boiled and turned yellow thanks to the saffron, add one or two tablespoons of oil and also add the grated cheese.
Mix and let the rice stand while you make the filling.


Fry the minced meat and add salt and pepper.
Add the tomato sauce and the pre boiled peas until you have a rather dense sauce.
Let simmer for about 15 mins.
Now that the rice has cooled, shape it into about 15 roundish shapes and with the help of a teaspoon insert the sauce and a piece of mozzarella in the middle, add more rice to close the 'hole' and form into a pyramid or egg shape.
Roll the arancini in the flower, the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs.
Fry until golden
They can be eaten hot or cold but when hot, the melted mozzarella inside tastes great.