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6 Quick And Easy Maltese Recipes That Will Make People Believe You Can Cook

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Malta is at the heart of the Mediterranean, and that means one thing and one thing only; we love our food. But not everyone was created equally, and not everyone has the same skill level when it comes to preparing said food.

If you’ve been meaning to show people you’ve got what it takes to be Maltese and somewhat of a culinary expert, however, here are six quick and easy recipes which will definitely help your cause. You’re welcome. Just drop by the offices and maybe get us a bite?

1. Ħobż biż-Żejt

Ingredients
  • The freshest, most crunchy ftira you can get your hands on 
  • Tadam Bżenguli
  • Bunch of Capers
  • Some Olives, whatever
  • 1 Can of Tuna
  • Some Butter Beans in Garlic
  • Maltese Pickled Onions
  • Ġbejna
  • Sea Salt & Pepper
  • Dash of Cumin
  • Mint Leaves
  • Olive Oil

Cut your ftira as evenly as possible — just slap it down on the table, get your knife in on the side like you would normally do, and slowly turn the ftira on itself as you serrate with the knife.. This trick gives off the illusion that you are not a complete failure in life.

Cut the tomato in half and rub it inside the ftira, like that time you tried to wash a plate without a sponge.

Next grab a plate on which your ftira can fit. Pour some olive oil and sprinkle the cumin, salt and pepper in it. Place the ftira face down (tomato side down) on this mess and gently-ish press it down with your chunky hands. 

When you’re done, you can throw in the tuna, capers, olives and the butter beans. Chop up the mint leaves and sprinkle them over the ftira. Act like you know what you are doing. 

Cut the ftira in adequately sized pieces (I don’t know what size your ftira is man)

Serve with the pickled onions and ġbejna, u ghidli x’qed tiekol man.

2. Kawlata 

Ingredients

“I have no idea how many people you want to serve, but if you don’t have enough you can always use small bowls to make it look fancy.”

  • 1 Onion, just cut it into small pieces it doesn’t matter
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, obviously peeled. press your fist down on them to crush like a champ
  • 600g Pork belly or Shoulder minced or diced
  • 3 Maltese Sausages chopped
  • 3 Carrots chopped
  • 1 Big Ass Cabbage thinly sliced
  • 2 Large Potatoes chopped and peeled.. Maybe
  • 3 Large Dried Chilis chopped
  • 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
  • Naqa Parsley 
  • 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • Chicken Stock Pot
  • 2 Litres Water
  • Dash of Soy Sauce (yes, we cheat) 
  • Frying Oil 

Heat the oil in a pot — wait for it to have those really tiny bubbles forming on top. Throw in the garlic but for the love of god, do not stay too close to the oil that stuff hurts like hell. Add the onions and lower the heat. Do not cook on high heat unless you want to burn all the food. 

When the onions turn kind of transparent hekk, add the pork and sausages along with the chopped chilis. When the meat starts to turn a weird pinkish/brown colour, around 15 minutes. Add the carrots, the cabbage, the potatoes and the seeds. Mix everything and cook for around three minutes, or at least until the carrots feel a little bit soft. 

Add the stock pot to the water and mix well until it looks dissolved, and add to the pan along with the kunserva and the soy sauce, reduce the heat and leave it to cook for 2 – 3 hours.

Serve with parsley. 

Qed tara kemm tinqala fejn trid? 

3. Spinach And Tuna Pie

Ingredients
  • 2 Puff Pastry Crust from Lidl
  • 400g Spinach fresh is good but frozen is fine too
  • 2 Large Onions diced
  • 1/2 cup Green Olives Chopped
  • 1/2 cup Black Olives Chopped
  • 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
  • 3 Tuna tins
  • 1 Teaspoon Curry
  • 1 Teaspoon Cumin
  • 2 Bay Leaves dried
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Mint 
  • 1 Egg
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Bunch of Sesame Seeds 

Rip open those pastry rolls and spread one of them on an adequately sized and well greased oven tin. Bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees. 

Cook the onions and the garlic until the onions are transparent. 

Add the spinach and let cook for 10 minutes.

Crack open the tuna cans with your teeth and add to spinach. Mix, obviously and cook for another 2 minutes. 

Add all the olives, the curry, cumin, bay leaves, mint, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.

Plop the filling inside the crust and cover it with the uncooked crust.

Stab a couple of holes in that big ol’ pie. Beat the egg (in a separate bowl) and with a cooking brush spread it over the pie and sprinkle with sesame seeds

Cook for 45 minutes, the dough needs to look sort of golden brown and pretty. 

QED TARA KEMM TAF?

4. Imqarrun il-Forn

Ingredients
  • 1 Large Onion chopped
  • 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
  • 600g minced pork and beef mixed 
  • 3 Maltese Sausages chopped
  • 1 Can Tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons Tomato paste
  • 450g Macaroni Pasta
  • 4 Large Eggs beaten
  • 300g melt-y cheese you really love like cheddar
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Chilli Flakes 
  • Frying Oil

Do the same exact thing you did with the onions, garlic and oil as before in a pot. 

Add the meat and sausages, cook until brown and pretty, will take around 15 minutes. Add the chilli flakes, the tomato paste and that solitary can of tomatoes you bought. Simmer for around 30 minutes on really low heat covered. If you see that the sauce is drying out, add some water to it. Cook for another 30 minutes.

Cook the pasta in another pan, follow the cooking time minus 2 minutes and rinse with cold water. 

Oh and preheat the oven at 180. Add seasoning to the sauce however you see fit, and after that mix the pasta in. 

Beat eggs in a separate bowl and mix in some of the cheese, a bit more than half. Add this mess to the pasta and pour everything in a large and well greased baking dish.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and cook for 30-45 minutes.

Vera taf hi proset

5. Kusksu

  • ANOTHER Chopped Onion
  • 2 Garlic Cloves minced
  • 350g Broad Beans
  • 200g peas
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 150g kusksu
  • 5 to 6 ġbejniet
  • 5 to 6 eggs
  • Juice of Half a Lemon
  • 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • Bunch of Mint 
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

In another large pot fry your onions until transparent. Add the garlic, tomato paste and mint to the mixture and cook for around a minute.

Add the beans, peas and stock and simmer for around fifteen minutes. 

Add the kusksu and cook for another fifteen minutes. 

crack open the eggs into the kusksu, try to keep them separated from each other.

Add the ġbejniet and cook for another ten minutes, covered. 

Sprinkle parmesan and some more mint on top to serve.

Isa ħej ma kontx naf li tinqala daqshekk jiena, issa hawn nibda niġi niekol il-Ħadd (accompanied by some traditional daħq sfurzat)

6. Pastini tal-Coconut

Ingredients
  • 400g Sugar
  • 400g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
  • 600g Flour
  • 650g Coconut flakes
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Essence
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • Some Jam 

In some sort of cake machine monstrosity like your mom’s Kenwood, mix the sugar and butter until it looks like cream.

Add the flour, vanilla essence, lemon zest and coconut. Mix well.

Heat oven at 180 degrees

Pick about a teaspoon of the mixture and roll in your hands until it kind of looks like a ball. Repeat this extremely boring step until all of the mixture is finished, placing balls on greased oven dish.

Pop these mean balls in the oven for around ten minutes, or until they look cute and less pasty.

Let them cool before spooning some jam on top.

Tag someone who could use these recipes in the comments below!

READ NEXT: Here’s How To Make The Perfect Maltese Kapunata

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