‘One’ Pain in the Arse
Isn’t globalism marvellous? Communication is difficult, comprehension nigh on impossible, everything is difficult; little is achieved and it doesn’t work but it sure is wonderfully diverse.
Recipes
The BFD Food Column: Hobz biz-Zejt (Maltese Open Sandwich)
This is a classic Maltese lunch and can be made a variety of ways. At its simplest, as my father-in-law used to make it, it can be just chunks of bread dipped in olive oil and rubbed with fresh tomato and peeled garlic. But for a centrepiece for a picnic
The BFD Food Column: Pastizzi
When it comes to Maltese food, pastizzi are essential. These succulent parcels of crisp, golden, filo-like pastry are the signature Maltese snack, sold as street food and indispensible at family gatherings. There is really nothing else quite like them: spanakopita are perhaps the closest, but pastizzi are in a class
The BFD Food Column: Pudina tal-Khboz (Maltese Bread Pudding)
Pudina tal-Khobz literally means “bread pudding” (the “kh” is pronounced hhhh-phlegm), but it’s nothing like the English bread-and-butter pudding you’re used to. Instead, it’s dense, darkly chocolate-y and spicy – almost like a cross between a brownie and a panforte. Ingredients: * 1 loaf (approx 500g) of day-old bread
The BFD Food Column: Patata fil Forn (Baked Potatoes with Lamb Chops)
This is classic Maltese peasant food: hot and filling. A great winter warmer. Ingredients: * Plain flour (around 1/4 cup, as needed) * 6–8 lamb forequarter chops (pork chops can also be used, but trim some of the fat) * Plenty of cracked black pepper * Salt to taste * 4–6 medium/
The BFD Food Column: Zalza (Maltese Salsa)
This salsa is a basic sauce that can be used for just about anything you’d use a rich, tomato-based sauce for. In Maltese cooking, it’s most often slathered on top of fried fish. If you grow your own tomatoes, this is a perfect recipe to use up all
The BFD Food Column: Ghagin Fil Forn (Baked Macaroni)
While Maltese cuisine can often be mistaken for basic Mediterranean/Italian fare, it certainly has its signature unique dishes. Pastizzi, for instance, are the classic Maltese street food: crisp, buttery pastries filled variously with ricotta, mashed curried peas or other fillings. Another Maltese classic is Ghagin Fil Forn (the first
The BFD Food Column: Ravjul (Maltese ravioli)
Malta, the tiny Mediterranean island nation, rarely intrudes onto the world stage. Yet, given its pivotal location nearer Africa than Europe, it’s been fought over by the world’s biggest empires for over 3,000 years. That history has left it with an eclectic legacy of everything from language
The BFD Food Column: Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Around the Mediterranean and near the Middle East, the art of stuffing vegetables with rice, meat, fish or (other) vegetables is commonplace. Stuffed tomatoes, zucchini, onions, potatoes and even large meaty mushrooms are popular and tasty. Stuffed vegetables can make nice summer mains, entrees and side dishes. Stuffed Portobello mushrooms
The BFD Food Column: Deep Fried Kubbeh
Kubbeh, the Middle Eastern ‘meal in one’ is enjoyed broadly from Morocco to Kurdistan. Kubbeh is seasoned mincemeat (a vegetarian option can be done with mushrooms) buried in dough made of bulgur wheat, semolina, flour and oil. It can be enjoyed in soups or deep fried. Its origins remain elusive:
The Dinner Club Cook Book
Many readers will be aware of Jane Morgan and the Dinner Club. After Cyclone Gabrielle devastated so many thousands of homes and lives in Hawke’s Bay, Jane and some friends decided to cook a free meal once a week for those most in need. The premise of the Dinner
The BFD Food Column: Strawberry Sorbet
There is nothing more refreshing than to clean your palate after a meal than a fruity sorbet. Sorbet can be made out of any fruit; its always best to use seasonal fruits as you need a decent amount and fruit is always cheaper and more intense in its flavours when
The BFD Food Column: Non-Dairy Coffee Mousse
The mousse dessert was a must on every menu in days gone by. The standard was a chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and usually eaten with a long spoon and served in a tall glass. It belongs to the era of ice cream sundaes, banana splits and cassata, I
The BFD Food Column: Miso Soup
“I think I’m turning Japanese…” Surely everyone remembers that terrible ‘top-10 hit’ from 1980s by a never-to-be-heard-from-again new-wave band the Vapors? The music was pretty humdrum, but it was significant in that it heralded in the opening up of Japanese culture, especially culinary, in the West. Sushi bars and
The BFD Food Column: Christmas in Vienna
Given the opportunity to take a short break from the rigours of the daily ‘kitchen grind’ and the accumulating stresses of the never-ending war between Israel and Hamas, we enjoyed a short winter break in the Austrian capital of Vienna. Vienna in winter naturally has a smaller volume of tourists
The BFD Food Column: Sufganiyah
December rolls around and the countdown begins for both Christmas and Chanukah. Both these festivals are rich in meaning, spirituality and with foods that may be tasty in the moment, but their consumption is more often than not regretted the next day. Israel becomes the land of deep-fried foods during