The Brunch

I came up with this idea...when we felt like something light but filling for our brunch...keeping in mind that it was about 10 o'clock and no sign of breakfast for us yet!!! So I prepared this quick brunch for us. I started by thinly slicing a couple zucchine lengthwise [you always slice them in rounds if you please] and sauté them in a little butter or olive oil. Scramble a couple of eggs, a couple of grilled multi-seed bread, buttered and sprinkled with grated Grana Padano cheese and a nice salad dressed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. You will definitely start the day by having in one plate your 5-a-day!! It may seem loads to do for a morning but believe me it is quick and easy. If it is still too much you also serve it as a light lunch :)....Give it a go....you will need [for 2 people]...

• 2 zucchine, thinly sliced lengthwise
• Pinch of dried mixed herbs
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 4-5 eggs
• Olive oil
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 4 slices bread [We used a multi-seeded bloomer]
• Grated Grana Padano cheese
• Half a bag of prepared salad [We used a beetroot and spinach leaf salad but any salad will do]
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar, for the dressing

Method

1. Start by sautéing the zucchine in a couple tbsp of olive oil in a pan*[see note at the bottom]. Add the mixed herbs and ground black pepper, cover. Sauté the zucchine until soft.
2. While the zucchine are cooking, butter the bread and sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano cheese. Set aside.
3. When the zucchine are done put them on the plate and add a little butter to the same pan and crack the eggs and scramble them until cooked. You can add salt & pepper as well.
4. Put the bread under the grill until cheese is bubbly and  golden.
5. Plate the salad,tomatoes, eggs, bread and zucchine.
6. Dress the salad with some Balsamic Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Enjoy!!

R&A

*[DO NOT PREHEAT THE OLIVE OIL AS IT HAS A LOW SMOKING POINT AND IT WILL EVAPORATE EASILY AND YOUR FOOD WILL BURN]

Moussaka - Μουσακάς (Greek Version)

Moussaka is a great recipe made in various ways. It hails from different areas of the Mediterranean area namely, Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Middle East, hence the different versions. My favourite version is definitely the Greek one which consists of aubergines, minced lamb and a nice thick white sauce. The meat is spiced with ground allspice and cinnamon which gives the meat a very tasty flavour. The aubergine slices are fried but if you want to go for a lighter version, you can always grill them! The best lamb cut for this recipe is the shoulder of lamb but if you want to use already minced lamb you can. If you opt for the shoulder of lamb, get your butcher to mince it for you. So try and give this one a go, it is so tasty...you will need...

• 700g shoulder of lamb, minced
• 700g aubergine, sliced into 1cm slices
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 500ml Béchamel Sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• Large pinch of ground nutmeg
• Grated Kefalotiri or Parmesan, to taste
• Olive oil, for frying

How to...

1. Put the sliced aubergines in a colander across each other and sprinkle with salt between the layers. Put the colander in a bowl or sink and leave covered with a plate for about 45 minutes to remove the bitter juices from the aubergines.
2. After the 45 minutes, wash the aubergines from the salt and pat them dry. 
3. Start to fry the aubergines in batches in the heated olive oil until golden, turning once, if necessary top up the oil between the batches, when all ready, set aside.
4. Drain the oil from the pan and leave just around 2 tbsp of oil. Heat again and fry the onion until browned.
5. Add the meat to the onion and fry until cooked.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
7. Add the tomatoes, allspice, cinnamon, parsley and pepper and cook covered for about 25 minutes.
8. When everything is done, start by alternately layering the tomato & meat mixture and aubergine slices in a deep oven dish.
9. When all the tomato/meat mixture & aubergines are all used up, add the yolk and nutmeg to the béchamel sauce and stir well.
10. Now, pour the béchamel sauce over the dish and top with the grated cheese.
11. Baked into the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Smoked Salmon & Prawn Paupiettes

This particular dish here has been a staple dish on my mother's Christmas menu for years. She does it as a starter before the turkey. It is very easy to prepare...the trickiest part is when you roll it! Calmly and slowly you will master it though :) We fill ours with fresh prawns and great Marie Rose sauce. So if you need a starter for your meal or as a main course served with a crispy salad give this a go. You can prepare it in advance and put it in the fridge and before you serve it try slicing it :) You will need...

• 1 200g packet Smoked Salmon
• 300g cooked prawns
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• pinch of sweet paprika
• A small glug of brandy
• few drops of Worcestershire sauce
• few drops of lemon juice
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Prepare the Marie-Rose sauce by mixing in a bowl all the ingredients except the prawns and salmon.
2. Put the prawns in the sauce and blend well. 
3. Put a slice of smoked salmon on a large piece of cling film and spread some of the prawn mixture onto it (do not overdo it).
4. Now slowly lift the cling film with the salmon and start rolling the roulade until you get it like the one in the picture.
5. Wrap the roulade tightly in cling film and put aside.
6. Repeat steps 3, 4 & 5 until you use all the prawns and salmon.
7. If you want to slice them (we leave ours whole), before serving put them in the freezer for about 2 hours and slice into rounds and leave to stand for about 30 minutes before serving.
8. Serve with a wedge of lemon and some salad!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Torta Tal-Corned Beef - Corned Beef Pie Maltese Style

This pie has been in my family and possibly in loads more Maltese households since World War 2. Tinned Corned Beef (Bulu Bijf) used to be used as a substitute for fresh meat which was scarce during the war. It is a very straightforward recipe and we even used pre-prepared pastry as making puff-pastry takes loads of skill and time. My mother-in-law does her own pastry which makes this pie tastier, while my grandma used to send me to the Pastizzeria (Traditional Maltese pasty shop) to buy her pastry from there, oh what memories!. There is a secret to this recipe which is, using Tomato Paste (Kunserva) instead of any other tomatoes/tinned tomatoes. So here it goes...you will need...

• 2 large tins corned beef
• 1 small can kunserva [tomato paste] [about 120g]
• 4 large carrots, finely diced
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 8-10 very small potatoes, cooked and cut into 4 pieces
• A handful of frozen peas
• 2 packages ready-made puff or shortcrust pastry sheets
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• A little water

How to...

1. Heat the oil and add the carrots and onion and cook until carrots are soft. If necessary add a little water.
2. Preheat the oven at 180°C.
3. In the meantime cook the potatoes, do not cook them too much, you can boil, microwave or steam them. Cut them in 4 and set aside.
4. When carrots & onion are cooked, add the corned beef and tomato paste. Give it a good stir and simmer for a couple of minutes until the corned beef smashes down.Add the potatoes and peas and stir carefully again.
5. Turn off the heat. Set aside.
6. Roll the pastry sheets and put it onto an oiled/buttered 28cm round pie dish or a rectangular pie dish.
7. Add the corned beef filling and cover with the remainder of the pastry. Prick the top as well so excessive steam comes out of the pie.
8. Cook in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until pastry is golden.

Enjoy!!

R&A