Anna Sultana's Qaghaq tal-ghasel #2 - Treacle Rings, Maltese Style

I once heard that if you asked ten Jewish philosophers about a point in the Bible, you would get ten different interpretations.

Maltese cooks are like Jewish theologians.

There isn't one definite recipe for anything.

And they - the recipes - are all good.



Even Ma had a few variations on her old favourites.

I recently posted a variation Ma had on bread pudding or Pudina.

Back in 2010 I

Anna Sultana's Bread and Butter Pudding

A couple of days ago I posted a different recipe for Ma's Pudina tal-Ħobż.

Pudina was the dessert that got us through the times when Pop was out of work.

And, no, Pudina is not what most North Americans expect to be served when they hear the words 'bread pudding'.



But Maltese did learn a few recipes while we were part of the British Empire.

Especially when we visited English friends or

Anna Sultana's Pudina tal-Hobz #2 - Bread Pudding, Maltese Style

A little while ago I posted a recipe for Ma's Pudina tal-Ħobż.

The pudding that eats like a cake.

It's a great way to use up stale bread.

Waste not, want not.



Well, as with most Maltese recipes, there's more than one way to make Pudina.

And everybody has his own variation.

And they are all good.



Ma had another Pudina recipe up her sleeve.

This recipe is simpler.

Try them both. 

Anna Sultana's Zeppoli ta' san Guzepp - Fried choux pastry with sweet ricotta filling and honey coating

Back in March, 2010 I wrote about Carmela Soprano's Sfingi, and 

Ma's Zfineg ta San Ġużepp.

I wrote about them, but I didn't give the recipes. 

Yes, I know, beginner's mistake.



I had said that Sfingi and Zfineg are pretty much the same.

Both are prepared for the feast of St. Joseph.

Well, here's the recipe for Ma's Żeppoli ta' san Ġużepp.

The recipe makes about 24 to 30 Żeppoli.

Yes,

Anna Sultana's Turtle Stew, Maltese Style (Chicken Stew or Rabbit Stew)

I've been reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi.

It's an amazing book and was the source for an incredible movie.

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, it's about a shipwrecked boy and a Bengal tiger trying to survive for 227 days while lost at sea in the Pacific Ocean and the boy's efforts to get food.



It's always about food.



Chapter 70 was about butchering a turtle.

Not the

Feng Shui and My Least Favourite Room, part 3 by Margaret Ullrich

Tonight will be full moon number eight for 2013.

Full moons are supposed to mean a job's been completed.

Well, I'm still working on the same project I started two months ago

from Tisha Morris' book Feng Shui Your Life...



Make your least favourite room your favourite.



And I'll probably still be working on it when the next full moon appears.

But I feel pretty good about the progress

Anna Sultana's other Qaqocc Mimli - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

A few months ago I posted Ma's recipe for Qaqoċċ Mimli.

It's my favourite.

And I hope you enjoyed it, too.



Like I said in that post, Maltese recipes are often just a guideline.

Some folks prefer a certain flavour, like garlic.

Other folks hate a certain flavour, like garlic.

Sometimes there's a sale.

Sometimes a gardener has a good crop and wants to use it before it goes bad.





That

Anna Sultana's Pudina tal-Hobz - Bread Pudding, Maltese Style

Ma was not big on baking desserts.

Most of our meals were finished off with fresh fruit.

There were some traditional treats for the holidays.

And Maltese pastries on Sundays.



But then there was Pudina tal-Ħobż...

We had quite a bit of Pudina when Lily Tulip left College Point. 

Pop was out of work.

Every week he'd bring home a few bags of day-old bread.

Ma would turn them into Pudina

Anna Sultana's Stuffat tal-Qarnit - Octopus Stew, Maltese Style l Octopus Information

Okay, some fish can be easily replaced.

Bluefish can replace lampuki in Ma's recipes.

Haddock is another good substitute.





But, then there is the octopus situation.

Ma sometimes made Stuffat tal-Qarnit - Qarnit Stew.  

Qarnit is Maltese for octopus.  



Octopus is the stuff of legend.

And sometimes the stuff of science fiction.

Check out It Came from Beneath the Sea, a dandy 1955

Anna Sultana's Lampuki and Qara' baghli biz-zalza pikkanti - Fish and Marrows with Piquant Sauce, Maltese Style

One of the things Paul and I have done during summers is fishing.

Our first catfish was a real adventure, both to catch and to eat.

We're not artsy when it comes to fish.

We don't mount them as souvenirs.

We eat them.





When people move to another country they often have to face a change in diet.

Sometimes it's obvious - spaghetti in Italy, tacos in Mexico.

A more subtle problem is the

Anna Sultana's Pixxispad Mixwi - Grilled Swordfish, Maltese Style

A while ago I posted Carmela's recipe for Tonno alla Griglia.

Tuna Steaks with Lemon and Oregano.

It's an excellent recipe for the barbecue.



Ma had a recipe for Grilled Swordfish.

She couldn't easily find it, either.



Ah… swordfish.

It's something guaranteed to bring a smile to my local butcher/fish monger.

He gets a laugh whenever I ask for exotic ingredients.

Swordfish is exotic

Anna Sultana's Bebbux bl-Arjoli - Land Snails or Seafood with Hot Arjoli Sauce, Maltese Style

Ma's recipe for Bebbux bl-Arjoli is one of my most popular posts.

If you haven't tried it, it's a recipe for Snails with Arjoli Sauce.

Yes, snails.

But it's a very good sauce recipe.



This is a slightly different recipe.

Try both and see which you prefer.



In Malta snails are collected after the first Autumn rains in mid-October.

Then the snails are starved before being cooked.  

This

Feng Shui and My Least Favourite Room, part 2 by Margaret Ullrich

Tonight will be new moon number eight for 2013.


It's been a whole month since the last full moon.

And I'm still working on the same project I started a month ago

from Tisha Morris' book Feng Shui Your Life...



Make your least favourite room your favourite.



I'm still working in baby steps.

That room is not really that big.

There's just so much crap in it.





The worst of it is over.

Anna Sultana's Ful bit-tewm - Broad Beans and Garlic, Maltese Style

Got an e mail…

Is there a Maltese recipe that is good for serving broad beans cold?

Yes, of course.



Bigilla, which is also prepared from broad beans, is best served hot. 

But broad beans can be cooked in advance and served cold.



For the Ful bit-tewm recipe the beans are not mashed.

It would be messy on a cracker.

But it can be served cold as a protein side dish with a salad.



It can

Anna Sultana's Fazola bit-tewm - Butter Beans with Garlic, Maltese Style

Sometimes the easiest meal is the best meal.

Especially when it's hot.

Instead of a hot meal, serve a healthy light cold spread.

A nutritious dip with some bread and fresh vegetables can be just enough.



Ma's dips were protein packed.  

Her Bigilla was to us what peanut butter is to a North American kid.



Bigilla is a bean dip that can be served with crackers or raw vegetables.  

It's