Category: Blog

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Homemade Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing

What is a traditional Christmas Dinner without your stuffing?! It’s very easy to make so don’t even bother buying it ready, just make your own!

Ingredients

  • 300g pork mince
  • large handful of breadcrumbs
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • a few sprigs of fresh sage, roughly chopped
  • half a tsp nutmeg
  • olive oil
  • sea salt
  • black pepper

Equipment

  • non-stick frying pan
  • small mixing bowl
  • cling film
  • loaf tin (if you are cooking the stuffing in the oven separate from the turkey)

Method

  1. Add some olive oil to a non-stick pan and fry the onions for 10 minutes.
  2. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and sage. Stir well until everything is combined together. Put the mixture into a small bowl and let it cool completely. Add the pork mince and breadcrumbs, scrunch all together with your hands and shape into a ball.
  3. Place the stuffing onto a large piece of cling film. Roll it tightly by covering the stuffing all over with cling film, then grab the ends of the cling film and and make rolling movement on your kitchen top until the cling film gets really tight and forms the shape of a big sausage.
  4. Chill overnight.

On the day you can either:

Unwrap it and use to stuff the neck end of the turkey (if you’re cooking whole turkey), then roll any leftovers into balls and cook with the turkey.

OR

Pack the whole mixture into a loaf tin, top with extra sage leaves and cook it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Drain off any fat and serve sliced.

OR

Leave it sealed in clingfilm and steam it for about 20 minutes. Unwrap and serve sliced.

 

 

 

 

Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Preparing a Traditional Christmas Dinner – Cooking Turkey and Gravy

IMG_3623

This is an easy recipe for cooking a juicy and tender Turkey and a tasty gravy to go with it. Have a look also at our homemade pork, onion and sage stuffing recipe, homemade bread sauce recipe, homemade cranberry sauce recipe and the ultimate roast potato recipe! You cannot do without these on your plate on Christmas day!

Ingredients for Turkey – serves 6-7 persons

  • 1 whole turkey (about 6kg) or a turkey crown (about 4-5kg)
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
  • 50g butter, softened
  • 2 small oranges, 1 thinly sliced and 1 cut in half
  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

Ingredients for Gravy

  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 6 tbsp port or sherry
  • 450ml chicken stock
  • splash of worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • salt & pepper

Equipment

  • large oven proof dish
  • small mixing bowl
  • large serving tray
  • jug
  • saucepan
  • whisk

Method for Turkey

  1. Preheat oven on gas mark 3 for a whole turkey, for a turkey crown preheat oven on gas mark 6.
  2. Place the turkey on a large oven proof dish and start loosen its skin by pushing it gently until it is not attached to the meat anymore. In a small mixing bowl mix the thyme with the butter and smear the mixture underneath the skin, place the orange slices underneath the skin too.
  3. Rub all over with oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Roast for 3 hrs if it is a whole turkey and 1.5-2hrs for a crown. If you see that it is getting too brown, cover it with a piece of tinfoil.
  5. Halfway through cooking, squeeze the orange all over the turkey and leave to cook.
  6. Before serving, leave it covered for 30 mins so it settles down and will be easier to carve.

crown2

Method for Gravy

  1. Transfer the ready cooked turkey onto a large serving tray. Pour juices from roasting tray into a jug and allow to settle. Skim off 4 tbsp of fat then transfer remaining juices into a saucepan and heat over a medium-high heat until just simmering.
  2. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour in the port and chicken stock, and whisk again. Continue to simmer until it starts to thicken then add few drops of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.
  3. Bring it to the boil, add any juices released from turkey while resting, season and serve.

gravy

Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Homemade Mulled Wine

Ingredients

  • 750ml bottle of dry red wine
  • 1 orange, sliced into rounds
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 star anise
  • 2-4 tbsp sugar, honey or maple syrup

Equipment

  • Medium sized pan
  • Strainer

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized pan and heat just barely to a simmer over medium-high heat. Be careful not to boil the wine as you don’t want to boil off the alcohol.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let the wine simmer for at least 15 mins or up to 3 hrs.
  3. Strain and serve warm!IMG_3621

 

Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Christmas Log

Christmas Logs – Traditional Maltese Style!

This special Christmas treat is really the best log you can get in the festive period. It is different than the traditional yule log because this is not a cake but it’s made with a combination of crushed biscuits, mixed nuts, candied peel, cherries and condensed milk. We then cover it with a layer of dark chocolate and sprinkle some icing sugar for decoration.

Ingredients (makes 2 medium logs)

  • 450g plain digestive biscuits, crushed
  • 397g condensed milk
  • 100g glace cherries, chopped
  • 100g walnuts, roasted and chopped
  • 100g candied peel
  • 150g a mix of hazelnuts and almonds, roasted and chopped
  • 100g cooking dark chocolate, melted bain-marie
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • Icing sugar for decorating, sifted
  • Brandy (as much as as you wish but a shot or two is recommended)

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Small heat proof bowl
  • Saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Spoon
  • Christmas toppers for decorating

Method

  1. Crush biscuits in a food processor on a medium speed.
  2. Transfer crushed biscuits into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add chopped walnuts, mixed nuts, candied peel, glace cherries, cocoa powder and brandy shots. Give everything a good mix.
  4. Add condensed milk and stir everything really well until all ingredients are well combined.
  5. Transfer mix onto a worktop and continue to bind everything as if ‘kneading a dough’ lightly. Form into a long rectangular shape.
  6. At this stage you can either leave it as one big log or you can cut it in two. If you’re leaving it as one big log, jump onto step no.8, if not carry on with step 7.
  7. Roll out and shape each piece into a rectangular shape like we did already.
  8. Place on a greaseproof paper and wrap each log. Place in refrigerator to harden for 12 hours.
  9. After 12 hours you can take them out of the fridge and prepare for decorating.
  10. Melt the chocolate bain-marie style.
  11. Spread melted chocolate all over the log with the back of a spoon.
  12. With the side of the spoon scrape the chocolate vertically to make some grooves and make it look more like a real log.
  13. Decorate with some Christmas toppers and dust with icing sugar.
  14. Once the chocolate has completely dried, you can store in refrigerator or covered at room temperature.
Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Chicken Breast with Classic Diane Sauce – Flambe

Ingredients for Chicken Breast with Classic Diane Sauce- Serves 4

  • 4 chicken breasts, skin off
  • 200g mushrooms (we used a mix of oyster and button mushrooms), sliced
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 4 bay leaves
  • few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 200ml double cream
  • 400ml hot water
  • 200ml cooking brandy (for non-alcoholic, substitute with white grape juice)
  • dash of oil
  • salt
  • 20g english mustard
  • 2 chicken cubes

Equipment

  • large non-stick frying pan
  • baking tray
  • whisk
  • 2 containers, 1 for peelings and 1 for the preparation of onion, garlic and mushrooms
  • pair of tongs
  • wooden spoon
  • 2 chopping boards

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven on gas mark 4/180c.
  2. Prepare a large frying pan and put it on high heat. Add some oil and salt.
  3. Start slicing through the chicken breast to open it up ‘as a butterfly’ (watch the video from 1:26 to see how). This will quicken the cooking process. Once chicken is sliced, make sure you wash the knife properly and change the chopping board so we prevent cross contamination.
  4. Place the chicken onto the hot pan and leave it to cook until it gets a nice golden colour.
  5. Wash your hands and start preparing the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Put everything into a small bowl, add bay leaf and thyme and leave on the side for now.
  6. In the meantime, keep checking the chicken. Once it’s ready, use a pair of tongs to turn it onto the other side.
  7. Transfer the chicken on a baking tray with all the juices and put it straight into the oven.
  8. Put the pan back on the hob and add the garlic, onions and mushroom mix. Give it a gentle stir and leave to cook for about 3-4 minutes.
  9. Now make sure that you have got the rest of the ingredients ready i.e 200ml brandy, 2 chicken cubes, 400ml hot water, 20g english mustard, 200ml double cream.
  10. Add the brandy and let it cook to be reduced by 3/4. You can also flame it up if you wish (watch video from 12:00 to see how). This will burn up the alcohol and makes a very tasty palate.
  11. Add the chicken cubes and the hot water, give it a stir with a whisk so the cubes can dissolve and let it cook to be reduced by half. This will give the sauce a nice consistency.
  12. Add the mustard and give it a gentle stir.
  13. Add the double cream and give it another stir with a wooden spoon, let the sauce come to a boil.
  14. Chicken should be done by now, if not just give it a few more minutes in the oven or finish off cooking it in the sauce.
Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Cod and Sweetcorn Soup

It is that time of the year when most of us want that hearty warm bowl of soup for lunch or dinner and this easy recipe meets exactly that demand.

Also known as chowder, this fish soup has a nice creamy texture and is a real homemade delight when it comes to these colder days. Without any doubt it always goes down a treat!

Ingredients

  • 25g butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 200g baby new potatoes, halved
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 400ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 300g sweetcorn
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 400g cod fillets, skinless and boneless (merluzz in Maltese) You can also use smoked haddock for a richer taste (bakkaljaw affumikat in Maltese)
  • Some parsley, leaves only, chopped

Equipment

  • Large saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Soup bowl

Method

  1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan until melted. Add onion, celery and potatoes and cook gently for 10 minutes until the onion is really soft.
  2. Pour chicken stock followed by the milk and stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sweetcorn and place the cod fillets on top. Let it simmer very gently for 5 minutes or until cod just starts to break up. Stir in half of the parsley, serve and garnish each bowl with some more parsley.

 

Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Pizza – how to make pizza dough

The recipe outlines a process for making four pizzas, detailing ingredients like flour, water, oil, salt, yeast, and toppings such as tomatoes and mozzarella. The method includes mixing and kneading the dough, allowing it to rise, preparing toppings, and baking. Final touches involve adding fresh basil and seasoning before serving.

Ingredients for making Pizza – Makes 4 Pizzas

  • 312g + 250g strong white flour
  • 312ml water, room temperature
  • 62ml tepid water (no more than 37c)
  • 31ml oil
  • 10g salt
  • 62g semolina
  • 1g dried yeast

Toppings

  • 800g chopped tomatoes
  • 40g peas
  • pinch of oregano
  • a handful of rocket lettuce leaves
  • a handful of fresh basil
  • buffalo mozzarella, completely drained

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • Small container
  • Large tray

Other

  • Cling film
  • Foil

Method for the pizza dough

  1. In a mixing bowl, pour 312ml of water, 31ml oil and 10g salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir everything together.
  2. Add 312g flour and 62g semolina. Again, stir well until everything is combined.
  3. In a separate container, add dry yeast into the tepid water and stir until dissolved.
  4. Add the other 250g flour into the mixing bowl then add the yeast mixture. Still with a wooden spoon, give everything a good stir. When the mixture gets tough to continue stirring with the wooden spoon, switch to your hands. Continue to knead the dough in the bowl until you get a clean bowl then switch to your kitchen work top. If you think the dough is still a bit sticky to knead, add some flour on top of the dough and onto the work top. Continue kneading until your hands are clean of any bits of dough (watch video at 4:50 to see how the dough is knead) and shape it into a big ball. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and start rolling each piece into a smaller ball (watch video at 7:38).
  5. Dust a large tray with some flour and place the four balls of dough onto it. Prepare a piece of cling film with some oil spread onto it and place it on top of the dough (oily side touches the dough) Make sure that cling film covers all the dough so it will not dry. Leave dough on the side to proof until it rises to another half of its size, this takes 3hrs approximately.
  6. In the meantime you can start preparing your chosen toppings. In this recipe we used a base of chopped tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella (make sure this is drained properly – you do not want any liquid running on top of your pizza base!) peas and oregano.
  7. Pre-heat the oven on the highest heat.
  8. Prepare your oven shelves covered with foil so you can use these as your pizza tray (watch video at 11:40 to see how we do it) We found this method to be the best for cooking the pizza.
  9. After the dough has risen, dust your work top with some flour as well as your fingers. Take one portion of pizza base then with the fingers start tapping the dough from the inside to the outside to form the crust. Continue to open the dough with the palms of your hands by moving and turning them slowly all around the base (watch video from 13:00 to see exactly how it’s done) Do not over stretch the dough.
  10. Place the pizza dough on the covered oven shelves and add your toppings, starting with the chopped tomatoes. Once ready, place into the oven and leave to cook for about 30 minutes but the last 5-10 minutes swap the pizzas around from bottom shelve to upper shelve.
  11. Once pizza is out of the oven we topped it up with some fresh basil and rocket leaves.

Our personal favourite is to drizzle some olive oil on top of the rocket, add some sea salt and cracked black pepper corns, and some balsamic vinegar glaze. You can use any other toppings that you fancy such as the below.

Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Galletti – Water Crackers

This recipe provides a step-by-step guide for making a dough using plain flour, semolina, dried yeast, water, and salt. After mixing and kneading the dough, it’s left to rise for two hours, rolled out, cut into circles, and baked until golden. Serve with bigilla paste or gbejniet.

Ingredients

  • 226g plain flour
  • 226g semolina
  • Tepid water
  • 1 tsp dried yeast
  • Pinch of salt

Equipment

  • Sieve
  • 2 large bowls
  • 1 small bowl
  • Rolling pin
  • Circle cutter
  • Oven tray
  • Dish cloth, slightly wet
  • Cling film
  • Kebab stick/matchstick/fork

Method

  • In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt together.
  • Melt the yeast in a little bit of tepid water. It is important that water is not too hot or too cool, otherwise the yeast will not work properly.
  • Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Keep stirring whilst adding more tepid water until you can see that the dough is forming nicely. The dough doesn’t need to be too wet. Keep kneading until the dough is nice and smooth.
  • When ready, transfer dough to a large bowl and cover with a slightly wet dish cloth or with a piece of cling film. Let it rest in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
  • After 2 hours, cut the dough into 3 pieces and start rolling it out, as thin as you can, on a lightly floured surface. You can use a pasta machine if you have one but we did it manually without any problems.
  • Using your circle cutter, start cutting the dough until you have use all of it.
  • With the back of a kebab stick, a matchstick or a fork make 4 little holes in the middle of the circles.
  • Sprinkle some semolina on the oven tray and place your cut dough on it.
  • Place in oven on a high temperature and bake until you see a nice golden colour from both sides. Do not let them get too brown and they will be very hard to eat.
  • You can serve traditionally with a nice bigilla paste or some gbejniet.
Posted on in Blog, Recipes

Pastizzi tal-Pizelli

Ricetta verament hafifa u ma tiehux hafna hin! Ideali ghal xi parties tat-tfal inkella xi okkazjonijiet ohra fejn tridu tinkludu ikel tradizzjonali Malti. M’hawnx isbah milli dak li sservi lill-mistednin, tkun sajjartu inti stess!

Ingredjenti

  • 640g puff pastry (mixtrija lesta biex tintuza)
  • 2 basal, imqaxxrin u imqattghin zghar
  • 3 sinniet tewm
  • kuccarina curry
  • 2 bottijiet pizelli
  • 60g ilma kiesah
  • Mgharfa zejt taz-zebbuga
  • ftit abjad tal-bajd (bajda wahda)
  • bzar u melh
  • gunglien

Ghandek bzonn

  • Borma
  • Dixx baxx tal-forn
  • Mgharfa
  • Mgharfa ta l-injam
  • Forma ta cirku
  • Bowl zghir
  • Pinzell biex tidlek l-abjad tal-bajd

Metodu

  1. Ilhaq sahhan il-forn temperatura 180c.
  2. Go borma, sahhan mgharfa zejt taz-zebbuga fuq temperatura gholja u zid il-basal u t-tewm. Sajjar ghal madwar 5 minuti jew sakemm jirtabu.
  3. Zid il-curry u sajjar billi thawwad il-hin kollu sakemm il-curry tibda tinxtamm l-aroma tieghu.
  4. Zid il-pizelli u l-ilma kiesah, ponta bzar u melh u sajjar sakemm il-likwidu jevapora kollu. Kif issir, itfa it-tahlita f’genb u halliha ha tiksah kompletament.IMG_3383
  5. Aqbad l-ghagina u b’forma ta cirku imdaqqas kemm tixtieq, ohrog kemm tista crieki. B’folja ta 320g ghagina ghandek tohrog 10/11 -il pastizz, skond kemm hi kbira il-forma. Prepara dixx biex tahmi u iksih bil-karta forno halli kif ikollok ic-crieki lesti, tista tpoggihom mill-ewwel fuqu.
  6. Biex timla, igbor mgharfa mit-tahlita tal-pizelli u poggiha fin-nofs tac-cirku. Idlek it-tarf tac-cirku bl-abjad tal bajd u itwi l-ghagina min-nofs biex tifforma nofs qamar. Ghafas kemmxejn it-truf tal-ghagina ma xulxin halli jehlu sew. Tinkwetax jekk johroglok xi ftit il-mili.     IMG_3389
  7. Kif tghalaqhom kollha, ghatihom dilka abjad tal-bajd u roxx ftit gunglien.
  8. Dahhal fil-forn u sajjar ghal madwar 25 minuta jew sakemm jgholew sbieh u jihmaru.

 

 

 

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Coconut Balls

A very simple and easy to do treat enjoyable throughout the year but we love doing these at Christmas time so kids can help and it will be a fun and not-so-messy-family-day in the kitchen!

Ingredients

  • 500g plain disgestive biscuits
  • 400g condensed milk
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • some desiccated coconut
  • a handful of walnuts, crushed
  • 1 shot of Brandy or Vermouth

 

Method

  1. Using an electric blender, crush the biscuits until the are almost fine crumbs.
  2. Add cocoa, shot brandy and condensed milk. Give it a good mix so everything is combined well.
  3. Scoop up a spoonful of the mixture and roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands. Mixture will be sticky but don’t worry keep on rolling until you get the desired ball shape. Roll them into the coconut and serve!