Qagħaq tal-Ġunġlien (Maltese Biscuit Rings with Sesame Seeds)

Served with a sweet cup of tea creamed with evaporated milk, these Maltese biscuits have been very famous amongst the Maltese people. They can be found in any bakery and supermarket all over the island. So, I felt like a nice cup of tea but had no biscuits and considering today was quite cooler than usual, I decided to make these delicious beauties. Once you get the preparation done, they only take minutes to prepare and bake, but unfortunately seconds to devour! Give them a go and share them with your friends (or not). Oh well, give them our recipe at least. For 8 large rings (you can always make more by making them smaller) you will need...

• 250g plain flour
• 100g sugar
• 7g baking powder
• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch ground aniseed
• Pinch ground cloves
• 85g butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• Grated lemon rind
• Grated orange rind
• Sesame seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a mixing bowl mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and spices, add the butter and rub into the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. In a separate bowl crack the egg, add the oil, water and lemon and orange rinds and mix them well.
4. Add to the flour/butter mixture and mix by hand until you get a soft dough. Shape into a ball.
5. Put the sesame seeds in a plate.
6. Dust your hands with flour and get some dough (about the size of a golf ball) and roll into a long fingerlike shape, carefully place the dough into the sesame seeds and turn slowly to coat. Shape into a ring and transfer to a buttered and floured baking tray.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool down and serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Corned Beef & Tomato Pasta Sauce

This sauce has been a staple in Maltese cooking since the 1940's when canned corned beef came to prominence during WW2. The traditional version of this recipe uses only corned beef and peas (traditionally canned marrowfat peas) but our take on this recipe is really tasty and delicious and full of flavour. We use medium curry powder but you can use mild or hot, depending how spicy you would like it. Serve on top of your cooked pasta or mix it all up just like we do, so all the sauce goes into the pasta. Give this version a go and let us know how it turns out for you! For 4 people you will need...

• 1 large tin of corned beef, diced
• 500ml tomato passata
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 150g frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon medium curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil

How to...

1. Heat the oil in a thick based pan and fry the onion until transparent and just started turning brown, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.
2. When onion is cooked, add the curry powder, pepper & cinnamon and cook for a minute until spices are fragrant, stirring well.
3. Add the corned beef and stir well with the onion/spice mixture. Now add some Worcestershire sauce (about 1 tablespoon) and stir well. Cook for a further minute.
4. Add the passata, sugar and peas and stir well. 
5. Simmer on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. (Make sure you keep stirring frequently because the corned beef will stick to the pan).
6. Turn off the heat and serve with cooked pasta, sprinkled with grated Kefalotiri cheese.

Enjoy!!!

R&A

Spaghetti with Cauliflower & Garlic - Spaghetti con cavolfiore e aglio

I love this pasta dish, it is so good and filling. It is a recipe that comes southern Italy and has been a favourite in my family for a few years. It is very easy to prepare. Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables and it is highly nutritional. In fact, it is low in fat and carbohydrates and high in fibre, Folic acid and Vitamin C. Some people prefer broccoli to cauliflower and this dish may be prepared with broccoli instead. A top tip when it comes to cooking cauliflower, broccoli or other veg for that matter, always try and avoid boiling them! Steam them or microwave them instead as boiling reduces the vegetables' nutritional content quite drastically. So, do give this a go, it is very tasty and you will definitely love it! For 4 people you will need...

• 1 small cauliflower, broken down into small florets
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Extravirgin olive oil
• Parmesan cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper, to serve
• 300g spaghetti

1. Cook the spaghetti al dente and meanwhile start preparing the cauliflower florets by steaming them on the hob for about 6 minutes or in a microwave for about 3/4 minutes until tender but not soggy.  Roughly mash the cauliflower.
2. Put about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the mashed cauliflower and the crushed garlic in a shallow frying pan, turn on the heat and stir fry on a gentle heat until cauliflower starts getting golden in colour. 
3. Turn off the heat and set aside. Add to the cooked pasta and toss slowly to mix. Add extra olive oil and as much grated Parmesan as you want. 
4. Serve hot with extra Parmesan and fresh ground pepper.

    Enjoy!!

    R&A