| |
If you walk through
a Maltese village or through the residential parts
of the towns in the late morning you are sure to be
tempted by the irresistible smell of cooking which
escapes from almost every house as the big meal of
the day is being prepared. It may be the smell of frying
onions, garlic and tomatoes (known as ‘toqlija’)
which forms the basis of a tomato sauce to accompany
a main dish of spaghetti, or it is the pervading smell
of soup, which has been gently cooking since about
10 o’clock. It might be a thick soup, almost
a stew, made with vegetables and past, or a rich and
nourishing meat broth, or a fresh tomato soup. Tinned
and packaged soup have become a serious challenge to
home made ones, but in Malta soup is still made regularly
and it need not, as is often supposed, take much time
to prepare. What is important is that it should simmer
for several hours, so slowly that it barely shivers.
Soups are not always a starting course – very
often they are intended to form a meal in themselves,
and frequently soup is eaten again at supper with,
say, am egg poached in it to make it more substantial.
Malta does not boast many soups of the strained or
creamed variety (there are one or two exceptions) – the
vegetables are either finely chopped or sliced or very
roughly chopped (as in minestra, one of the most filling
and nourishing of dishes). This does not mean that ‘creamed’ soup – like
pea soup for example – are not very popular,
but we do not consider these to be Maltese in origin
and are not therefore including them in our list of
recipies.
 Minestra
(Vegetable Soup) |
|
| Serves 4 – 6 |
Method
Cup up all the vegetables roughly and place in a large saucepan. Add water
to about half way up, and tomato puree, oil, salt and pepper. Bring to simmering
point and simmer for about 3 hours. The beans (or other pulses) are best
cooked separately and added in the last 30 minutes. Their treatment depends
on their age and variety – not all pulses need to be soaked overnight.
A pinch of bicarbonate of soda may added to hasten cooking. When the vegetables
are cooked (most of the water having been absorbed) the soup may be mashed
roughly or left as it is. Now the pasta is added – a little more water
may need to be added first, in which case make sure the water boils before
adding the pasta. In some villages it is customary to use two or three different
varieties (i.e. shapes) of pasta. Before serving, a little milk and a good
limp of btter maybe added, and the minestra is served with generous helpings
of grated cheese – preferably parmesan.
|
Aljotta
(Fish and garlic Soup)
|
|
|
Serves 4
|
Method
Note: The fish stock may be the product of small fish – such as skorfon,
gharajjes, burqax, tracni, sparli or vopi; these are all deep-sea fish; or
of a large and delicate fish, such as dentici, cerna, dott, spnotta, awrata.
In this case the fish makes a handsome 2nd course and care must be taken that
it is very slowly poached for just the right amount of time.
Fry the chopped onion in olive oil. When it
is soft add the garlic (not too finely chopped).
In a few moments add the tomatoes and the marjoram
and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 30
to 45 minutes. (The tomatoes should be peeled,
seeds removed, and chopped.) This mixture should
then be transferred to a larger saucepan, the
fish stock added and the whole well stirred.
Bring to boil, add about half a cup of rice and
boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Never allow rice to
get overcooked. Serve with wedges of fresh lemon. |
‘Kusksu’
(A vegetable soup with ‘Kusksu’)
|
|
|
Serves 4
|
Method
Fry the onion (with a bit of garlic, if liked) in about 4 tablespoons of oil,
add the tomato puree and the peeled broad beans (the thin shell must also
be removed) the shelled peas and water to cover. When vegetables are cooked
bring to the boil, add the kusksu and cook for 15 minutes. Cover, turn off
heat but keep warm for about 10 minutes. Serve. Kusksu is best made in May
(in Malta) when the broad beans are large and coarse. The peas are an optional
extra but a definite improvement.
|
Go to Maltese Cooking - Introductions
|
