Tomato & Ricotta Pasta Sauce - Zalza tat-Tadam u Rkotta

Well hello all!!! I am back!! Haven't blogged in a while because I have been quite busy with life. We have returned from a wonderful holiday in Mexico and now we feel really refreshed. I did come back with lots of Mexican recipes and food ideas but that is not what I am blogging about today. I will definitely be sharing some delicious Mexican recipes in the near future though. In the meantime here is a pasta sauce that is a huge favourite within Maltese households. A sauce that is very easy and quick to prepare and that everyone in your family will enjoy. Try it and you will definitely do it again...mark our words!! You can serve it with any pasta shapes you like, originally my mum used to boil some spirals/cellentani but anything will do. We like penne too as the sauce gets into the pasta...mmmm!! So here goes our version; for the sauce you will need...

• 350ml Passata Rustica (Thick tomato passata)
• 100ml water
• 125g ricotta
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
• Pinch peperoncino (chilli flakes) - optional
• Sea sat & freshly ground pepper, to taste

How to...

1. In a small pot, add the garlic to the olive oil and heat gently on a low heat until the garlic is golden.
2. Now carefully add the passata and water and give it a good stir. Add the marjoram, salt & pepper and chilli flakes (if using) and give it a good stir. Simmer covered on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the ricotta and stir well to incorporate within the tomato sauce. Simmer for a further 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
4. Serve hot with your boiled pasta and add more black pepper.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Coronation Chicken

Coronation Chicken was invented by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, both principals of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, whilst preparing dishes for the banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. I decided to do some research on this recipe and adapted a couple of recipes that I found online. This is the best version I have found, an absolute delight. Considered as a retro recipe here in the United Kingdom, it tried to make its comeback as a pre-prepared sandwich filling available at major supermarkets. It definitely goes without saying that the supermarket stuff is rubbish and having made our own Coronation chicken it is definitely galaxies away from the real thing. It is quite easy to prepare, boil chicken, let cool, take meat off the chicken and mix all the ingredients. Cool and enjoy!! Do try it, you can serve it as a salad, served with boiled rice, pilaf rice, naan bread, indeed as a sandwich filling...anything you like really. You can refrigerate the leftover and believe me it will definitely taste better. You will need...

• 1 whole chicken, 1½ kg 

For the chicken

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of saffron strands

For the sauce

• 200 ml  mayonnaise
• 300 ml Greek yoghurt (or other thick yoghurt)
• Chopped fresh coriander
• 5 tbsp good quality mild mango chutney (I use Geeta's)
• 50 g soft dried apricots, finely chopped
• 20g raisins
• 3 tbsp curry powder
• 2 ½  tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• Flaked almonds, to serve

How to...

1. Start by cooking the chicken, put the chicken in a large pot, add the salt, cinnamon, peppercorns, ginger. bay leaf and saffron. and cover with water. Simmer gently for about 2 hours 15 minutes (basically boiled chicken cooking time is 30 minutes per 454g (1 pound) plus an extra 30 minutes). When cooked, take the chicken out of the pot and leave to cool completely. When cool, remove the meat off the carcass and make sure that any large meat pieces are chopped into small bite size pieces.
2. In a small dry frying pan, toast the curry powder (to remove any bitterness) for a about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the chutney, raisins and apricots and mix well. Now add the toasted curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, grated ginger, mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt and mix well again. Add the chopped coriander & diced chicken and fold in gently. Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour.
4. Before serving sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Serve with basmati rice or some delicious Peshwari naan bread.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Stuffat tal-Qarnit - Maltese Octopus Stew

Well here is another classic from the Maltese islands which is one of Amanda's favourites...oh and mine as well!! Not everyone like octopus because of its rubbery texture but try and cook it this way and you will definitely love it. It is absolutely gorgeous served on some freshly cooked spaghetti (that is how this stew is usually served in Malta). Octopus in the Maltese islands is very common and is quite easily caught as they lurk around the rocky seashores of the islands. I remember going to the very famous Marsaxlokk market (do check it out if you ever visit Malta) on a Sunday morning and having a peek at these creatures that used to be still alive, crawling around the fish trays of the fishmonger. I also remember that every time we bought a huge octopus to cook at home, my mother used to put it in the kitchen sink with some salty water before cooking it and it was not the first time that we saw the octopus crawling out and attaching its tentacles to my mother's kitchen tiles. It was hilarious. Any way, do try this recipe as it is delicious. For 4-5 people you will need...

• 500g spaghetti
• 1 kilo octopus, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 medium onions, roughly diced
• A handful of frozen peas, defrosted
• 6 small potatoes, cut in half or thirds
• 500ml tomato passata
• 250ml boiling water
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• A handful of green olives
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste

How to,,,

1. In a heavy based pot heat the oil and cook covered on medium heat until soft and transparent.
2. When onions are cooked add the octopus and increase the heat, cook for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Sometimes it releases a lot of water so make sure all the water is evaporated.
3. Add the wine and stir until all the wine has evaporated. 
4. Now add the passata, water, tomato paste, olives, potatoes, sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Stir well bring to the boil and simmer on medium heat for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally so it does not stick.
5. In the meantime cook the spaghetti al dente.
6. After 45 minutes, add the peas to the octopus sauce and simmer gently for another 15 minutes.
7. Drain the spaghetti. Serve in a bowl or plate and spoon some octopus stew/sauce on top.
8. Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

R&A