Mozzarella di Bufala, Rucola, Orange and Chervil Salad
Mozzarella di Bufala, as creamy as a fresh Burrata, Italian oranges dripping with sweet juices, crunchy rucola (arugula) leaves, delicate chervil (Kerbel in German) and a fruity vinaigrette! This salad is luscious and fresh, a perfect combination of green, fruity and milky flavours.
It's a light culinary break while I'm bustling in my kitchen on the weekend, my little weekly feast when our meals become a bit more lavish and sumptuous. We spend even more time sitting at the table extending our dinners with some cheese, fruit and chutney before we finish it off with dessert. Good food and company, some music, a nice bottle of wine, it's so easy to celebrate those moments when everything feels just right! The end of the week is also my favourite time to bake and to fill the air with the smell of fresh bread, cinnamony cakes and cookies, that's my kind of wellness treat. So, to fully enjoy my numerous kitchen creation, I keep my breakfast and lunch lighter than normally but not necessarily more simple and spartan. I just focus on a few delicate ingredients, like in this salad.
Mozzarella di Bufala, Rucola, Orange and Chervil Salad
For 2-3 people you need
Mozzarella di Bufala, torn into pieces, 125g / 4.5 ounces
orange, peeled and cut into slices, 1
rucola (arugula) leaves, a big handful
chervil (Kerbel), the leaves of a small bunch
olive oil 3 tablespoons
white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed orange juice 1 1/2 tablespoons
salt and pepper
Whisk the olive oil, vinegar and orange juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the rucola, orange and mozzarella on plates and sprinkle with dressing and chervil.
Caramelized Kohlrabi Chips
After I stared at this stunning vegetable, a glowing purple kohlrabi, for about five minutes, I could see them right in front of my eyes: sweet, caramelized kohlrabi chips! Thin and sticky with crispy edges!
Normally I buy green kohlrabi as that's what I find at the market most of the time and to be honest, there isn't really a difference in taste, but the deep colour, somewhere between red, blue and the faded green of the leaves makes me grab this one whenever I see it. As soon as it's cut and sliced there isn't much left of its outstanding beauty but that doesn't matter, the taste makes up for it. Especially when the paper thin slices turn into chips which combine the hearty taste of cabbage with the bitter sweetness of caramel.
Caramelized Kohlrabi Chips
For a sweet nibble for 2 you need
kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced with a cheese or vegetable slicer, 160g / 5.5 ounces
butter 1 1/2 tablespoons
granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
In a large heavy pan, melt the butter and sugar on a medium-high heat, add the vegetables and spread them flat next to each other. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turn and cook for another minute until golden brown on both sides. Take the chips out and spread them on kitchen roll for just a few seconds. Don't let them cool on the paper or they will stick to it. Nibble cold or warm.
Spinach Ricotta stuffed Conchiglioni on Grilled Cherry Tomatoes
The trilogy of spinach, ricotta and tomatoes is one I use a lot for my pasta dishes, be it in lasagna, ravioli or canneloni. And if I need a really quick dinner I go for conchiglioni, the pretty pasta shells. It's so convenient to stuff these little beauties with all kinds of sauces and vegetables, a thick Bolognese or Ratatouille, mashed pumpkin or a tuna stew, they deliciously carry whatever I choose to fill them with! I also like that I can cook them in advance and just bake them with some cheese under the grill to warm them up, another easy solution for a spontaneous dinner party!
For this recipe I can skip all of the preparations that my classic lasagna requires, no Béchamel, no slow cooked red or meat sauce. I just put a bunch of cherry tomatoes under the grill until their skin starts to burst, it's the same preparation that I used for my orecchiette recipe in July. The roasted fruits are so soft and sweet that I only need to stir in some olive oil, Balsamico vinegar, salt and pepper to turn them into an aromatic and juicy sauce. I spread the conchiglioni on top of the tomatoes in the same dish as soon as they are done, lusciously stuffed with blanched spinach and creamy ricotta and sprinkled with Parmesan. Another 3 minutes under the grill and dinner is served!
Spinach Ricotta stuffed Conchiglioni on Grilled Cherry Tomatoes
For 3-4 people you need
conchiglioni, cooked al dente, around 25 pasta shells
spinach, the hard stems cut off, cleaned, 400g / 14 ounces (mine weighed 600g / 21 ounces before I prepared it)
ricotta 200g / 7 ounces
cherry tomatoes 500g / 1 pound
balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon
olive oil 2 tablespoons
nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
salt and pepper
Parmesan, grated, around 40g / 1.5 ounces, for the topping
In a large pot, bring salted water to the boil. Blanche the spinach for 1 minute, rinse with cold water in a colander, drain and squeeze out the water with a spoon. Chop the spinach roughly, mix with the ricotta and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Put the cherry tomatoes in a baking dish (big enough to spread the stuffed conchiglioni on top when the tomatoes are done) and roast the fruits under the grill for 15 minutes or until their skin starts to burst, turn them once or twice. When the tomatoes are done, stir in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and gently squeeze the tomatoes with a spoon.
Fill the pasta shells with the spinach ricotta stuffing, spread them on top of the tomatoes and push them gently in between the tomatoes. Sprinkle the shells with the Parmesan and some more pepper and put under the grill for around 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Like with lasagna, it's best to let the dish sit for a few minutes before serving.
A Salad with Greens, Cannellini Beans, Capers and Olives
Some days call for a quick salad and today is one of them, a little snack at noon!
We had a friend over from Costa Rica for a couple nights with her two young kids, so my kitchen creations had to be child friendly. Lasagna, pizza and cake made them very happy (I didn't expect anything else)! We were lucky, summer has come back to the city so we spent many hours out at playgrounds, lots of walking and running around for those little legs which made them hungry all the time!
It was only a short visit but we enjoyed every second of it! Now that they left, the flat is quiet again and I feel like some lighter food. I hadn't made any kitchen plans so I had to work with what I found and inspired me, a big lollo bionda lettuce in the fridge, some parsley on the kitchen window sill, a small can of cannellini beans, my Maltese capers and some black Kalamata olives (this jar is never missing in my pantry). All this thrown together in a large bowl and mixed with a light vinaigrette can make two people very happy. You could also add some canned tuna or tomatoes but I found my Saturday snack perfect as it was.
A Salad with Greens, Cannellini Beans, Capers and Olives
As a lunch for 3 or a side dish for 4 you need
lettuce (lollo bionda or rosso), rinsed, dried and torn into pieces, 1 big head
canned cannelli beans, rinsed and drained, 240g / 8.5 ounces
Kalamata olives 12
capers 4 tablespoons
leaves of a small bunch of parsley
For the dressing
olive oil 3 tablespoons
white balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons
salt and pepper
Whisk the ingredients for the dressing and season to taste.
In a large bowl, mix the lettuce, beans, olives, capers, parsley and dressing.
Focaccia with Grapes, Rosemary and Gozitan Sea Salt
This is the best focaccia I ever made! One reason might be the excessive use of very good olive oil. Sometimes there's just no way around, if you spare on oil you spare on taste and texture, it's just that simple. The second reason is the unbelievably delicious combination of baked ripe dark grapes and rosemary! The fruits add a soft sweetness and juiciness to the bread which is better than any other flavouring I ever tasted in combination with this Italian classic.
So, the air in my kitchen was filled with the addictive smell of freshly baked bread mixed with the woody aroma of rosemary. I sat in front of the oven like a hungry cat and I couldn't wait for the focaccia to be done, it was so tempting! I took the photos as quickly as possible as the aromas teased my nose even more after I cut the first piece off the thick and flat loaf. Then, finally, when I took the first bite, I just enjoyed the spongy softness, the oily crust which was almost flaky, the grapes which released their juices and this heavenly taste topped with roast rosemary sprigs and my Gozitan salt from the Cini family!
More focaccia inspiration:
Focaccia with Grapes, Rosemary and Gozitan Sea Salt
For a 25 x 32cm / 10 x 12.5" focaccia you need
plain flour 500g / 17 1/2 ounces
dry yeast 1 sachet (7g / 1/4 ounce)
salt 1 teaspoon
granulated sugar 1 heaped teaspoon
water, lukewarm, 260ml / 9 ounces
olive oil 110ml / 3 3/4 ounces (60ml / 2 ounces for the dough and 50ml / 1 3/4 ounces for the topping)
red grapes around 25
fresh rosemary needles, a small handful
flaky sea salt for the topping
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and 60ml / 2 ounces of olive oil and mix with your dough hooks for 5 minutes until well combined. Continue kneading with your hands for around 5 minutes until you have an elastic dough ball. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let the dough rise in a 35°C / 95°F warm ( top / bottom heat, no fan!) oven for 40 minutes.
Take the dough out, punch it down and knead for 1 minute. Roll out the dough until it measures around 25 x 32cm / 10 x 12.5" and put it carefully on an oiled baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for 20 minutes in a warm place.
Set the oven to 220°C / 430°F.
Punch about 6 x 7 holes into the dough with the round bottom of a wooden spoon and put a grape into every second hole. Pour the remaining 50ml / 1 3/4 ounces of olive oil over the dough and into the holes. Sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt and bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top.
Saffron Bouchot Mussels with Tomatoes, Garlic and Parsley
When I have mussels on my cooker I like to add spices, herbs and chopped vegetables, lots of flavours to enrich the broth they're cooking in. I love to dip a piece of fresh baguette into the concentrated juice of wine cooked with mussels, garlic and parsley as much as I like the tender flesh.
The last time I wrote about a recipe with mussels, it was an aromatic bomb inspired by my friend Essa's kitchen. The list of spices was long with turmeric, coriander, fresh and seeds, cayenne pepper, ginger and lemongrass. Not too long after I shared this recipe, Marilena from the Molise region in Italy got in touch with me as she holds a completely different position when it comes to cooking mussels and seafood in general. Pure without too many distractions, that's how it should be cooked in her opinion. I understand her point, and agree partly. I prefer prawn and lobster dishes that focus mainly on the seafood. When it comes to grilled steak fish, I feel the same. That's also one of the reasons why my fish recipes in Malta were quite minimal. Although mussels have a very fine taste of the sea, almost sweet, I find they work very well in combination with exotic aromas. We all have our cooking preferences, our likes and dislikes which makes the product of each kitchen so unique! When it comes to baking, Marilena and I found common ground again. She asked me to bake her Milk Pan di Campobasso, a traditional dolci of the region where she lives. This cake is packed with saffron and Strega (an old Italian saffron liqueur) infused milk and covered with hazelnut icing. I had never heard of this combination before but since then I'm in love with saffron combined with nuts!
Today's recipe for my mussels also works with the strong aroma of this precious, red spice. I felt like a strong broth with a dominant note of saffron mixed with tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley, onions and garlic. The dish looked and tasted like autumn! Warm flavours and colours, red, yellow and green on the shimmering Moules de Bouchot from the Mont-Saint-Michel bay between Brittany and Normandy. The mussels grow on ropes in the sea and that's the taste they bring to the plate, the fresh sea!
Saffron Bouchot Mussels with Tomatoes, Garlic and Parsley
For a lunch for 3-4 people served with baguette you need
mussels in shells (preferably Bouchot mussels) 1 kg / 2 pounds
medium tomatoes, finely chopped, 3
medium onion, finely chopped, 1
garlic, thinly sliced, 3 cloves
white wine 200ml / 7 ounces
bay leaf 1
saffron a pinch
salt 1/2 teaspoon
pepper
olive oil
fresh parsley, roughly chopped, 4 tablespoons plus a few leaves
Rinse and scrub the mussels under cold water and cut off the beard, discard any broken mussels.
In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic on a medium heat for a few minutes until soft and golden. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, wine, saffron, salt, pepper and the mussels. Shake the pot gently to mix or stir with a slotted ladle. Bring to the boil, close with a lid and cook on lowest heat for 5 minutes or until the shells open (shake the pot once or twice while cooking). Discard any mussels that didn't open! Sprinkle the mussels with parsley and serve immediately, in deep plates with a bit of broth and baguette.
Mojo Verde inspired by the Canaries
When our friends came back from the holiday they spent on Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands, they told me about their culinary discovery with such passion that I had to try it, Canarian Mojos! The name derives from the Portuguese word molho (meaning sauce) and stands for an endless variety of sauces made of (fresh or dried) green or red peppers, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, fresh herbs, like coriander or parsely and spices, like cumin, caraway seeds or sweet paprika. Most of these traditional Canarian dishes praise the local peppers which must be extremely aromatic and strong in flavour and cover the whole range from mild to very hot and spicy. Some sauces are made just with herbs, similar to a thick pesto or with dried spices mixed with breadcrumbs. I also read about a sauce which mainly features grated hard cheese, the Almogrote which originates from the Canarian island La Gomera. There are so many delicious sounding names like the spicy, red Mojo Rojo Picón made of dried red hot peppers or Mojo de Almendras mixed with roast almonds. These sauces will be one of my winter kitchen projects as many of them can be made with dried peppers and they offer a great field to experiment with strong aromas.
My friends told me that they savored these sauces with almost every dish, with fish, meat, vegetables and potatoes and they encouraged me to give them a try although I've never visited the Canarian Islands myself. So I don't claim authenticity, I just felt inspired to mix my own Mojo inspired by these islands' signature dishes. For my Mojo Verde, I mixed mild green bell pepper with garlic, fresh hot chili pepper, (lots of) olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of cumin and salt and pepper and I was very pleased with the result when I mixed it with my pasta!
Mojo Verde
For 4 people you need
long or round green bell pepper (preferably organic as they taste stronger) 1
olive oil 2-4 tablespoons
fresh red chili pepper 1
garlic, 2 big cloves
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
optional: a pinch of cumin, to taste
Mix the ingredients in a blender, or more authentically but also more time consuming, grind them in a mortar to a thick paste. Season to taste and serve with pasta or on grilled bread or vegetables.
Mozzarella and Basil in Carrozza
Here's a savory French toast, filled with mozzarella and basil, or the sweeter sounding Italian name, Mozzarella in Carrozza - meaning mozzarella in a carriage!
I'm a big fan of sticky and cinnamony French toast with lots of maple syrup. There were times when I cooked them almost every morning! Mozzarella in Carrozza is the perfect savory alternative, with a filling of fresh basil leaves softly melted into creamy mozzarella. Great for a late breakfast, Sunday brunch or as a quick snack! You could also introduce some stronger flavours and replace the summery herb with anchovy or capers, or add some tomato slices or prosciutto. There are endless variations on this recipe, with dried tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, blue cheese, bacon, different fresh and dried herbs... I can even imagine a French version with slices of ripe camembert infusing the warm bread with its strong aroma while it's cooking in the pan. French toast, it would close the circle again! Mozzarella in Carrozza doesn't really feel like a normal sandwich, it's a bit like a pizza - with much less preparation!
The recipe is quick and easy: You just need to fill the bread with mozzarella and basil leaves, dust both sides of the bread with a thin layer of flour before you dip it in an egg and milk mixture and fry the sandwich in a pan until it's golden on both sides. Although the bread tastes really good when it's just out of the pan, still fresh and warm, we enjoyed a couple an hour later just as much!
Mozzarella and Basil in Carrozza
For a lunch for 2 you need
white bread 6 slices (you could cut off the crust but I prefer to leave it on)
mozzarella, drained, 125g / 4.5 ounces, cut into 6 slices
fresh basil leaves 9
organic eggs 2
milk 4 tablespoons
salt and pepper
plain flour
olive oil for frying
butter, 1 tablespoon, for frying
Whisk the milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Spread some flour on a plate.
Put 2 slices of mozzarella and 3 slices of basil in between 2 slices of bread, leaving a little margin around the edges. Press the bread together and dip both sides in flour (they should be lightly dusted). Turn the sandwiches in the egg and milk mixture until all the liquid is soaked up.
In a non-stick pan, heat a splash of olive oil and the butter and fry the sandwiches on both sides until golden. When you turn them around, gently push them down with a spatula. Take the bread out and cut in half. It's best to enjoy it immediately while the bread is still warm and the cheese is melted.
Parsley, Tomato and Mint Salad
There's a beautiful little take away restaurant close to my flat which offers the best Chickpea Falafel and Chicken Shawarma in town, and this is not just my opinion! This tiny place is called Salsabil and it's run by a very nice guy from Tunis, we've known him for years and he always brings us a cup of hot tea as soon as he sees us, even if we're just passing by! His food is honest and authentic, he doesn't offer that many dishes but each of them is delicious. In summer, we like to sit outside at one of the tables on the pavement and the rest of the year we enjoy the cosiness inside. We sit on wooden benches opposite a photography of the old city walls of Tunis which always reminds me of the Silent City of Mdina in Malta. The light is dimmed and they usually play traditional Tunisian music, it feels a bit like a short holiday in one of the old towns of Tunisia! When it comes to the menu I follow a bit of a tradition, I always order some juicy Falafel in pita bread with different vegetables and sauces, some of their amazing hummus and a very aromatic parsley, tomato and onion salad.
Since I already wrote about my hummus recipe and I'm not experienced enough yet to make my own Falafel in my kitchen (but that will soon change!), I will share my tomato, parsley and mint salad to create a bit of a Salsabil atmosphere at home!
This fresh salad is also great for parties and barbecues!
Parsley, Tomato and Mint Salad
For 2 people as a side dish you need
fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped, 40g / 1.5 ounces
large, ripe tomato, finely chopped, 1
fresh large mint leaves, finely chopped, 6
small red onion or shallot, finely chopped, 1
garlic, crushed, 1 small clove
olive oil 3 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon
white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon
salt and pepper
For the dressing, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the dressing with the tomato and herbs and serve in a bowl.
Tzatziki in 2 variations
When I find a bowl of Tzatzki in front of me at a Greek restaurant I could (almost) skip the main course. There are two other dishes that have the same effect on me, fresh, warm bread with salted butter and hummus with flat bread! There is something about the Greek dip which is so simple yet it makes me want to dip a piece of bread into it again and again. It's like having a great cake in front of you that you just can't stop eating until you realise half the cake is gone!
When we have a barbecue with our friends, we always start to nibble on some salads, my Tzatziki and bread while we're waiting impatiently for the coal to settle. So often we get carried away with the creamy dip before the meat is even done! So no matter where I prepare this dip for friends and family, I always get requests for the recipe, every time I make it.
There are many ways to make a delicious Tzatziki, I've tried this dip made with Greek yoghurt, Alex, my Greek-German brother in law uses soured milk and I use quark. I mentioned it when I wrote about my German Cheesecake last Sunday, to me, low fat quark mixed with heavy cream makes the best Tzatziki. Although Alex chooses a different dairy product, he enjoys eating my "German-style" Tzatziki a lot! Another important point of the recipe is the right processing of the cucumber (preferably organic as they have the strongest taste). It has to be roughly grated and pressed between the hands to release some of the vegetable's juices to achieve a more concentrated flavour and a better texture. It's best to use fresh, moist garlic, my favourite is the young French garlic when it's light green and purple, and the rest is a question of the right ratio according to your taste.
It's my Sandwich Wednesday today and I didn't want to leave out those of you who can't get quark, so here are two Tzatziki recipes, one is made with yoghurt. Tzatziki is also great on potatoes grilled in foil at a barbecue!
Let's get started, all you need is a fresh loaf of your favourite white bread and a big bowl of Tzatziki!
Tzatziki
For 2-4 people you need
cucumber, preferably organic, roughly grated and squeezed between the hands, 80g / 3 ounces (there should be around 60g / 2 ounces of cucumber left after you squeezed it)
Now continue with version 1 or 2 and add:
Version 1
low fat quark 250g / 9 ounces
heavy cream 2 tablespoons plus more to taste
garlic, crushed, 1-2 big cloves
salt and pepper
Version 2
yoghurt 250g / 9 ounces
sour cream 4 heaped tablespoons
heavy cream 4 tablespoons plus more to taste
garlic, crushed, 1-2 big cloves
salt and pepper
Mix the cucumber with the ingredients of version 1 or 2, season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste and whip in more heavy cream if you prefer a more creamy texture.
La Ratte Potatoes with Roast Lemon Peel, Olives and Parsley
A few weeks ago my boyfriend came up with a great chicken and red cabbage sandwich idea with an orange infused olive oil. He brushed the inside of the bread with this flavoured oil that we created by heating up a dish of olive oil and orange peel in the oven. The aromatic oil was wonderfully flavoured but the crisp citrus peel impressed me just as much! Since then I've used roast lemon and orange peel for my pasta, salads, couscous and risottos. The thin strips just need a few minutes to become golden crisps packed with flavour so it's important to take them out at the right moment. If you leave them in the oven for too long, they become bitter, and this can happen within seconds!
I have many ideas in my mind that feature both the wonderful oil and the crunchy strips, today's recipe combines roast lemon peel with potatoes, parsley and black olives to make a warm salad, great for lunch or as a side dish. I use the lemon flavoured olive oil as a dressing and the peel as a crunchy topping. It just needed some flaky sea salt for seasoning and it was done! I often use the French La Ratte potatoes for for these kind of potato salads, their taste is nutty and buttery and the skin is very thin. I don't even peel them, I just clean them with a vegetable brush and cut them in half when they are cooked.
La Ratte Potatoes with Roast Lemon Peel, Olives and Parsley
For 2-4 people you need
olive oil 3 tablespoons
lemon peel, cut into pieces, 6 long strips
La Ratte potatoes, cooked, (unpeeled) and cut in half, 14
fresh parsley leaves, a handful
black olives 12
sea salt
Set the oven to 200°C / 390°F (fan-asssited oven).
Put the olive oil and lemon peel in a baking dish and cook for 6 minutes or until the peel is golden and crisp.
Spread the potatoes on plates and mix them with the lemon infused olive oil. Sprinkle them with parsley, olives, roast lemon peel and salt and serve either warm or cold.
Red Onion and Plum Tarte Tatin with Chèvre
My Tarte Tatin goes savory! Caramelized red onions, sweet and sour plums, aromatic thyme and chèvre replace the apples which I usually choose for this tart, and it's great. This is the taste of late summer!
At the moment I can't get enough of the combination of sweet, fruity and savory flavours. I've always been a big fan of it but I'm a bit obsessed with it right now (so much that my boyfriend already asked for a break). I mix mirabelles, plums, peaches, grapes or figs with saltimbocca, coarse sausages and chicken and I barely eat my cheese without one of my plum, rhubarb or apple chutneys (I will share my plum chutney recipe soon).
I love August and September in northern Europe, the transition to autumn. The light is magical and it's the time to harvest all those wonderful fruits, to cook them and turn them into delicious dishes and colourful jams and chutneys for the colder months. That makes it so much easier to let go of summer!
Red Onion and Plum Tarte Tatin with Chèvre
For the tart you need a 21cm / 8″ Tarte Tatin dish or frying pan which is ovenproof.
mild and soft chèvre 150g / 5.5 ounces, for serving
For the topping
medium sized red onions, cut into 8 wedges each, 4
plums, quartered, 4-6
butter 2 tablespoons
olive oil 1 tablespoon
sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon
thyme sprigs 6
salt and pepper
For the shortcrust
plain flour 130g / 4.5 ounces
butter, cold, 75g / 3 ounces
egg yolk 1
salt 1/8 teaspoon
cold water 1 1/2 tablespoons
For the shortcrust, combine the flour and salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and quickly work the butter into the flour until combined. Add the egg yolk and the water, continue mixing with the hooks of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Set the oven to 200°C / 390°F.
In a pan (or Tarte Tatin dish), heat the butter with the sugar and oil until it starts to caramelize. Add the onions, arrange them in a circle and cook them for 7 minutes on medium heat. Turn them gently and cook them for another 7 minutes. Mind that they don't burn, they should become golden brown. Tuck the plum wedges in between the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme.
Roll out the dough, big enough to cover the pan and lay it on top of the onions tucking the edges down the sides. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown. When the tart is done, place a large heat resistant plate on top and turn the pan carefully upside down, keep in mind that it’s very hot!
Serve the Tarte Tatin with a big slice of chèvre.
Crisp Celery and Blue Cheese
Crisp celery, aromatic blue cheese, cream cheese and crushed black peppercorns, that's all you need for this little antipasto snack!
I used Fourme d'Ambert, one of the oldest French cheeses from the Auvergne region. It has a strong taste and a creamy texture which blends perfectly into the creamy dip for the stuffing. Sometimes I replace it with Stilton, its rich aroma goes very well with this recipe. Although my chosen vegetable, crunchy fresh celery stalks also have a strong and unique taste, I didn't want the cheese to be too overpowering so I mixed it with some mild and milky cream cheese. You could also use Gorgonzola but in that case I would mix it with mascarpone instead of cream cheese, it's a great combination, also on bread! The roughly crushed pepper adds some spiciness which makes the snack complete.
For 8 stuffed celery stalks, I mixed 50g / 2 ounces of Fourme d'Ambert with 100g / 3.5 ounces of cream cheese (depending on the blue cheese you might need some more or less) and spread it into the thick parts of the vegetable. I ground some black peppercorns roughly in a mortar to finish it off!
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!
Black Olive and Parsley Pesto with Capers, Anchovies and Lemon
This pesto is so rich in unbeatably strong aromas, velvety black olives, fresh parsley, salty capers and anchovies, spicy onions and garlic and some lemon juice and mustard to finish it off! It resembles the Provençal tapenade but the parsley and onions give it a lighter and fresher touch, it makes this dish feel Italian. It's great with pasta but also as a spread on crunchy grilled bruschetta. Although I'm not the biggest fan of raw onions I must say that they make sense in this recipe, they add more of a sharp spiciness than an overpowering taste of onions which is quite often the case when this uncooked vegetable is involved.
This is another one of those convenient pantry/ fridge/ balcony dishes, made with ingredients that I always find in these three places! My mother used to make a similar pesto with pasta, I played around with it over the years, added a few flavours until it became this recipe. You could also add some sun-dried tomatoes, chop in some fresh tomatoes or replace the parsley with basil. That's what I love about pesto, it can follow your mood and kitchen stock!
Black Olive and Parsley Pesto with Capers, Anchovies and Lemon
For 3-4 people you need
linguine or spaghetti, cooked al dente, 300-400g / 10.5-14 ounces
For the pesto
black (preferably Kalamata) olives 15
parsley, the leaves of a medium bunch (set aside a few leaves, roughly chopped, for the topping)
anchovies, rinsed and dried, 2
capers 1 tablespoon
shallot 15g / 1/2 ounce
garlic, 2 cloves
pine nuts 15g / 1/2 ounce
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon plus more to taste
mustard 1/8 teaspoon plus more to taste
olive oil 50ml / 1 3/4 ounces
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar for the topping
For the pesto, mix the ingredients in a food processor; it should be a smooth paste. Season with lemon juice and mustard to taste.
Serve the pasta with the pesto on warm, big plates, sprinkled with black pepper and parsley.
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!
meet in your kitchen | Golden Calamari with Chorizo and the Meridiana Wine Estate
The "kitchen" I visited for today's meet in your kitchen feature creates the completion of every fine meal, wine! When I thought about all the culinary places I wanted to visit and write about during my time in Malta I knew that a vineyard would definitely be one of them. My choice was easily made as for years I've enjoyed Meridiana's wines, a winery that lifted the quality and the international image of Maltese wine to another level. Their Isis made from Chardonnay grapes is one of my favourite white wines and the Fenici Red is a beautiful, velvety red wine made of Syrah and Merlot, just the thought of it makes me wish I had another bottle of it in the house!
Meridiana is a boutique winery, all the grapes used for the nine different labels grow on Maltese ground. The production only reaches 140,000 bottles a year, most of their wines are sold out before the following vintage's release. Unfortunately, only a few countries are lucky to be on the wine estate's export list and Germany isn't one of them. I bought a few bottles after my visit and I will definitely have some shipped to my own kitchen for a little taste of Malta in my glass when I feel like.
Compared to Italian or French wine estates, Meridiana's history is relatively young. In 1985, a Bordeaux oenologist convinced Mark Miceli-Farrugia that Malta's climate and soil offered all a high quality wine needs, a produce that didn't exist on the market at that point. Two years later, Meridiana Wine Estate was established but it took another 8 years and lots of patience and persistence to be rewarded with the first harvest of a limited quantity of red and white wine between 1995/96. During those first ten years, Meridiana experimented with various kinds of grapes and acquired a 19-hectare site in Malta's agricultural heartland below the city of Mdina. The partnership with one of the oldest winemaking families in the world helped the young winemakers to fulfill their vision. Marchese Piero Antinori joined in in 1992 and brought in his family's experience in winemaking gained over hundreds of years all over the world (Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Winemakers Guild of Florence in 1385).
I spent a few wonderful hours on the estate with Karl Chetcuti, my knowledgable host, who showed us around the fermentation tanks, the cellar filled with old oak barrels and we tasted some wines which we hadn't tried yet. We spoke so much about wine but also about the best places to buy fish, restaurants, bakeries and our favourite butchers. Before we left, Karl mentioned his favourite recipe for calamari, fried in rings and served with spicy chorizo on the side. On one of the following nights, we opened a bottle of chilled Isis and took his advice. We threw a few calamari in hot garlicky oil and ate them with thinly sliced chorizo, it's a great combination of spice and sea!
If you would like to visit Meridiana and learn more about winemaking just get in touch with Karl at meridiana.com.mt!
Golden Calamari with Chorizo
For 2 people you need
big calamari tubes, cut into slices, 4
chorizo, very thinly sliced, 70g / 2.5 ounces
plain flour
garlic, quartered, 1 big clove
olive oil
lemon 1/2
optional: small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced, 1
On a large plate, dust the calamari with flour, they should be coated with a thin layer.
In a large heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil with the garlic. Add the calamari and fry for 2 minutes, stirring gently. Don't overcook them or they will become hard.
Arrange the chorizo and fried calamari on a large plate (and the optional slices of fennel), sprinkle the rings with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve with a glass of chilled, fruity white wine.
Mashed Potatoes with Fennel Oil and Sea Salt
The hot afternoon air is filled with the sweet fragrance of fennel, Buzbiez in Maltese, mixed with the earthy smell of the rocky, red soil and wild thyme, this is the addictive smell of Malta's countryside! The ground is burst open by the sun and covered with twiggy plants, growing like sticks and crowned with golden umbels which carry the tasty fennel seeds which I love to use so much in my cooking. When we drive down some of the lonely narrow streets I touch the fennel with my hands as they grow so close to the asphalt that it feels like they want to take back their territory. Sometimes we jump into the car to drive around in these desolate parts of the island, to find a new hidden spot to snorkel or to stop somewhere in the middle of the soft hills and listen to the silence surrounded by the beautiful scent of fennel, thyme and sea air!
I always buy my fennel seeds in Malta, from a very sweet lady at the Sunday market in Marsaxlokk. I got used to the little seed's taste which is so sweet, strong and unique here, I've never found tastier fennel anywhere else! It's great to infuse olive oil for pasta, to cover the skin of roast poultry or to flavour potatoes. There is a popular Maltese dish, oven potatoes cooked with onions and fennel seeds in white wine, it's often served as a side dish in restaurants with fish. It tastes so good that it doesn't need anything else with it, we often eat it on it's own and enjoy the aromatic potatoes.
Sometimes I feel the need to eat potatoes, my body just calls for them, so I decided to make my Mediterranean mashed potatoes which I chop with a knife while I pour olive oil into the chunky mixture. Normally, I just season them with sea salt but this time I infused the olive oil with my aromatic fennel seeds from Marsaxlokk!
When we go to Marsaxlokk we like to stop at Delimara to snorkel and dive off the cliffs. The sea is beautiful here, crystal clear, in different shades of blue and turquoise! The bay is surrounded by white rocks and steep cliffs that look like abstract sculptures created by nature! One of the next bays, St. Peter's Pool, is just as stunning!
Mashed Potatoes with Fennel Oil and Sea Salt
For 2 people you need
big potatoes, cooked and peeled, warm, 3
olive oil 5 tablespoons
fennel seeds, lightly pressed in a mortar, 1 teaspoon
sea salt
In a sauce pan, warm up the olive oil and fennel seeds for 3 minutes on low heat.
Chop the warm potatoes with a knife into small chunks while pouring the fennel oil into the lumpy mixture. Season with salt to taste.
Crisp Whitebait with Parsley
This was one of our first lunches when we arrived in Malta, but I had forgotten about it: golden fried whitebait sprinkled with parsley! For years I didn't touch this dish as I didn't like the idea of frying little fish in one piece until I tried it in a Portuguese restaurant and I loved it. That dinner changed my mind!
The fish has a fine taste, like the sea, so it shouldn't be mixed with too many flavours. I like to cook a big batch of them and serve them on a big plate, with a salad and a glass of white wine on the side. This is perfect as an easy lunch and it brings a Mediterranean feeling to the table! Close your eyes, smell the aroma of the cooked fish and imagine that you're sitting in a restaurant close to the sea!
When I cook whitebait (a big handful), I like to dust them lightly with flour, dip them in a beaten egg and fry them in 1 tablespoon of butter mixed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. They just need 3-4 minutes in the pan to turn golden brown and crisp. I sprinkle them with a heaped tablespoon of chopped parsley and a tiny bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice, that's it!
meet in your kitchen | The Cini Salt Pans and Sun-dried Tomatoes in Gozo
Gozo is one of the most magical places I know, it's Malta's silent and peaceful sister island, full of natural beauty. Whenever the ferry reaches Mgarr harbour in the south of the island after a 20 minute crossing of the channel between the two islands, I feel overwhelmed by its serenity and happy to be there again!
There is so much to write about Gozo, so many places to introduce you to and I will do that in the next few days, but for now I will show you just one of them which is very special to me. It's a place that produces a product which I use every day in my cooking, Gozo sea salt. I buy my salt at the Xwejni pans in the north, owned by the Cini family. Rose Cini's family has been harvesting sea salt for five generations. She herself has worked in the pans which are cut into the porous rock, all her life until the family almost stopped using them in the early sixties. Together with her husband Emmanuel, their daughter Josephine and David, their son-in-law, they have revived this tradition.
Salt pans have been in this location since Roman times. The position, the climate, the rock and the good quality of the sea water are perfect for salt harvesting.
When Emmanuel married into the family most of the pans hadn't been used for a few years and they weren't in the best state. He decided to repair and clean them and to continue the family tradition in 1969. He built up a little family business which is now run by the four family members Emmanuel, Rose, Josephine and David. The four of them keep the pans filled with sea water between May and September. In June and July, the peak of the harvest season, they carry up to 3 tonnes of salt off the 300 pans each week! Sea water contains about 3.7% of salt, the water in the pans about 5%, as soon as the water is pumped up it will take around 7 days for it to evaporate. 24 liters of sea water are necessary to harvest 1 kg / 2 pounds of salt.
Emmanuel Cini has always wanted to keep the traditional way of harvesting the salt, work which is mainly done by hand; it demands lots of passion but also physical strength. In 1974 he made a decision which was considered very modern at that time in Gozo, he was the first to pack the salt in plastic bags with his name printed on and sold it in shops all over the islands, he became the Salt Baron from Gozo!
When I asked him if he sees his work as the perfect job he said "Yes, of course!". Although it's physically very straining, he never complains, as his daughter says. The whole family works at the pans, fills them, empties them and carries the salt up into a little cave which is cut into the stone to store the salt, the salt shop. That's where you can buy it, or from the little table under an umbrella which they put out on the street from 10:30 to 17:00, every day, that's where you can find the Cinis between April and December.
Gozo sea salt contains more than 80 trace minerals, I love the crystal's flaky texture and the fine taste for my cooking!
I have been buying my salt from the Cinis for many years and when I asked them if they would like to share a recipe on eat in my kitchen, Rose said that she would show me how to make sun-dried tomatoes in her mobile outdoor kitchen outside the salt shop. It takes between 4-6 days to sun-dry the tomatoes and the final result tastes divine! You need a hot climate and constant sun for this period of time to dry the fruits!
Sun-dried Tomatoes by Rose Cini
All you need is
ripe tomatoes
coarse sea salt
Rinse and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half (crosswise). Spread them on a metal grid (cut side up) and sprinkle each tomato generously with sea salt. Leave the tomatoes out in the sun for 4-6 days, covered with a mosquito net by day and with a plastic sheet by night (to protect them from humidity).
When the tomatoes are dried, rinse them and dry them in the sun for an hour. Store them in sterilized jars when they are completely dry with a handful of coarse sea salt. You can also preserve them covered in olive oil.
