A Sandwich with cinnamony Celery Root Mousse, Caramelized Bacon and Rosemary
Another obsession reached my kitchen, winter roots! I feel totally inspired by parsnip, celery roots, rutabaga and beetroot at the moment, luckily, as this is what I'll get in the months ahead of me! I know that at one point in the near future I would give a lot for a Maltese summer tomato, crunchy lettuce from the field or a juicy cucumber, but for now I'm absolutely happy and in peace with nature's offers.
Without any intentions or plans, this week became an ode to the root. It started on Monday, with my cider and beetroot orzotto, before I savored hearty parsnip in a velvety soup along with sweet pear on Tuesday. Today, it's celery root, blanched and puréed with lemon, cinnamon and cream into a smooth spread for my sandwich. When it comes to roots, I like to refine their earthy taste with a strong contrast which is caramelized bacon and woody rosemary for this week's sandwich. I packed these strong flavours on top of thick slices of a rustic French loaf of farmer's bread and, although they are all very dominant on their own, they all merged together in my mouth!
For those who don't share my passion for roots, tomorrow, I'll give you a break!
A Sandwich with cinnamony Celery Mousse, Caramelized Bacon and Rosemary
For 4 sandwiches you need
rustic bread 4 thick slices (or 8 if you want to close the sandwich)
celery root, peeled and cut into small cubes, 250g / 9 ounces
heavy cream 50ml / 2 ounces
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon 1/8-1/4 teaspoon, to taste
salt
granulated sugar
breakfast bacon, thin slices cut into strips, 120g / 4.5 ounces
olive oil
fresh rosemary needles, a small handful
In a sauce pan, bring salted water to the boil and blanche the celery root cubes for about 6 minutes or until soft. Drain them and and purée them in a blender with the lemon juice and cream. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar and cinnamon to taste.
In a heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil and fry the bacon until golden brown and crisp. Add 1 leveled teaspoon of sugar for the last 1-2 minutes to caramelize the bacon.
Spread the celery root mousse on the slices of bread, pour some of the bacon juices over it and sprinkle with bacon and rosemary.
Spicy Feta, Sun-dried Tomato and Rucola Crostini
A bag of sun-dried tomatoes fell into my hands while I looked through my pantry shelves and it reminded me of the good times I had with them in summer. With Mr. Cini at his salt pans in Gozo, in my pesto that I used as a spread on a sandwich, mixed with sage and chèvre on juicy zucchini steaks or in my spaghetti with broccoli pesto - so many nice memories! I still put them on my pizza sometimes which we bake every Sunday, but recently I've been neglecting this salty concentrate of the summer sun, until today!
A few days ago my Maltese mother Jenny sent me a picture of my favourite snorkeling spot at Dwejra in Gozo and all the nice memories were back in my head. Our summer in Malta, the food, the sea, the hot sun, the salty smell of the air and with these feelings came the urge for a Mediterranean snack! Crunchy ciabatta bread roasted with a little olive oil under the grill, fresh rucola (arugula) leaves, a dip made of feta cheese mixed with sun-dried tomatoes topped with red hot chili peppers - and here it is, summer is back, at least for a few bites!
Spicy Feta, Sun-dried Tomato and Rucola Crostini
I like to cook the sun-dried tomatoes in a little water for 1 minute to wash of excess salt.
For 6-8 crostini you need
ciabatta bread 6-8 slices
olive oil
feta cheese 200g / 7 ounces
sun-dried tomatoes 5, around 40g / 1.5 ounces
rucola (arugula) a small handful
fresh red hot chili pepper, cut into thin slices, with or without seeds, 1
Sprinkle the slices of bread with a little olive oil and put them under the grill for a few minutes until golden brown and crunchy.
In a small sauce pan, bring the dried tomatoes to the boil in a little water and cook for 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat, rinse the tomatoes and dry them well between kitchen paper. Purée the feta and the dried tomatoes in a blender until well combined.
Spread some rucola leaves on the crostini and top with the tomato-feta dip and a few chili slices (to taste and according to their spiciness).
Maple Syrup and Orange Pumpkin Tartine with crisp Sage and Walnuts
This sandwich started with a dark loaf of rye bread full of crunchy walnuts. When I held it in my hands I knew this would be the right basis for a sweet pumpkin tartine! This has been on my mind since the season began and I started piling different kinds of squash on my kitchen window sill every week. Hokkaido, butternut or Musquée de Provence (fairytale pumpkin), they are all great for a fruity sandwich!
I aimed for some contrast to the heavy bread, a light and fruity topping complemented with fried crisp sage leaves and some walnuts. I sautéed the orange meat of a Musquée de Provence for a few minutes in olive oil before I mixed it with freshly squeezed orange juice and maple syrup. The pumpkin soaked up the sweet juices within seconds and turned into soft and sticky bites. It tasted so good in combination with the strong herb I used for the topping that I decided to brush the dark slices of bread with the sage infused olive oil. The walnuts on top brought in the right crunch, hearty and nutty!
Tomorrow, I'll write about the exciting adventure in my mother's kitchen that I mentioned yesterday - it's about deer!
Maple Syrup and Orange Pumpkin Tartine with crisp Sage and Walnuts
For 4-6 tartines you need
dark rye bread (with or without walnuts) 4-6 slices
pumpkin (squash), peeled, without seeds and cut into small cubes, 350g / 12.5 ounces
freshly squeezed orange juice 50ml / 2 ounces
maple syrup 2 tablespoons plus more to taste
a pinch of salt
fresh sage leaves 12-18
olive oil 4 tablespoons plus more for the pumpkin
walnuts, broken into pieces, 4
Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan and fry the sage leaves until golden (1-2 minutes) but not dark!
In a large pan, heat a splash of olive oil and sauté the pumpkin on medium heat for 5 minutes or until al dente. Deglaze with the orange juice, add the maple syrup and season with a little salt. Take the pan off the heat when the juices are almost soaked.
Brush the slices of bread with the sage oil and put the pumpkin on top. Garnish with the crisp sage leaves and some walnuts. Enjoy!
Chanterelle, King Trumpet Mushroom and Thyme Omelette Sandwich
When I cook mushrooms in my kitchen, they never stay on the cooker for long. I can only eat them under one condition, they must have some bite! I can't stand mushrooms when they're soft and soggy, I'm really picky with this. Sometimes it's seconds that make or break it and here, that's the case!
Luckily, that wasn't an issue for today's sandwich. I got a handful of golden chanterelle and king trumpet mushrooms from the market, they looked fresh and crisp with strong ridges. They were an alternative as I couldn't find good quality porcini but I didn't regret it. I sautéed the two kinds of mushrooms separately and quickly, cut in half in a spoonful of butter. They tasted just as strong and earthy as a nice porcini and went extremely well with the omelette, the second addition to my sandwich which is just as delicate when it comes to the cooking time. I whipped the eggs with cream to achieve a nice light fluffiness and browned them lightly in butter while I folded the mixture into an airy omelette mixed with fresh thyme.
After the past few weeks and the rather luscious sandwiches with crayfish and beetroot, caramelized plums and sausage and lamb filet with lemon and capers, I needed a simple and clean autumn version, just eggs, mushrooms and thyme!
Chanterelle, King Trumpet Mushroom and Omelette Sandwich
For 3-4 sandwiches you need
white buns, cut in half, 3-4
mushrooms (porcini, chanterelles, king trumpet or a mixture), rinsed, dried and cut in half (lengthwise), 200g / 7 ounces
organic eggs 3
heavy cream (or milk) 50ml / 2 ounces
leaves of fresh thyme 1 tablespoon
salt and pepper
butter 3 tablespoons
If you have different kinds of mushrooms, cook them separately.
In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the mushrooms for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides (al dente). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk the eggs and cream with a pinch of salt, pepper and the thyme. In a non-stick pan, heat a tablespoon of butter and pour in the egg mixture, scramble lightly and fold onto itself. When the bottom side starts to become golden flip it around. Brown it lightly from the other side for about a minute.
Cut the omelette into 3 or 4 pieces and divide between the buns. Put the mushrooms on top of the eggs, sprinkle with a few fresh leaves of thyme and close the buns.
Crayfish and Beetroot Mousse Sandwich - a Swedish Lobster Roll
Today is a special day and a special day calls for a special sandwich!
My favourite Swedish baker in Berlin, Malin, releases her wonderful book today named after her exciting project, The Bread Exchange! It's a gem packed with lots of stories and recipes from her bread trading trips which took her around the world. This is a day to celebrate, so I asked Malin to give me her signature black bread for the October edition of our eat in my kitchen x The Bread Exchange sandwich. I wanted to come up with something that's a bit more spectacular and luscious, a creation that can stand up to the dramatic look of the bread which Malin achieves by mixing charcoal powder into the dough (another discovery from her bread trading adventures). One of the most luxurious sandwiches I know is the lobster roll and that gave me the idea to create a Swedish adaptation of this classic. Crayfish, also known as freshwater lobster, beetroot mousse, freshly whipped mayonnaise and dill on thick slices of black sourdough bread! The colours looked stunning but the taste was even better, sweet and creamy!
When I decided to go for crayfish for this sandwich, I didn't think about the preparation. So as soon as I called the fish monger to make my order, I realized that I would have to cook the crustaceans alive to kill them. I'd never done that before but after I got instructions from Malin (and with my boyfriend at my side for support), I felt ready to give it a go. I can't say that it's a nice experience but it's an important one. It makes us appreciate the food that we prepare in our kitchens even more. I'm not a vegetarian, therefore animals are killed for my diet, it's part of the cycle and I prefer to be involved in the whole process which leads to the food on my plate.
Crayfish and Beetroot Mousse Sandwich - A Swedish Lobster Roll
For 4 people you need
crayfish, cooked or alive, 16
sourdough bread 8 slices
dill, snipped, a small bunch
If the crayfish are alive, wash them in cold water (discard the ones that aren't alive). In a large pot, bring lots of water to the boil. Make sure that the water stays boiling hot when you put the crayfish in. Do this one at a time so that the temperature doesn't drop (wait a few seconds after you've dropped one in). When all the crayfish are in the pot cook them for another 1-2 minutes until they all turn red. Take them out of the pot, drain them and let them cool for a few minutes. Peel the meat out of the hard shells and cut into thick slices.
If the crayfish are already cooked, just slice the meat.
For the beetroot mousse
beetroot, unpeeled, 1 (you will need 100g / 3.5 ounces for the mousse)
bay leaf 1
olive oil 1 tablespoon
salt
Cook the beetroot with the bay leaf in salted water for 45 minutes or until the root is soft. Purée 100g / 3.5 ounces of the beetroot in a blender with the olive oil and season with salt.
For the mayonnaise
organic egg yolks 2
olive oil 50ml / 2 ounces
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon
sour cream or crème fraîche 2 teaspoons
a pinch of salt
Drop the egg yolks into a mug which should be just big enough for a stick mixer to fit in it. Start mixing and slowly pour in the oil. When the dip is thick and creamy season with salt and lemon juice and stir in the sour cream.
To assemble the sandwich
Spread some mayonnaise on a slice of bread, add dollops of the beetroot mousse and the sliced crayfish meat on top. Sprinkle with dill and a bit more mayonnaise and close the sandwich with another slice of bread.
Caramelized Plum and Sausage Sandwich with Rosemary and Coriander Oil
This sandwich has been on my mind for weeks and it might have something to do with the fact that my kitchen has become a store room for Damson plums. I buy these fruits in big baskets, lots of them, and it doesn't seem like it's going to end soon. As long as they are in season, I'm a loyal and dedicated fan! They give me endless inspiration for sweet and savory dishes and for new culinary experiments. I'm hooked on their strong taste, this subtle sweet and sour combination goes so well with all kinds of spices and flavours. The common round black plums are another kind that taste much sweeter but they're lacking in depth, so I strongly recommend Damsons for my sandwich!
And here it comes, a new sausage sandwich! The last time I made one was in Malta, my sausage sandwich with rucola and coriander oil. Today, I feature this spice oil again, coriander seed infused olive oil, as it goes so well with this kind of meat. The seeds are actually one of the main ingredients of Maltese sausage which is one of the best in the world to me (and that means a lot from a German!). I sprinkle the oil and the crunchy seeds on the buns and let them soak into the soft and juicy sponginess, that's my favourite way to start a sandwich!
I fried a couple thick, coarse sausages with fresh rosemary needles. The herb is great for the topping when it turns woody and crisp, but the needles also add their aroma to the frying juices which I pour on the buns before I put the meat on. And now, my fruit of the season comes in, I caramelized the plums for just a few minutes in sugary butter, I wanted them soft but not soggy. Their sour sweetness combined with the dark flavour of caramel is all a sausage sandwich could ask for! We loved it!
Caramelized Plum and Sausage Sandwich with Rosemary and Coriander Oil
For 2 sandwiches you need
juicy buns, cut in half, 2
coarse sausages (like Salsiccia) 2
fresh rosemary, the needles of a small sprig
plums (preferably Damsons), cut in half and pitted, 8
butter 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar 1 teaspoon
olive oil 3 tablespoons plus more for the sausages
coriander seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar, 1 teaspoon
In a sauce pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the coriander seeds and let them infuse the oil on medium heat for 2 minutes.
In a heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the sausages until golden brown on all sides. Add the rosemary needles for the last 2 minutes or until they are crisp, but not dark. Cut the sausages in half and set aside, keep the frying juices.
Melt the butter and sugar in a pan on a high temperature. When the sugar starts to turn brown, add the plums, cut side first. Cook for 2 minutes, gently turn the fruits and cook on the other side for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat.
Brush the buns with the coriander oil, add some of the seeds and lay the plums on top. Brush the sausages with a little of the caramelized juices of the plums and put them on top of the fruits. Pour all the remaining juices of the sausages and plums over the sandwiches and sprinkle with a few of the crisp rosemary needles. Close, squeeze and enjoy!
300 Days and 300 Recipes later, a Date Goat Cheese and Balsamic Fig Tartine
300 days ago, on the 23rd November 2013, I started eat in my kitchen! Today, almost 10 months and 300 recipes later, it feels like this journey has just begun. I've met so many amazing people through the blog, people who follow eat in my kitchen worldwide since the early days or who just found it recently. Be it in Europe, the USA, South America, Australia, Africa or Asia, we all share our passion for cooking, baking, eating and treating and that's been such a great experience for me. Here, I can write about my latest discoveries at the market, new ideas for recipes or old family dishes which have been with me since my childhood. Or the meet in your kitchen features and my wonderful guests who taught me so much about beekeeping, producing olive oil and wine, harvesting salt at the sea, or traditional Maltese recipes which were handed down from one generation to the next. All this would have never happened without eat in my kitchen and without you who follow me so enthusiastically!
Today, it's my Sandwich Wednesday, one of my blog's early traditions which I started on the 4th December 2013. It was a spontaneous mood on a busy day that made me come up with a sandwich and I decided to make a weekly series out of it. That's what I love about this online space, this white canvas where I can not only share the culinary adventures of my kitchen but also try out new ideas that I would have never had without it. One thing is for sure, we wouldn't have eaten so many sandwiches in the past months without this blog!
I just want to thank you for your trust in my cooking, in my recipes and your ongoing following of what's happening in my kitchen and what we eat in my kitchen!
This week's sandwich is a sensual late summer tartine. The sweetest dried dates stirred into smooth goat cream cheese, a couple figs cooked in honey and Balsamico vinegar and Arnold's Maltese Wild Thyme Honey dripping from the top. It's sweet, sticky and luscious, like sugary ripe figs almost falling off the branches.
Honey Date Goat Cheese and Balsamic Fig Tartine
For 4 small tartines you need
goat milk cream cheese 125g / 4.5 ounces
juicy dried dates, chopped, 4
ripe figs, quartered, 2
aromatic liquid honey 2 teaspoon plus more for the topping
balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon
white bread (like baguette or ciabatta) 4 slices
In a sauce pan, heat 1 teaspoon of honey, add the figs and cook for 1 minute, turning them once. Deglaze with the Balsamico vinegar, close with a lid and take off the heat.
Whip the goat cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of honey and stir in the dried dates.
Spread the bread generously with the date goat cheese, put the figs and their juices on top and sprinkle with a little more honey.
Juicy Lamb, Moroccan Lemon and Caper Sandwich
Maltese capers, dried tomatoes, wild fennel seeds, honey and sea salt, these were just some of the goods I took home with me from my last trip to the Mediterranean island and these were also the ingredients I offered Malin from The Bread Exchange to choose from for our next sandwich. The sourdough queen went for salty capers and then it was my turn to come up with an idea for our next eat in my kitchen x The Bread Exchange creation.
Malin called me in the morning when the bread was done, after a night without much sleep as she had to get up a couple times to take care of her caper sourdough bread. I jumped on my bike excitedly to meet her in her kitchen which was already filled with the sweetest smell of freshly baked bread when I arrived. When she showed me her beautiful loaf of bread, juicy and spongy on the inside as always, refined with capers and the amazing oily crust that Malin mastered to perfection, I couldn't wait to get started in my kitchen! A colourful composition of a few strong flavours, a wave of tastes on the tongue, that was my idea when I held the warm bread in my hands.
This inspiration led to a rich sandwich voluptuously stuffed with tender slices of lamb fillet, cooked for just a few minutes to keep it pink on the inside, thin strips of my Moroccan preserved lemons, crisp lemon peel roasted in olive oil (I used both the infused oil and the rind), salty capers and spicy rucola leaves. This was one of those moments when I wasn't sure if I went a bit overboard with the flavours, especially when they are all so powerful on their own. But the first bite cleared any doubts, there wasn't too much of anything, it was just right!
This sandwich has been featured on Food52!
Lamb, Moroccan Lemon and Caper Sandwich
For 4 sandwiches you need
the best sourdough bread you can get, 8 thick slices
lamb fillet 250g / 9 ounces
Moroccan preserved lemons, cut into thin strips, 1/4
lemon peel, 6 long strips
olive oil 3 tablespoons plus more for frying
capers, rinsed and drained, 1 heaped tablespoon
rucola (arugula) leaves, a small handful
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
salt
Set the oven to 200°C / 390°F.
In a small baking dish, mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon peel and roast in the oven for 6 minutes or until the lemon is crisp and golden (it shouldn't be brown!). Set the oil and roasted peel aside.
In a heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil, season the lamb fillet with salt and pepper and brown for 1 1/2 -2 minutes on each side. The meat should stay pink to keep its juiciness. Wrap the fillet in aluminum foil and set aside for a few minutes.
Drizzle a little of the lemon oil on a slice of bread and cover with a few rucola leaves. Cut the lamb fillet into thin slices and spread on top of the greens. Scatter over some strips of Moroccan lemon, roasted lemon peel, capers and lemon oil. Sprinkle with some crushed black pepper and close with another slice of bread.
Here are more eat in my kitchen x The Bread Exchange sandwiches:
Fig and Gorgonzola Ciabatta Sandwich
Late summer figs call for a late summer sandwich, an effortless combination of honey sweet fruit and creamy blue cheese. There's no cooker involved in the preparations, no oven or grill, just 5 ingredients put together in less than 5 minutes and a glass of red wine to go with. This is an early evening sandwich, when you sit outside on your balcony or in the garden, some cheese and prosciutto on the table, a quick salad of rucola thrown together with the last ripe tomatoes from the vine and a light vinaigrette. All you need are some candles, a friend to talk, some music maybe, a glass of dark red wine and this marvelous duo of figs and Gorgonzola.
Figs are one of those fruits that I could eat all year round but, unfortunately, the pleasure of their sweetness, taste and delicateness is limited to only a few summer months. In Malta I pick them off the trees but here, in the city, they are quite a luxurious treat and the quality barely justifies the price. They are never as ripe, soft and tasty as in the Mediterranean, it would be impossible to transport them. So when I spotted a box of organic Italian figs at the market, soft and thin skinned, nothing could stop me. I bought a big handful of them, enough to make a dozen of these late summer sandwiches!
For 6 open tartines, you need a loaf of fresh ciabatta bread, the slices lightly brushed with a dressing of 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of Balsamico vinegar which makes the bread soft and juicy. I cut 130g (4.5 ounces) of Gorgonzola into slices and quartered 6 ripe Mediterranean figs. Their skin was was so thin that I didn't even need to peel them, I rinsed them off and spread them with the cheese on the bread and sprinkled the remaining dressing over them.
Sainte-Maure Chèvre, Rosemary Oil and Olive Sandwich
When I picked up another amazing sourdough bread from Malin's kitchen of The Bread Exchange - this time with fragrant rosemary - I had a clear scene in my head. Imagine a relaxed evening in late August, the air is already a little bit crisp and damp as autumn is nearing and you're sitting outside in your garden or close to the open kitchen window. The sky is glowing in all shades of purple and pink, you're cosy, wrapped in a cardigan, thinking about all your wonderful holiday memories. You have a glass of wine in front of you on the table and a pretty little snack which reminds you of all the wonderful flavours of summer. Think of a sandwich made with woody rosemary, fragrant olive oil, black olives and aromatic French goat cheese, like the fine Sainte-Maure de Touraine Chèvre, and some sweet cherry tomatoes on the side! It's so easy to feel good with the right food and the right mood and it's so easy to create this kind of treat, all you need are excellent ingredients!
When we started our eat in my kitchen x The Bread Exchange sandwich series last month, I mentioned how extraordinarily good Malin's bread is, its taste, texture and smell offers all you could possibly ask for in a sourdough bread. For my last sandwich creation I got a turmeric loaf from her, this time she pulled an aromatic rosemary bread out of her oven. It was so tempting, I stood in her kitchen together with Simone, another trader (I mentioned that Malin doesn't sell her bread, you have to trade with her) and I had this warm bread in my hands. The air was filled with the woody smell of rosemary and I couldn't have a single bite of it, I had to wait to make my Wednesday sandwich first. I had to go home, prepare everything and take the pictures, I had to be patient and I didn't feel like waiting at all! I think Simone felt sorry for me, she pulled out her loaf of bread from its brown paper bag and offered me a slice. Simone loves good food, design and photography and shares it with the world on her beautiful Instagram account (instagram.com/fraeuleinsonntag)!
Sainte-Maure Chèvre, Rosemary Oil and Olive Sandwich
For 4 sandwiches you need
the best loaf of sourdough bread you can get, cut into thick slices
Sainte-Maure de Touraine Chèvre (or another soft, aromatic goat cheese), around 120g / 4.5 ounces
olive oil 2 tablespoons
rosemary, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
black olives (preferably Kalamata olives), pitted and thinly sliced, 10
Mix the olive oil, rosemary, salt and sugar. Spread slices of goat cheese on the bread and sprinkle with rosemary oil and olives - enjoy!
Grilled Bell Pepper and Zucchini Sandwich with Basil
My Maltese summer is coming to an end and the next couple of posts will be the last ones from the islands, on Saturday I will continue writing from my Berlin kitchen again! Till then I will share a few more of the special places that I have fallen in love with over the years. I will tell you about some of my favourite spots which I haven't mentioned yet and tease you with a few more photos of my beloved Mediterranean sea!
Before I start my list I will show you my perfect summer sandwich, a sourdough bun soaked with lemon oil and filled with grilled green bell pepper and slices of zucchini. I sprinkled the smokey vegetables with some fresh basil leaves, flaky sea salt and crushed black peppercorns to add a little spiciness. The bell pepper and zucchini are at the peak of their season at the moment, full of ripe green flavours! The composition was so light and juicy, almost fruity, I could have eaten two of them!
I promised to tell you a bit more about Gozo, so this would be a typical, perfect day on Malta's sister island:
We leave Malta on the ferry very early in the morning and reach Mgarr harbour after only 25 minutes as the channel between the islands is just 6km (4 miles) wide. I always spend the journey on the top deck in the front of the boat as the view is stunning! When we arrive we drive straight to our apartment or farm house which doesn't take too long as Gozo is just 14 x 7 km (9 x 4 miles)!
We often start our day with a cappuccino, a couple pastizzi and a piece of chocolate fudge cake at Bellusa in the capital Victoria (also known as Rabat). Joe Bugeja runs this café at the main piazza, he took over from his father who opened this pretty little place in 1960 and since then you can see him at the café taking care of the orders every day.
Gozo is one of the best places for diving and snorkeling in the Mediterranean, some people even say in the whole world, so we spend lots of time under water. These are a few of my favourite spots:
Dewjra (we like to snorkel right next to the Blue Hole, here you can see the most beautiful blue, sparkling, deep and endlessly)
Wied il Ghasri
Ta' Cenc / Il Kantra
Qbajjar Bay
San Blas
For lunch or dinner we like to order pizza or Maltese Ftira at Maxokk Bakery, a take away bakery with an oven that is more than 100 years old! This family run business is famous for baking the best pizza on the islands. You should always give in your orders a few hours in advance! We often enjoy the pizza at sunset right above the San Blas Bay on a bench in a little park.
My favourite restaurant on the island is on a beach, at Mgarr ix-Xini, it's called Rew Rew. Noel, the owner, is famous for his delicious fish and seafood dishes. Normally, the restaurants opens just for lunch but unfortunately, it's closed this summer due to filming taking place in the bay. For dinner, I can recommend Tmun in Mgarr, Tatita's in San Lawrence and Oleander in Xaghra and for my last pastis on the island I love to sit on the balcony of Gleneagles Bar in Mgarr, right at the harbour!
Grilled Bell Pepper and Zucchini Sandwich with Basil
For 2 big sandwiches you need
crusty sourdough buns, cut in half, 2
green bell pepper, cut into thick slices, 1
medium sized zucchini, cut into slices, 1
fresh basil leaves 8
olive oil 6 tablespoons plus more for the vegetables
freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons
flaky sea salt
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
Brush the bell pepper and zucchini with olive oil and grill until golden brown.
Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice and brush the inside of the buns with it. Spread the grilled zucchini slices, bell pepper and basil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper, close the bun and enjoy!
Mediterranean Sausage Sandwich with Rucola and Coriander Oil
For this rich sandwich you need strong and tasty, coarse sausages, stuffed with flavours. Maltese sausage is ideal as it is the most aromatic and also the chunkiest sausage I've ever eaten. The meat is enhanced with lots of garlic, coriander seeds, spicy black peppercorns and parsley, while sea salt adds a strong saltiness. These sausages are perfect for a thick wintery vegetable soup, but in summer I like to have them in sandwiches. You could also use an Italian salsiccia which is also rich in flavours.
I like to fry the sausages first, then I deglaze them in the pan with a splash of wine, sweet wine even. I close the pan with a lid and let the meat cook in the juices until it's still a bit pinky on the inside. When you fry them only, they tend to dry out as they need quite a few minutes to be cooked through, and I like them juicy! Some people here in Malta like to eat them raw, a habit I'm a bit suspicious of due to the hot climate, but the taste apparently is amazing, according to my friends!
For this week's sandwich, I cut a crusty sourdough bun in half and brushed both sides with the cooking juices before I covered the bottom side with rucola (arugula or rocket salad) leaves and thick slices of juicy sausage. I sprinkled the meat with a bit of olive oil infused with coriander seeds and squeezed the bun together for it to soak all the nice and aromatic cooking liquids. This sandwich is quite hearty but the rucola and the coriander add a light summery feeling to it!
Mediterranean Sausage Sandwich with Rucola and Coriander Oil
For 2 sandwiches you need
crusty sourdough buns, cut in half, 2
thick, coarse sausages, preferably with herbs and spices like salsiccia, 2
rucola leaves, a handful
olive oil 3 tablespoons plus more for frying
coriander seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar, 1/2 teaspoon
white wine for deglazing
Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan with the coriander seeds for a few minutes to infuse the oil.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and fry the sausages until golden brown on all sides. Deglaze with a splash of wine, close with a lid and cook for a few minutes until the meat is just a little pink on the inside. Cut the sausages into thick slices.
Brush both sides of the bun with the cooking liquid, cover with rucola leaves and spread the sausage slices on top. Sprinkle with the coriander oil and close the bun, pushing it together a bit.
meet in your kitchen | Pan roasted Bread with Sam Cremona's Olive Oil and fresh Oregano
A drive through the countryside, over barren hill tops and streets lined with blossoming pink oleander leads us to a tiny village in the north of Malta, Wardija. We stopped in front of a big, green iron gate in the shade of majestic pine trees, their woody smell caught my senses as soon as I left the car! It was around noon, the sun was at its peak and the air was shimmering. The scene was peaceful and silent when Sam Cremona opened the gate and welcomed us with a big smile on his face. He is a man in his sixties, his skin darkened by the Mediterranean sun, and I had been looking forward to this meeting for months!
Sam produces his own olive oil of extraordinary quality and managed to revive an ancient kind of Maltese olive, the Bidni olive. This species has been cultivated on the island for at least 2000 years but it was on the brink of extinction, just 25 trees were left when Sam started his research. He was looking for olive trees to plant on the 1 hectare of land that surrounds his beautiful country house and the story and quality of this olive caught his attention. It's rich in antioxidants, the concentration is so high that the eggs of the olive fruit fly, one of the biggest pests for olive trees, never hatch in the fruits. The antioxidants also cause the oil's tasty bitterness and its positive effect on the immune system.
When Sam decided to work with the Bidni olive in 2002 he started a program called PRIMO, Project for the Revival of the Indigenous Maltese Olive. He uses cuttings from the few old trees left on the island and grafts them onto other trees. 40 producers joined him, hundreds of trees have been successfully planted and a wonderful olive oil has come back to life. Sam had to set up his own small olive press as there was none on the island at that time. This allows him to pick the fruits and press them on the same day, another reason for the oil's high quality.
Sam invited me to his kitchen to taste two of his olive oils, one made of the Bidni olive and another that's a little less bitter in taste. Both were wonderful, fragrant and rich. I could smell citrus fruits, pine trees, tomatoes and thyme, all embodied in these delicious Wardija Olive Oils! I was so impressed that I bought some of his oil straight away, if you would like to do the same or if you would like some more information about Sam's oil and project, you can contact him at matty@vol.net.mt.
After tasting the oil we enjoyed some with a few slices of Maltese bread, one of the best ways to savor a good olive oil, but I already knew what I would use it for as soon as I got back home. I discovered a very simple, delicious little snack when I was in Sicily. Pan roasted bread, dipped in olive oil and cooked with fresh oregano leaves. When the bread is golden brown and crunchy on the outside, you take it out of the pan and sprinkle a little more oregano, black pepper and coarse sea salt on top. As always, when a recipe is so simple, choose the best quality bread, olive oil and sea salt you can get and pick fresh oregano leaves if possible. It's divine!
Pan Roasted Bread with Olive Oil and fresh Oregano
For 4 people, you need a small loaf of sourdough bread, thickly sliced, olive oil and coarse sea salt to taste, crushed black peppercorns and a handful of fresh oregano. Brush the slices of bread with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with the herb, leave a few leaves to put on the bread when it's done. Heat a heavy pan and cook the bread for a few minutes until golden brown on each side, sprinkle it with some salt, pepper and fresh oregano.
A Maltese Beach Ftira with Tomato, Capers, Olives and Mint
Today I will share a sandwich with you that is as simple as it is perfect, Ftira mimlija - or filled, round Ftira bread. This sandwich doesn't require many ingredients but the few you use must be of exceptional quality. All you need is an extraordinarily delicious loaf of white sourdough bread, finest quality extra virgin olive oil, ripe tomatoes, red onions, olives, capers and fresh mint and basil leaves. This is a Maltese classic which you can buy at every beach kiosk and bar in many variations, some of them are also made with tuna, anchovies, bell pepper, Gbejna (Maltese goat cheese) or coarse sausage. I prefer to keep it simple, that's how my friend Essa makes them and that's the recipe I will share with you, it's my favourite! Every Maltese family has their own traditional recipe for this popular snack, so there isn't only one way to prepare it.
Depending on the time I have for my sandwich preparations I choose between the stuffed Ftira or a quick beach version without a filling, the equally famous Hobz biz-Zejt u Tadam (bread with oil and tomatoes). When I only have a few minutes left before our friends ring at the door to pick us up to go to the beach, this is my choice! I cut the bread in half, dip it in a plate of olive oil, rub it with a cut, ripe tomato and sprinkle it with coarse sea salt and crushed pepper. When you close the bread and push it together, it will soak the fruity and oily juices until you take it out of your bag after a long swim in the sea. Delicious! Jenny (my Maltese Mama) prepares these for us sometimes and I'm always happy when she pulls this snack out of her cooling box!
I think it's time for a quick introduction for those of you who don't really have an idea of where I am at the moment. The islands of Malta lie 80 km (50 miles) south of Sicily in the Mediterranean sea. This tiny country is formed by the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino and a few smaller uninhabited rocks, it's one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in the world. Its beautiful baroque capital is called Valletta which is a UNESCO World Heritage city. While we're here, we live on the island Malta which is the largest of them all but still very small - only 28 x 13km / 17 x 8 miles!
Maltese Ftira Sandwich with Tomato, Capers, Olives and Mint
For 2 Ftiras Sandwiches you need
Ftira, 2 quarters or 2 sourdough buns
big tomatoes, chopped, 2
capers, rinsed and dried, 1-2 teaspoons
small red onion, chopped, 1-2 teaspoons
black olives, chopped, 6
big basil leaves 6
small mint leaves 6
olive oil 4-8 tablespoons
salt and pepper
Sprinkle each slice of the Ftira or bun with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and put the tomatoes, capers, onion, olives and herbs on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste and close the sandwich, enjoy!
Chicken Sandwich with Red Cabbage and Orange Olive Oil
I asked for a chicken sandwich recipe and I got one that is hard to beat in aroma, juiciness and lusciousness!
My boyfriend is the one who got me hooked on sandwiches. One of his sandwich creations was actually the reason I started my Sandwich Wednesdays. He's been going on about a chicken sandwich for weeks and I think he just got tired of waiting any longer. I asked him to come up with an inspiration but he created a whole new sandwich instead. Thick and juicy slices of chicken breast, topped with red cabbage coleslaw, spring onions and a fantastic olive oil which he infused with orange peel for a few minutes in the oven.
My job was to choose the bread! I bought my Swabian soft buns again, the same I used for my Kirschenmichel. They have a nice sweet and eggy taste and the perfect soft texture to soak up all these juices. We could squeeze them easily, which is quite important when you have a sandwich this tall and you try to take the first bite! Eating it was a joyful mess, look at the pictures and you can imagine the scene.
The orange flavoured oil was so good that I have a few ideas in mind to use it for. You just need to put a baking dish with strips of orange peel and some olive oil in the oven and after 8 minutes you'll have the most aromatic infusion on your table!
Chicken Sandwich with Red Cabbage and Orange flavoured Olive Oil
For 6 sandwiches you need
soft buns, cut in half, 6
chicken breast 400g / 14 ounces
small red cabbage, cut into thin strips, 1/4 (around 160g / 5.5 ounces)
apple, peeled, cored and cut into julienne, 1
yoghurt 100g / 3.5 ounces
spring onion, cut into slices, 1
orange peel 4 long strips
freshly squeezed orange juice 1 tablespoon
olive oil 5 tablespoons plus more for the chicken
salt and pepper
In a bowl, mix the cabbage with 1 teaspoon of salt and rub with your fingers. Let it sit for 10 minutes to soften the texture. Mix the cabbage, apple, yoghurt and orange juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Set the oven to 200°C / 390°F.
You can cook the chicken and orange flavoured olive oil at the same time but in 2 separate dishes.
In a small baking dish, mix 5 tablespoons of olive oil with the orange peel and set aside.
In a heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the chicken breast on medium temperature for a few minutes on each side until golden. Put the chicken in a baking dish and roast in the oven together with the orange oil for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Check with a skewer, only clear juices should come out.
Cut the chicken into thick slices (18 for 6 sandwiches). Drizzle a bit of the orange flavoured oil on the bottom side of a bun, cover with 3 slices of chicken and a heaped tablespoon of coleslaw. Sprinkle with spring onion, close the bun and start the mess!
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto with Rosemary and Thyme
7:1! That was a crazy night and I still can't believe that Germany beat Brazil in the semi final with such an unbelievable result. After the 3rd goal I thought I was dreaming, and it went on, and on and on! Although I'm not the biggest football fan even I couldn't keep my eyes off the game!
Time to calm down now, and nothing relaxes me more than a nice portion of carbohydrates! Luckily it's Sandwich Wednesday again and after last weeks fruity and sweet roast apricots on Malin's delicious turmeric bread I felt like something hearty again, a concentrated sun-dried tomato pesto with rosemary and thyme spread on an oily focaccia bun. I love this rich pesto just as much mixed with spaghetti, therefore I always prepare a big bowl to last for a few days and include at least one pasta meal. It's great on pizza too and I'm sure there are a few other combinations you can come up with!
I always buy Maltese, Gozitan or Italian dried tomatoes. The ripe fruits taste so intense when they dry up under the Mediterranean sun, a bit oily and salty through the sea salt that helps the drying process. Before I throw them in the food processor I cook them in a bit of water for just a minute to soften them and rinse off excess salt. I purée them together with some pine nuts, garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme, olive oil and a bit of the salty liquid used to cook the tomatoes. Sometimes I add some fresh chili or cumin, basil is nice too! It's one of these recipes you can easily adapt to your mood and taste!
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto with Rosemary and Thyme
For 4 people you need
sun-dried tomatoes, cooked in some water for 1 minute, 70g / 2.5 ounces
water used to cook the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons (if you use the pesto for a pasta dish add 6-8 tablespoons)
olive oil 50ml /2 ounces
pine nuts 20g / 1 ounces
garlic, 1 big clove
fresh thyme leaves 1 1/2 tablespoon plus more for topping
fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon
optionally: chopped fresh chili, a pinch of cumin or fresh basil
For sandwiches
4 focaccia buns or 1 loaf of bread
For a pasta dish
spaghetti 400g / 14 ounes
Purée the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste and spread on the bread or mix with spaghetti cooked in lots of salted water (al dente).
Roasted Apricots on Turmeric Bread
Sandwich Wednesday news! After 7 months of baking my own bread or visiting one of my trusted bakeries, there will be a new monthly sandwich feature on the blog, eat in my kitchen x The Bread Exchange.
The Bread Exchange is a trading project started by Malin Elmlid in 2008, she is a master when it comes to baking the perfect sourdough bread. Together we will share our creations on eat in my kitchen, every month she will deliver a loaf of bread to my kitchen and I will turn it into a new sandwich idea. This will be exciting as Malin likes to use the exotic ingredients she gets through trading; turmeric from Iran, vanilla from Madagascar, salt from Israel, charcoal, matcha, the list is long and inspiring!
You can't buy Malin's bread, you can only trade for it and that makes it all the more special. You can offer culinary products, a dinner, invite her to a special place, teach her one of your skills or share a talent. Anything of personal value might inspire her and become your trade. The Bread Exchange has been going on all over the world, wherever Malin goes, her sourdough travels with her. More than 1400 loaves of bread have been traded and thankfully enjoyed in Berlin (where she lives), in Sweden (where she's from), the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Sinai, Morocco, Greece, USA and Belgium.
Last winter Malin asked me if I would like to test cook a couple of the recipes for her first cookbook which will be published this autumn. I cooked, baked and savored, they were all delicious and worked out perfectly - it will be so exciting to have the final The Bread Exchange book in my hands!
Now it's time to talk about sandwiches! Malin suggested starting off with her Moonraker Sourdough, a turmeric and honey bread which she created a couple years ago. It's originally made with dried apricots but she left them out this time. This glowing yellow loaf of bread with a strong spice aroma is inspired by the colour palette of the famous 70's Bond movie which gave it its name. Look at the colour and texture of this beautiful bread, imagine turmeric and the best sourdough bread you've ever eaten and you will have an idea of what I had on my kitchen table! As most of you won't be able to find a turmeric bread I will involve the flavours that Malin uses in her bread creations for my sandwiches, so you just have to get (or bake) the best sourdough bread you can find in town and then you can start!
Here's our first eat in my kitchen x The Bread Exchange sandwich creation, fresh apricots roasted with thyme, cardamom and turmeric in honey olive oil together with maple syrup and cardamom crème fraîche on thick slices of turmeric sourdough bread! This sandwich is wonderfully aromatic, juicy and fruity, the spices are present but not overpowering. If you don't have a loaf of bread at hand you could also pack the roast fruits on vanilla ice, this is just as good!
My next sandwich cooperation with Malin will be in August, I don't know what she'll bring to my kitchen but I can't wait to enjoy another one of her creations!
Roast Cardamom Apricots on Turmeric Bread
For 4 open sandwiches you need
sourdough bread, 1 loaf, cut into thick slices
fresh apricots, cut in half, 6
honey 1 tablespoon
olive oil 1 tablespoon
ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon
ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon
thyme 10 small sprigs
coarse sea salt
For the spread
crème fraîche or cream cheese 150g / 5.5 ounces
maple syrup 1 teaspoon
a pinch of ground cardamom
a pinch of salt
Set the oven to 230°C / 450°F.
Warm up the honey in a sauce pan and whisk in the olive oil, turmeric and cardamom. Coat the apricots with the honey olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and spread on a baking dish (cut side up). Lay the thyme on top and roast in the oven for 8 minutes, turn the fruits around and bake for another 2 minutes.
Whisk the ingredients for the spread till creamy, season to taste and spread on the slices of bread. Put 3 apricot halves on each slice, gently as they are soft. Sprinkle with a couple roast thyme sprigs.
Grilled Peach and Camembert Sandwich with Rosemary
It's cheese and fruit again! My last sandwich which combined these two flavours lies more than a month back. I had paired a creamy Gorgonzola with some of the first strawberries of the year, it was mild and milky but spiced up with a few pink peppercorns. Today's sandwich is more intense, I used a ripe Roucoulons camembert from the Franche-Comté region in the East on France. Normally this cheese is quite mild but mine was already beyond that state. It was very ripe, so spicy and sharp that my boyfriend refused to eat it so I decided to put it under the grill. I went for white-fleshed galaxy (or donut) peaches, we call them vineyard peaches in Germany. They are so sweet and juicy, exactly what I needed as the peach season has just begun here and most of the other types aren't rich in flavour yet (and wouldn't have managed the combination with my intense camembert). I sprinkled some crushed black peppercorns on top to add some spiciness and a little fresh rosemary which became a bit smoky under the grill, it was good!
For 6 open sandwiches I used half a loaf of spelt ciabatta cut into thick slices, topped with 2 ripe peaches (sliced) and 125g / 4.5 ounces of Roucoulons camembert. I sprinkled each of them with a couple rosemary needles and put them under the grill for 1 minute until the cheese became a bit runny. We added the crushed pepper afterwards so that each of us could adjust the spiciness.
Lemon Goat Cheese Tartine with Sango Radish Sprouts
Sango radish sprouts! Their deep purple caught my attention and was the initial inspiration for my sandwich, tartine in this case as it's made with a single slice of bread. The colour is mesmerizing, the shades change between a dark violet, almost black, a vibrant green and a dull brown. At home, when I looked at the box with the spouts on my table, the fragile plant reminded me of sea anemones, glowing and a bit unreal. The first bite was more familiar than their look, they taste a bit like pepper cress, spicy and fresh.
A dip just as fresh as the sprouts was my idea for this tartine, in white to achieve a strong contrast to the purple (I couldn't resist to focus on the look of this week's sandwich as well). I'm very much into goat milk products at the moment, soft cheese, hard cheese, cream cheese and yoghurt, the flavour that it adds is strong but never overpowering. This time I went for a light yoghurt and stirred in some cream cheese and mascarpone to give it more texture and creaminess. I bought a rustic baguette which is more juicy and tasty than the normal one, it's almost oily on the inside.
For my dip I whisked 125g / 4.5 ounces of goat milk yoghurt with 1 1/2 tablespoons of cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of mascarpone. To add a bit of tanginess I mixed in 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and seasoned the creamy dip with salt and pepper to taste. I spread it on 8 slices of baguette and sprinkled the tartines with a handful of Sango radish sprouts ( you could also use pepper or water cress) and a little more lemon zest.
Bruschetta with Avocado, Tomato and Red Onions
Whenever I have some bread leftovers, bruschetta is my solution! White bread doesn't stay fresh for so long, after 1-2 days it becomes a bit hard and dry but some olive oil drizzled on top and a few seconds under the grill will bring it back to life. A fruity dip, dripping and a little oily is the fine finish. I put the topping on just before we eat the bread so that it only soaks a little of the juices and the thin crust stays crisp.
Bruschetta can be the base for all kinds of dips, spreads and vegetables. In late summer I fancy one made with sautéed mushrooms, liver and thyme but luckily we aren't there yet. There's still lots of food in between now and then, lots of vegetables waiting to be chopped and mixed with some olive oil, garlic and herbs to end up on this crunchy bread. I'll start with a mix of velvety avocado, fresh tomatoes and a little spicy red onion.
For the 2 of us, I chopped up a ripe avocado with a fork, roughly, I didn't want to turn it into a mousse. I diced 2 medium sized tomatoes, sweet and ripe, chopped a clove of garlic finely and 1/4 red onion into small cubes. 8 fleshy basil leaves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Balsamico vinegar, salt and pepper stirred in made this chunky spread complete. I used a 2 day old baguette for this recipe, sliced and drizzled with a little olive oil, roast under the grill for a minute until it turned golden brown.
