Maltese and Mediterranean

Octopus Salad Qarnit Bit-Tewm

This cold salad is perfect for a hot day in the sun or as an appetiser. Pair it with some fresh hobz (a crusty Maltese sourdough bread) and you have a refreshing and delicious light meal. The vinegar should come through

strongly. Any leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

Octopus Salad (or the Maltese version – Qarnit Bit-Tewm) is a favourite all round the Mediterranean, this dish serves four, preparation time is 20 minutes plus 40 minutes for cooking plus resting and chilling, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small octopus weighing about 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons white-wine or sherry vinegar

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 100 g (3½ oz) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 large handful basil leaves

• 1 large handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves,

roughly chopped

• lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD

To clean the octopus, cut between the head and tentacles just below the eyes. Cut a slice from the bottom of the head including the eyes and discard. Insert your knife into the head and make a slit in order to open it up. Pull out the contents of the head, then peel off the outer skin. Push out the beak in the centre of the tentacles and discard. Rinse the head and tentacles.

Bring the octopus to the boil in a medium saucepan of water with the salt added. Once simmering, cook for 35 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and leave the octopus in the water for another 40 minutes with the lid ajar.

Remove the octopus from the water and cut into small pieces of around 3 cm (1¼ in). Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a low heat and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add the octopus pieces and some pepper and increase the heat to medium. Now add the vinegar and toss to combine. Check the seasoning and add a dash more vinegar if you like (the flavour will be more subtle when chilled). Remove from the heat and toss through another tablespoon of the oil.

Transfer the octopus to a bowl and leave to cool, then chill in the refrigerator. Once cold, add the onion, tomatoes and herbs and toss together. Check the seasoning again and scoop onto a sharing plate. Drizzle with the remaining oil.

Serve with the lemon wedges and small forks or toothpicks. The octopus goes well with crusty bread, and can even be packed in a container for the beach (if kept cold).>

Anchovy Fritters Sfineġ Tal-Inċova

At Easter time in the city of Rabat, you can find stalls selling these on every corner.

They are more-ish served alongside a cold beer or dry white wine.

Makes 10 fritters, preparation time 25 minutes plus 1 hour proving, cooking time 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small octopus weighing about 600g

(1 lb 5 oz)

• 225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

• 2 teaspoons dried yeast

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 180 ml (6 fl oz) warm water

• 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) neutral oil for frying

such as sunflower or canola, plus extra for

oiling

• 10 anchovy fillets

• lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt with a wooden spoon and make a well in the centre. Gradually add the water to the well, gently mixing until all the flour has been incorporated and you have a sticky dough. Tip

onto a floured work bench and knead for a few minutes until you have a smooth dough. Shape into a ball and lightly oil the dough. Return to a the bowl. Cover with a tea towel (dish towel) and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Begin to gently heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Lightly flour your hands and divide the dough into 10 pieces. Take a lump of dough and gently stretch it to an oval shape.

Lay an anchovy in the centre and close the dough around it. Lower the fritter into the hot oil while you quickly make a few more fritters to cook at the same time. Flip the fritters over once and cook until golden brown (around 2½ minutes). Scoop onto paper towel.

Check the fritters are cooked through by eating the first one! Continue to make and cook the remaining fritters. Serve with lemon wedges.

Garlic Fish Soup Aljotta

This traditional broth has a delicate consistency but packs a punch, concentrating some of Malta’s most loved flavours: fish, tomatoes and garlic (and also including a small amount of rice). The name ‘aljotta’ comes from ‘aglio’, the Italian word for garlic, so don’t be scared to go heavy with it!

No actual fish should be served in the broth – it is in the soup purely to flavour it. I’ve met fishermen on the shore

presenting a bucket of small fish as the day’s catch, saying ‘It’s okay, I can make aljotta!’ Any fresh fish can be used, but especially ‘cheap’ fish and fish heads. Because the soup is strained, you don’t even need to scale the fish. Plenty of fresh mint and marjoram or parsley are essential.

Serves 4, preparation time 25 minutes, cooking time 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1small octopus weighing about 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ripe tomatoes

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)

6 small fish (about 600 g/1 lb 5 oz), cleaned – sardines are

perfect, or use heads, tails and trimmings of larger fish

• 3 tablespoons chopped mint

• 3 tablespoons chopped marjoram or flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

• 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) water

• salt and pepper

• 75 g (2¾ oz/ 1/3 cup) short-grain rice

• juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges to serve

METHOD

Score the tomatoes on their bases and grate with a box grater.

Fry the onion in the oil in a large saucepan. When translucent, add the garlic and continue to fry until golden. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, fish and half of the herbs. Stir for a minute, then add the water and some salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on.

Pass the soup through a mouli (food mill) into a clean saucepan, pressing until only fish skin and dry bones remain. Alternatively, press through a fine sieve with a large spoon.

Bring the broth back to the boil. Add the rice, stir well, and cook until the rice is tender. Remove the soup from the heat and add the remaining herbs and lemon juice. Serve with more lemon wedges and lots of crusty bread.