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Chocolate Shortbread

Sure to please both chocoholics and shortbread fanatics, these biscuits can be left plain or decorated with melted chocolate, which of course was my choice!

Ingredients:

Makes about 40

250g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
100g milk chocolate, for decorating

Directions:
Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Fold in sifted flour and cocoa; mix well.

Press dough into a ball. Roll out dough to a 5mm thickness between two sheets of cellophane, to avoid the dough sticking. Cut into fingers or shapes.

Place on greased baking trays. Pierce well with a fork. Bake at 150 degrees C for about 25 minutes, or until firm. Cool on trays for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate and dip 1/2 of each cookie, letting the extra chocolate drip off. Place on cooking paper to harden.

Original Recipe from "Irresistible Biscuits, Cookies and Shortbread".

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Egg Fried Rice

A versatile dish, great as a side to Asian dishes, and as great as a main by itself.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 (sides)

1 1/2 cups rice, cooked
2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup peas
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika

Directions:
Heat some olive oil in a large pan or wok. Fry the garlic and onion until golden, then add the carrots and red pepper and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the carrot has softened. Add the peas, together with the soy and oyster sauce, and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the rice and leave to heat through. Remove the rice mixture from the pan and set aside. Scramble the egg in the pan, then put back the rice mixture. Mix well and serve.

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Strawberry Delight

This is a different version of the Blueberry Delight, equally easy to make and as tasty!

Ingredients:
Serves 2

380 ml plain, non-fat yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp whiskey
a sprinkle of cinnamon
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp butter
4 digestive biscuits
6 strawberries, chopped
2 tbsp Kirsch liqueur
1/2 cup almonds, slivered

Directions:
Crumb biscuits by placing them in a bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. Meanwhile melt the butter in the microwave. In a bowl mix well the biscuits with the butter, divide into two glasses and press on the bottom.

Mix the yoghurt, vanilla essence, whiskey, cinnamon and honey together and divide between the two glases. Pour the Kirsch on the strawberries and set aside.

Divide half the yoghurt mixture between two glasses, divide half the almonds and half the strawberries and put on the yoghurt mixture. Top the glasses with the other half of the yoghurt mixture, then top with the left over almonds and strawberries.

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Granny's Potato Imqarrun

Traditional Maltese dish, with a retro twist. The more common version of the dish is done without potatoes, or with pastry for the traditional Timpana.

Ingredients:
Serves 4 (10x8 inch dish)

Ragù Bologese
2 potatoes, sliced thinly
400g penne, cooked
1 egg, beaten
1/4 th cup grated parmesan

Directions:
Line the base and sides of the greased dish with the potato slices. Mix the cooked penne with the ragù, egg and grated cheese. Pour the pasta over the potato base.

Bake at 190 degrees C for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

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Easy Cold Pasta Salad

Easy summery dish, great for BBQ's :)

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1 cucumbers, chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
3/4 cup pitted black olives, sliced
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1 mozzarella di bufala, chopped
1 small can corn

Directions:
Combine cooked and cooled pasta with the all the ingredients except the dressing in a large bowl. Pour the Italian dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Chicken and Rucola Pitta Pockets

Great easy dish with a nice peppery flavour from the rucola pesto.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

8 pittas, halved and opened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup Rucola Pesto
4 chicken breasts, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
a packet cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup rucola

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Arrange the pita halves on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until warmed through.

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and rucola pesto. Stir in the diced chicken.

To assemble the pita pockets, fill each pita half with the chicken mixture. Top with tomatoes and rucola and serve.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Rucola Pesto

A nice change from the usual basil pesto. The rucola pesto makes a great pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

Makes 1 cup

2 cups packed rucola
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Blend the rucola and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until well blended. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Original Recipe

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Granny's Bread Pudding

A traditional Maltese dessert created originally to use left-over, stale bread. Every Maltese family has a version of this recipe, however this one is the recipe my boyfriend made to follow his grandmothers' recipes, with little tweaks here and there.

Ingredients:

Makes a 10x8 inch dish

1/2 a slightly stale loaf of bread
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond essence
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dried fruit mix
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp sherry
1/2 pkt tea biscuits
1/4 cup coconut milk
milk (enough to make a soggy mixture)

Directions:
Tear the bread up in small chunks and soak in milk for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and reserve. Break up biscuits into small chunky bits. Mix everything with the bread to have a soggy mixture which does not hold shape. If required add some of the reserved milk.

Put in a lightly greased dish and bake at 160 degrees C for about 35 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the pudding comes out clean.

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Linguine with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Olives, and Lemon

No cook pasta sauce, which tastes just as great cold.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup medium green olives, halved
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground back pepper

Directions:
In a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, garlic, oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pulse until blended but still chunky.

Add the parmesan cheese to the cooked pasta and toss well. Pour the tomato mixture on top and toss until the pasta is coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Spicy Thai Chicken Wraps

The wraps are composed of 3 elements: spicy peanut sauce, fresh veggie salad and chicken strips hot off the pan.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

6 wraps

For the Chicken:

2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter (room temp)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the Salad:

2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cucumber, peeled, pulp removed and sliced thinly
3 green onions, chopped
12 basil leaves, chopped
4 sprigs mint, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)

Directions:
Heat grill pan over high heat. Brush the chicken with soy sauce and oil, cook for about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from heat when no longer pink inside, set aside. Once cool enough to handle, chop up or slice your chicken into strips.

Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

If the peanut butter is too thick, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften. Whisk all sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Heat a tortilla in the microwave or oven. Spread a generous amount of peanut sauce onto the tortilla, add some salad and top with some chicken. Wrap & roll it up.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Carrot and Coriander Soup

Everyone loves this super healthy soup, perfect for an easy supper.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 potato, chopped
450g carrots, peeled and chopped
1.2l vegetable or chicken stock
handful coriander

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, then fry for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the ground coriander and potato, then cook for 1 min. Add the carrots and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 20 mins until the carrots are tender.

Tip into food processor with the coriander, then blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pan, taste, add salt if necessary, then reheat to serve.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories (kcal): 115
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 19g
Fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
Fiber: 5g
Salt: 0.46g
Sugar: 12g

Original Recipe

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Island Pork with Sticky Coconut Rice

Pork chops with a savoury rub and a sweet glaze which complement each other perfectly.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

4 pork chops

For the Rub:

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 tbsp Tabasco

For the rice:

3/4 cup basmati rice
about 200ml coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
If rice is not pre-rinsed (the bag will tell you if it is), rinse with cold water until water runs clear. Put rice in a medium sauce pan and combine with coconut milk, milk and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly, then reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer for about 25 minutes (could take up to 45 minutes depending on the rice). Stir regularly making sure it does not run dry. If it starts to dry out add some milk or coconut milk until rice is done.

While the rice is cooking, mix Rub ingredients, then coat pork with spice rub. Mix Glaze ingredients and set to a side. Heat olive oil pan over moderately high heat, then cook pork for about 4 minutes on each side, until nearly done. Place some glaze mixture on each pork chop and brush on evenly, then turn the chops over. Cook that side until browned and repeat for other side.

Serve over sticky coconut rice, pouring some of the glaze in the pan over the pork and rice.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Michelle's Good Friday Qassatat

A traditional Maltese dish made usually on Good Friday when meat is not eaten.

Ingredients:
Makes about 18 medium qassatat

1 large onion, chopped
1 tin anchovies, chopped
2 large tins tuna, crumbled
300g frozen peas
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 egg, beaten
1 batch Savoury Shortcrust Pastry

Directions:
Fry the onions in a pan for 3-4 minutes. Add the tuna and anchovies, and add about 6 tbsp water to make the mixture a bit soft. Be careful not to make the mixture watery; it just has to be moist. Add the tomato paste and peas and simmer. Season to taste.

Roll out the pastry thinly (about 2mm). It is best to roll out half a batch at a time. Cut out circles of about 12cm diameter and put a full tablespoon of the mixture in each circle. Wet the outside rim of the circle with some water and close the pastry in a circular motion by folding the pastry and pressing the overlapping pastry together to seal.

Put each qassatat on a lightly oiled baking tray and brush the top of the qassatat with a beaten egg. Bake in a 190 degrees C oven for about 25 minutes until golden.

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Savoury Shortcrust Pastry

I tried this pastry with classic cooking margarine and also with the spreadable one. I found the spreadable one to make a much softer and elastic dough which is much easier to roll out.

Ingredients:

450g plain flour

230g margarine

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

Directions:
Cream the butter with the eggs and salt. Add the flour and knead well. If necessary add water to hold dough together. Allow the dough to rest for a good while (about an hour).

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