Super Fast Tomato Sauce

A good tomato sauce usually needs at least an hour simmering. This is a quick, and just as tasty alternative. Great with pasta - or even on toast!!

Ingredients:

10-12 tomatoes

10 basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

Olive oil

Method:
Gently fry the crushed garlic cloves and about 5 basil leaves in the olive oil.
Remove the basil when done.
Peel the tomatoes (immerse in boiling water for about 1/2 min and the skin will come off)
Chop the tomatoes and add to the garlic.
Cook gently on a medium flame.

Top with the remaining basil and serve.

Couldn't be easier!!!

Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

This recipe is for 4 - you can adjust as necessary. Great in summer when tomatoes are abundant. I have come across several recipes that feature cooked stuffed tomatoes but I prefer this type - they are fresh, tasty and nearly everybody likes them!

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes

1 can tuna

2 spring onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tbs mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp chopped olives

1 tsp capers

1 tsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Method:

Cut the tops off the tomatoes, and scrape out the inside but leaving about 1/4" flesh inside.

Mix the remaining ingredients and fill the tomatoes with the mixture.

ready!!!

Stuffed Marrows - Qarabaghli mimli

Very common in the Maltese household, these stuffed marrows are just as good cold. Other recipes use rikotta for the filling but I prefer the traditional way.

Ingredients
800 grms large marrows - not "zucchini" type but if only those are available use the largest possible.
1 large onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
2 fresh bay leaves
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
600 grams minced beef (Traditionally, 300gms meat and 300gms corned beef - the type you get in a can- was used - frugal gourmet style!)
150 grams of bacon (vegetarians can use 700gms of ricotta mixed with some parsley and a bit of milk)
2 eggs beaten
4 tbls of grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Semolina
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Cut the marrows lengthwise in half and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon. Reserve about half the pulp.
3. Fry the onion, garlic and bay in some olive oil until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a further few minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a food processor and blend until finely minced.
5. Add the beef and bacon to the onion mix and cook until done. (vegetarians, add the ricotta mix)
6. Stir in the marrow pulp and then allow to cool.
7. Once cool add the eggs and cheese and season the mixture to taste.
8. Fill the marrow halves with the meat mixture and then lightly sprinkle with semolina. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and then drizzle a little more olive oil over the filled marrows
9. Bake for about 45 minutes until the meat mixture is golden and crisp. Another alternative is to slice about 6 potatoes and an onion and place them on a dish, then add the stuffed marrows and cook the whole thing together. A great meal in one dish!

Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients

4 artichokes (globe artichokes)

75g anchovy fillets

crushed garlic

150g fresh breadcrumbs

50g olive oil

parsley

salt and pepper

Method
Chop the anchovy fillets, garlic, olives and parsley and mix with the breadcrumbs. Add the oil and vinegar and work into a dry paste. Season.

Wash the artichokes and cut off the top. Stuff the breadcrumb mixture in between the leaves.
Place the artichokes upright in a small saucepan. Half cover them with water and add some oil. Cover with a lid, bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour. Serve hot.

How to eat the Artichoke

Make a mixture of oil, vinegar , salt and pepper and put it in a plate.

There is a way to eat the artichokes - Take the outer leaves off one by one and hold like a potato chip. Coat the tip (the part that was attached to the heart of the choke) in the mixture of oil and vinegar, scrape off the tender bits of the bottom of the leaf by putting the leaf in your mouth, closing your teeth on it, and pulling the leaf outwards.

Continue until you get to the smaller center leaves that don't have much meatiness to them. These leaves look a bit different than the outer leaves and often have a translucent quality with a bit of purple on them.
Pull off the center leaves. Depending on how well-cooked the artichoke is, you can sometimes lift off the smaller inner leaves all together for one last dip in the sauces and bite the ends off delicately (but don't eat the sharp tips). They cover a finer, almost hairy growth just on top of the heart of the artichoke. Some people call this part the "choke," which is what you will do if you eat it, as it is very prickly.
Remove the choke using gentle strokes with a fork or the toothed edge of a kitchen knife until you are down to the heart. This is a very important step and often where people go wrong without proper instruction.

The heart of the artichoke is the most prized portion and often the only part restaurant chefs use in their recipes, but at home you can savor the whole artichoke experience.

Instructions on how to eat an artichoke thanks to wikihow