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Chicken, mushroom and spinach pasta bake

Mar 9

Posted by the editor in chicken, maltese, pasta, the recipes | No Comments

“This is a creamy pasta bake for the family to enjoy”.

  • 300 g pasta
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 400 g chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 300 g button mushrooms, sliced
  • white wine
  • 200 g spinach leaves, fresh
  • 4 tbsp double cream
  • 30 g parmesan, grated

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta shapes according to the packet instructions, then drain.

Meanwhile, fry the chicken in the garlic and olive oil in a large pan until cooked through. Add a splash of white wine, season well, and add the mushrooms, cooking for 4-5minutes. Tear the spinach and add to the pan, stirring until the spinach shrinks a bit. Add the cream, cover and simmer for 5minutes.

Once the pasta is ready, drain and stir into the sauce. Tip into a 1.2-litre ovenproof dish, sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Grana Padano. Bake at 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 for 25 minutes.

Source : Julian Borg Barthet

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Rating : 4 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

Cuisine : European : Mediterranean, Maltese

Course : Main

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Linguine with peas & mint pesto

Mar 5

Posted by the editor in pasta, the recipes | No Comments

“Make your pesto minty for this fabulous summer pasta dish”

  • 350 g Linguine
  • 200 g Peas, Fresh or Frozen
  • 40 g Mint leaves, Stalks Removed
  • 6 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 50 g Pine Nuts
  • 50 g Parmesan Gran Padano, Grated

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions.

Boil the peas for 3 minutes and drain. Whizz the rest of the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth consistency.

Drain the linguine and toss the pesto through the pasta with the peas.

Notes: Recipe extra - Add a squeeze of lemon to the pesto or replace the mint with basil or sun-dried tomatoes.  I felt that it desperately needed a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper to serve.

Source : Olive Magazine : July 2007 – Page 72

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Rating : 5 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

Preparation Times : Ready in: 15 Minutes

Nutritional notes : Per Serving: 639 kcalories, protein 20.8g, carbohydrate 73.5g, fat 31.2 g, saturated fat 6.1g, fibre 5.4g, salt 0.27 g

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Broccoli Walnut Pasta

Mar 4

Posted by the editor in maltese, pasta, the recipes | No Comments

“This creamy and hardy pasta is a tasty way to eat your veggies… and get some essential fatty acids (from the walnuts)”.

  • 300g pasta, penne
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 450g broccoli, cut into florets about 1/2inch across
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp chili flakes, optional
  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped
  • ¼ cup parmesan, grated

Cook pasta to packet instructions. Meanwhile start steaming the broccoli, if you don’t have a steamer, boil it in water. Steaming is tastier, as it retains all the flavour and vitamins in the broccoli. Toast the chopped walnuts by frying in a dry frying pan.

Fry the garlic and chili flakes in the 2 tablespoons of oil until golden. Add the steamed broccoli and the toasted walnuts, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of oil and stirfry until the broccoli has been browned slightly. Mix in the Pasta and stir in the Parmesan.

Source : Julian Borg Barthet

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Rating : 5 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

Preparation Times : Prep: 10 Minutes Cook: 30 Minutes

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Spinach and pancetta pasta with soya cream

Feb 25

Posted by the editor in maltese, pasta, pork, the recipes | No Comments

“A creamy spinach dish, that is quick to make, but not too rich for people that don’t like spinach”.

  • 400 g pasta, we used fusilli
  • 70 g pancetta cubetti
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp nutmeg, ground
  • 200 ml soya cream
  • 150 g ricotta cheese

Boil Pasta to packet instructions. Steam the frozen spinach, if you don’t have a steamer, just add the spinach to the pan without thawing first.

Fry the pancetta in a deep frying pan, once thoroughly cooked add oil and butter and add the garlic and nutmeg once the butter is melted. At this point you can add the steamed or frozen spinach to the pan. Cook the spinach for 5 minutes making sure it’s thoroughly cooked through, this also gives enough time to burn off any excess water from the spinach. Season well.

Once you are satisfied with the spinach, add the soya cream, and bring to a high simmer. Add the ricotta and stir until it’s melted in to the sauce.

Once the pasta is ready, add the pasta to the pan, and stir into the sauce.

Source : Julian Borg Barthet

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Rating : 4 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

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Nacho Night

Feb 21

Posted by the editor in beef, mexican, the recipes | No Comments

“Every once in awhile we have a nacho night, just something to bung together and plate out for a good movie, this isn’t finger food, but as enjoyable on the end of a fork as if it were”.

Make a batch of chili as per the ‘Basic Chili recipe’ on the Southtier website, clicking the above link will take you there. When making the basic chili recipe, try and drain off any extra juices from when you brown the mince, as you want this version to be as dry as possible.

Preheat the oven at 190ºC.  Prepare a large baking dish and line the bottom with the tortilla chips.

Add a layer of Mozzarella and as many jalepenos as you dare.  Once the chili is ready pour onto the top of the chips ONLY when you’re ready to put it in the oven, if you leave the chili on the chips for too long, you’ll end up with a mushy layer of chips that doesn’t really have the most appealing texture in the world.  If you’re not too bothered about the amount of cheese you’re using, sometimes it’s great to use another layer of Mozzarella on top of the chili as well.  You should leave the  nachos in the oven for around 5-10minutess, really enough time to melt the cheese.

Source : Julian Borg Barthet

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Rating : 4 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

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This is my Mash

Feb 19

Posted by the editor in the recipes, vegetarian | No Comments

Everyone has a different spin on mashed potatoes, my most horrifying experience was when a flatmate of mine added an entire tub of Philly cream cheese.  Now growing up I was always a tinned milk guy (evaporated or condensed milk), that’s what my mother used, so that’s what I liked, and over the years this evolved into full-fat milk, and eventually what you see here today.

The new version stems from my new obsession of using Soya Cream in everything that requires cream, I believe it tastes the same as cream when added to a sauce, and has the same consistency.  The other is my ‘fear’ of heart disease that runs in the family, the Doc told me to cut back on the salts and fats due to my abnormally high blood pressure.  Now giving up certain things, and substitutions for everything is not going to do the trick, so moderation is key here.  Mashed Potatoes in many forms is not the greatest thing as a regular added side dish. so my new version is ‘almost’ as great as the full fat original.  all you need is the following…

  • potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • soya cream
  • white pepper, ground
  • butter*

* if using unsalted butter, add a sprinkle of low salt on top to taste

Peel and cut the potatoes into even pieces (you want them to all cook at the same rate, so leaving a huge thick piece along with a lot of little ones, and your going to end up with a hard potato in the middle of your mash) and add to a pot full of cold water on the stove.  There should be enough water to submerge the potatoes.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once it has been boiling for a few minutes, test the potatoes by stabbing them with a knife, if they slide off the knife quite easily then they’re ready to mash, so drain them and keep them in the pot off the heat.  Add the butter, pepper, and soya cream, and mash together until you have the consistency you prefer.  This may take a few tries until you’ve balance out the ingredients to the amount of potatoes you have in the bowl.  It’s always better to start small and add as required.

If the potato doesn't slide off the knife easily, it means it's not ready yet.

If I’m using salted butter (as pictured) I don’t add salt, but if I decide to use the unsalted butter, I add some low salt to the mix to taste.

In terms of texture, this is HIGHLY debatable.  I for one don’t like pureed potatoes, I feel like I’m being fed baby food.  I prefer mashed potatoes with a bite, by mashing them with a potato masher until I can’t see whole potato anymore yet it still keeps upright on the end of a fork.

Your welcome to take this version and change it to your own, however, I would like to know where you go with it, by leaving a comment.

Source : Julian Borg Barthet

Servings/Yield : as much as you have potato (2 large potatoes is enough for 2 people)

Rating : 5 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Main

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Reginette Alla Gonzales

Feb 19

Posted by the editor in chicken, italian, pasta, the recipes | No Comments

“A creamy chicken pasta with a taste of roasted peppers, this is for those people that like more bite to their pasta dish”
  • 320 g pasta
  • 1 chicken breast, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, peeled and sliced
  • 1 green pepper, peeled and sliced
  • 250 g tomatoes, polpa
  • 3 sm onions, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons brandy
  • ½ bouillon cube, crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons cream
  • salt and pepper

Char the peppers, place in a paper bag to steam, peel and cut into strips and set aside.

Place the onions in a pan with the oil and cook over low heat, adding white wine to prevent the onion from browning.

Add the chicken and stir.

Add the peppers and mix.

Pour the brandy over the mixture and allow to evaporate.

Add the tomato polpa and add the crumbled cube, season with pepper and cook for 15 minutes.

Cook the pasta al dente.

Add the cream to the sauce and adjust the salt.

Drain the pasta and pour the hot sauce over the pasta, mix and serve.

Notes : Roasting the peppers for the first time is a daunting task, but once you start cutting into the finished product, and you see how the pepper has steamed from the inside out, it’s amazing.

Source : Pasta & C.  (Translated into English from the original Italian)

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Rating : 4 out of 5

Difficulty : Moderately Easy

Course : Main

Preparation Times : Ready in: 1 Hour

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Frozen Chillis

Feb 16

Posted by the editor in the ingredients | No Comments

Not everyone has a chilli plant growing on their window sill, or on their roof (you know who you are). Better still not all of us have access to a garden to plant our veggie stocks. But this is not a reason to cringe at every recipe that has a chilli in it. I’ve been freezing fresh chillies in my freezer for years, four or five at a time will do you, but the variety is good to have as well, and they do last as long as you don’t defrost them and refreeze them.

Next time you’re at the supermarket, or you have a friend that’s a chilli freak, toss a handful in a container or bag, and keep it in the freezer for future use. You would be surprised how many dishes you’ve missed out on due to the lack of that elusive chilli.

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Tuna chilli linguine

Feb 16

Posted by the editor in pasta, seafood, the recipes | No Comments

“Cheap, simple, yet utterly delicious, this pasta dish is an ideal supper for two”

  • 250 g linguine
  • 200 g tuna, from a can
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • lemon juice, a good squeeze
  • 1 handful fresh parsley

Cook the linguine according to the packet instructions, then drain well.

Meanwhile, drain a can of tuna. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the chilli and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. After letting the oil slightly cool, add a good squeeze of lemon juice and a good handful chopped fresh parsley. Flake in the tuna and gently stir through.

Toss the pasta with the tuna dressing to serve.

Notes : We didn’t have fresh parsley when we made this, so we did without.  Please be very catious when adding the lemon juice to the chilli and hot oil, if it’s too hot the oil can react quite harshley and splash all over the place, which might burn you.

Wine Recommendation : Simple French vin de pays Chardonnay is good with this.

Source : Delicious Magazine : August 2008 (Slightly reworded)

Servings/Yield : 2 servings

Rating : 3 out of 5

Difficulty : Easy

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Two food items found to have high pesticide residue

Feb 16

Posted by the editor in the products | No Comments

Two samples of locally grown food were last year found to exceed the maximum permitted level of pesticide residue, the Malta Standards Authority said today.

In one case, the product was banned from being placed on the market whilst in the other action was taken against the farmer concerned.

One consignment of illegal pesticides was also seized. Legal action was also taken against the importer.

Reporting on its activities last year, the MSA said that 14 products on the Maltese market were found to be unsafe and notified to the European Commission. Six were electrical appliances, two were lighters, three were chemical products, two were toys and the other was a food imitating product.

Inspectors made 518 inspections at local retail outlets and 2,227 products were inspected for compliance to their applicable EU Directives/Standards. Products inspected included pesticides, detergents, lifts, cosmetics, toys, electrical equipment as well as household appliances.

Source : http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100216/local/two-food-items-found-to-have-high-pesticide-residue

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