An Introduction to Maltese Cuisine: Minestra Tal-Haxix

Besides saving the world as an intern at the NGO I’m working for, one of my goals during my stay in Malta is to cook traditional Maltese foods. And, if the need came up, make them gluten free. It’s a way to further integrate into the culture I’ve thrown myself into, and also a motivation to be more active on Meals with Morri.

It is very apparent that Malta’s cuisine is directly affected by its history and geography, particularly showing strong English and Sicilian influence, as well as representations of Mediterranean (also including Spanish and French) and Arabic (North African, mostly) influence based on the residents on the island. The majority of the country’s foodstuffs has been and is imported, but since it is positioned along important trade routes between Europe and Africa, it had opened Maltese cuisine to outside influences very early on. The food is also heavily season-based and faith-based, two things I look forward to learning about during my yearlong stay.

Since awakening the foodie aspect of myself, I have developed a philosophy about culture: you know a people by the bread they eat. Think about it. It’s absolutely fascinating to observe what sort of bread a culture eats and why, and what flours were used in place of wheat due to geography and access. The bakeries here give off intoxicating aromas of yeast, rising dough, and sweet treats that are said to be wonderful accompaniments to any meal. The Maltese are famous for their baked goods, and sometimes I wish I could say “food sensitivities and health issues be d*mned” and take a bite of their amazing breads. There are days I feel cheated somehow, not being able to know this vibrant culture more because of this minor detail. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to worry about it.

But that’s a post for some other time. This post is about soup, and a recipe that almost overflowed onto the stovetop.

For inspiration in what I wanted to make, I went onto a community website for Maltese recipes. The beauty of this national cuisine is how family-oriented it is and its incorporation of the many ethnicities and cultures that helped make Malta the vivacious country it is today. In other words, it is hard to find a recipe for two, but you can definitely find a meal for eight… or days of leftovers for a Morri living on her own for the first time ever.

The soup I chose was Ministra Tal-Haxix, which literally translates to ‘minestrone with vegetables’. It is the Maltese version similar to the famous Italian Minestrone, a vegetable soup with noodles, a wide variety of veggies, and in this case, favetta. It’s extremely nourishing and filling, and I could imagine families warming themselves up on a rainy winter day (and believe me, it does get rainy) with a hearty bowl as a starter to the main meal.

When I examined the recipe I found online, I also looked at a comment someone posted and included their suggestions into the final product. Instead of turnips, I incorporated the kohlrabi and favetta (split fava beans). And instead of using one pot, I ended up using three. Why? Because vegetables such as pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, and kohlrabi add up in bulk, and my soup pot was completely filled to the top with vegetable goodness. That, and I thought the pot I had would be adequate, considering it’s only me in the apartment. But alas, it wasn’t tall enough. So the favetta and noodles were boiled separately to insure a balanced serving for each bowl, and the cabbage was put through the pressure cooker and mixed in when the other vegetables had cooked down. And for the love of soup, people, do not add more water than instructed. I did to cover the vegetables (i.e., perhaps half an inch or a little over a centimeter from the top), and I am still amazed I didn’t make more of a mess than I had.

Regardless, it turned out deliciously, and it freezes well as individual servings. (It’s also great for those wonderful vegetarian partners currently residing in Rome and who is visiting in a couple of weeks [*hint hint*].) You may need to add more water when reheating, because the beans and noodles may absorb more water after the initial cooking process. Warm it up and top it with cracked black pepper, fresh garlic (finely chopped or crushed), and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Minestra Tal-Haxix (Maltese Minestrone Soup)

200 g Gluten free rotini pasta (or a small pasta type equivalent)
250 g Dried favetta*
2 Zucchini, finely diced
4 Medium potatoes, finely diced**
2 Onions, finely diced***
475 g Pumpkin, finely diced****
1 Small cabbage, finely chopped
1 Small cauliflower, finely chopped
2 Celery stalks, finely diced
2 Tomatoes, finely diced
2 Carrots, finely diced
1 Kohlrabi bulb, finely diced
1 tsp. Tomato puree
750 ml Water
2 tsp. Sea salt
Olive oil

Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)
Garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)

Soak the favetta over night and cook in the pressure cooker before putting the soup together.
Boil the noodles as instructed on the package al dente and also set aside.
Chop all the vegetables and place them in a tall pot.
Add the water, tomato puree and salt.
Bring to boil and let simmer until vegetables are tender, and add a spoonful of olive oil. Add the pasta and favetta and keep simmering until the pasta is fully cooked.
Serve hot with the grated Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic. 

Makes 6 - 8 servings

* As I said, favetta are split fava beans. You can soak them the night before and add them with the veggies, or do as I have instructed for the recipe.
** Along with their amazing bread, the Maltese Derby Potato is famous for it’s silky texture, buttery overtones, and usage over a variety of dishes in Maltese cuisine.
*** Preferably red onions (I don’t know the species of the Maltese red onion, only that they are strong and sold locally)
**** Fresh pumpkin is sold by the slice here, which I’m sure will further encourage my pumpkin addiction and put it in everything I eat.

When [He's] in Rome

Long distance relationships are hard. It takes a lot of effort to keep one going while separated, but it is doable. And with the right person, it’s worth it.

In our second stretch of time that we’ve been apart, we’ve really made the effort to show that the relationship is important to us. We Skype almost every day: talking about how our day went, complete with its triumphs and grievances. The important thing in any relationship is keeping the line of communication open, but it’s absolutely fascinating how many couples tend to forget that.

The other thing we do during our talks is watch Babylon 5 episodes at the same time together. He got me hooked on the series when he was visiting over the summer, and it is an activity that helps us feel connected despite his being 4500 miles away. We’ll watch one, at most three, and I’ll hear him giggle at my expressions.

(My Can't-Look-Away Expression)

(My Season Finale Expression)

Lately, he’s been having a lack of motivation where meals are concerned. He’s a lot like me in that regard; unless it’s a moment shared with people we care about, food is typically considered food and nothing more. Sure, we are creative with leftovers and think of new things of make, but the spark of cooking just isn’t there. So we came up with a plan to use Skype for more than witty banter and Babylon 5 marathons.

Now, we use it in the kitchen.

I don’t know who decided what the dish would be, but the point of this act of connecting was the following:

1. It would be the same dish.
2. It would be from the same recipe.
3. It would be prepared, cooked, and eaten simultaneously. (My lunchtime is his dinnertime, so it works out beautifully.)

Even 4500 miles away, we can still cook together.

The dish was a Roman classic: Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe. Any Roman will emphasize that it has three ingredients and only three ingredients. Always. No exceptions.

Cheese + Black pepper + Pasta = Delizioso. 

He got the recipe off of the Tales of Ambrosia site, and although I used gluten free pasta and the wrong cheese (It was a Pecorino Romano / Parmesan blend), it was absolutely divine.

I loved her trick of putting the serving bowl on top of the pot to heat it up with steam. The only differences were I made a fourth of the recipe (enough for one really hungry person or two just hungry enough persons) and I simply mixed the ingredients in the drained pot before putting it on the hot plate. Oh, and using a blend of cheeses. (I can already feel the Romans cringing from here…)

(image source)

I still stand by my statement in saying that Tinkyáda’s® Rice Pasta is the best I’ve encountered in my gluten-free journey thus far. We use many of their products in our noodle dishes, and their spaghetti pasta was perfect to use in this recipe. Did I mention it slurps like semolina-based pasta?

Now that's what I call quality.

Feeding your Inner Child with the Classics

There are some foods that were the epitome of your childhood. Depending on your generation, culture, and other variables, there are dishes and recipes and flavors you can recall as if you took a bite of it seconds before. Perhaps a combination of spices take you back to your family kitchen in New Delhi, or no other tomato sauce even comes close to your Italian grandmother’s sauce. Maybe you had traditions in your household no one else on your street did, such as gorging on lemon filled sugar donuts after going to Mass or eating lox on bagels Christmas morning.

Such memories can bring such nostalgia of being a kid, such as the simple act swinging your legs back and forth while you sit at the dinner table, that you just have to recreate that carefree feeling. And in January, with people getting colds left and right, this kind of comfort can be essential to getting better and feeling warm all during winter.

To get back into my blogging groove, I was thinking of recipes to make and wasn’t feeling particularly inspired. So I asked friends and family, each coming up with something fantastic and delicious, and yet what they suggested didn’t appeal to my Inner Child.

But then something struck a chord, a memory of a friend requesting a dairy free version of a very much dairy filled delight. She asked me to recreate macaroni and cheese, a dish that I remember enjoying hot from the stovetop/oven. (Alas, it was usually the boxed or frozen kind.) So I set out to make a stovetop mac n’ “cheese” recipe for gluten/soy/dairy-freers everywhere, and I’m rather content with the results. You can tell it is dairy free when eating it, I will not deny that, but I still found it quite delicious. I think I would have been happier without adding the amount of salt I had put in, so do so sparingly and taste as you go.

And by all means, feed your Inner Child whenever possible.

Stovetop Mac n’ “Cheese”

224 g Dried gluten free macaroni noodles*
400 ml Canned coconut milk (lite or full fat would work)
28 g Nutritional yeast
20 g Garbanzo bean flour
1 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
Dash of Nutmeg
Sea salt, to taste**
Dried basil, as garnish (optional)

Prepare the dried noodles according to the instructions on the package.
While the noodles are cooking, place the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat until bubbling and smooth and then on the lowest heat setting until the noodles are ready.
Once the noodles are cooked through, drain the excess water and transfer the noodles onto the sauce.
Evenly coat the noodles (adding water if necessary, as it could be a little thick) in with the sauce, and then pour into four bowls or dishes for immediate serving.

Makes 4 servings.

*I used Andean Dream’s macaroni pasta and highly recommend it.

**As I said, I urge you to taste as you go. The nutritional yeast may be salty enough for the dish.

Noodling Over The Possibilities

After walking at S/CAR’s convocation, a sense of closure enveloped me; only, it wasn’t calm and peaceful. I felt a door open, and I was immediately pushed through it and brought to a screeching halt.

My fitness regimen was lax this week, simply because I was so tired, which means my social life was rather lax also. I had the privilege to attend a roundtable at the USIP on Wednesday, and I worked my regular hours at the community center, including a babysitting gig, but I didn’t do much of anything else. My body was sluggish and my mind was racing at the most inconvenient times. The nightmares (yes the zombie kind) have reared their not so pleasant heads, not to mention waking up at 3:30 most mornings. 

The recipes are lining up… sigh.

 I wish I had something inspirational and uplifting to write, and I’m sure I will on Sunday, but right now I want to focus on important things and tell you what I’ve learned another time.

So I hope this noodle dish will fill you up as it did for my family and I. It was one of those dishes I made before I graduated and was in need of comfort. Fusilli is my favorite kind of noodle, corkscrew in appearance and a wonderful texture to chew on. It had been a while since I’d had the pleasure of eating a noodle-based dish where the noodle was the main attraction, and I loved it so much I wanted to share.

A warning, though: it’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever made. In my opinion, noodle dishes are supposed to have their ingredients thoroughly mixed, with a different flavor for each bite. Oh, and topped with cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

Fusilli with Sautéed Prosciutto and Vegetables

240 g Dried fusilli noodles (I used the Trader Joe’s brown rice fusilli)
Juice of 1 Lemon
45 ml Olive oil
1 Green bell pepper, finely diced
1 Red onion, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
113 g Sliced prosciutto, shredded into bite-sized pieces
28 Basil leaves

20 Mini pearl grape tomatoes, halved horizontally (as garnish)
40 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated

In a medium stainless steal pot, bring up to 2 quarts of water to a boil on medium-high heat and cook the fusilli noodles as instructed on the bag/box.
When cooked, drain the water and pour the noodles back into the pot, along with the lemon juice and olive oil.
In a large cast iron skillet on medium heat, grease the bottom with your choice of cooking oil and pour in the pepper, onion, and garlic.
When the pepper has at least softened, add in the prosciutto and cook until browned.
Turn off the heat and fold in the basil leaves until slightly wilted, and then add the fusilli noodles.
Pour the noodle dish into four bowls, and garnish the tops with the tomato halves and cheese.
Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings.