Today, salt cod, with its odd appearance and pungent smell seemed to have lost its prominence in local cuisine. It might be the peasant identity which attaches to it, or the time-consuming re-hydration process but even menus in local restaurants rarely contain salt cod dishes. Salt cod looks unappetizing but its texture is ideal for various recipes. If you have a look at Italian, Portuguese and Spanish recipes you will realize that the fish is suitable for casseroles, stews, fish cakes, fritters, salads, patés, it can be fried, grilled, boiled or roasted.  Indeed, Portuguese have 366 different recipes of cooking bacalhau, one daily and an extra one for the leap years.

So, the versatile characteristic of salt cod can make a plain hearty meal and doubtlessly even a sophisticated one. Recipes and combination of ingredients seem to be infinite. I will surely be trying different recipes and proposing them to you. Meanwhile, I look forward to see salt cod on our local restaurant menus!

To cook salt cod you need to plan ahead. The cod needs to soak in cold water for at least 48 hours in order to desalinate. You should change its water regularly and keep it refrigerated until it is ready for cooking. Then there’s that tedious process of removing its skin and bones. To facilitate this stage I suggest you boil the cod in some milk until it’s just tender, then remove it skin, bones and cut as required by your chosen recipe. For my grandmother’s adapted recipe I chose to remove the skin and bones without boiling the salt cod. Well, it took me some time!

Oven-baked salt cod with tomato sauce & potatoes

Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 500g soaked salt cod
• 4 medium potatoes, same size
• 400g peeled tomatoes
• 100g capers
• 1 onion
• a bunch of fresh parsley
• a couple of fresh mint leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt & pepper

Peel, wash and finely chop the onion. Fry it in some extra virgin olive oil until it’s transparent. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt & pepper. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat until the sauce has thickened. Throw in the capers and mint leaves. Keep cooking for some more minutes.

In the meantime, peel and wash the potatoes. Cut into even slices and cook in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Leave to drain on some kitchen paper.

Cut the desalinated cod pieces into cubes and coat with finely chopped parsley. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil in an oven dish, spread some tomato sauce as a base, lay the potato slices round the edge of the dish leaving some space in the center. Place the salt cod cubes in the center of the dish, add the remaining tomato sauce and pour some extra virgin olive oil on top, cover with aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Remove aluminium foil and cook  for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are golden. Serve with crusty Maltese bread.

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The dull brown grey sky and the soiled rain of a couple of weekends ago did not disrupt our plans for the first fish barbecue of 2011. Chris was not really enthusiastic about waking up early for preparations and I did not render him any better. I woke up knackered. I had barely any voice, was stuffed with sinus and had a brown under eye colour. At the moment, we have our days loaded with errands, meetings, and thoughts about our wedding and it was more ideal to have a relaxing Sunday rather than head early to Marsaxlokk. Yet, my passion for food makes me insist and persist.

We met our hosts and another couple at Rita’s fish shop in Marsaxlokk. The display was quite abundant considering the bad weather of the other night. Fresh anchovies, tuna, live clams, king prawns were amongst the lot. One particular species caught the attention of all of us: the flat, ugly-headed, green hued John Dory (Pesce San Pietro). We needed fish for a party of 12 so that was a couple of kilos calamari, 48 king prawns, and 4 John Dory. We probably created an anomaly in the fish shop’s sales that Sunday!

The John Dory is no cheap fish. Maybe it’s because of the particular dark beauty spot on its back or, more rightly so, because of its firm textured and exquisite meat. If you happen to cook this fish keep it simple. There is no need of any elaborate condiment, sauce or herbs. Just grill it on some hot charcoal or lava, throw some sea salt, and serve it with lemon wedges and good quality extra virgin olive oil. By the end of your portion, you will be like a cat plucking any left-over meat on its bones and digging into its gills.

The strong wind did not permit the use of the roof for the barbecue. So we propped up our barbecue set in the sheltered balcony and executed our planned menu was as follows:

• Starter: Grilled bread slices with calamari, roasted garlic, basil and cherry tomatoes
• Primo: Vodka marinated king prawns with ginger and citrus juice
• Main: Grilled John Dory with lemon and extra virgin olive oil
• Dessert: Banoffee Pie and Frozen chocolate mousses with strawberries

First things first – in a large pocket of foil we combined the chopped calamari with a glug of white wine, fresh basil, salt and pepper. We closed the pocket and cooked the calamari on the bbq al cartoccio stlye. Then, we roasted some whole garlic bulbs, also wrapped in foil, and seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary. We served the calamari mixture amalgamated with quartered cherry tomatoes and the garlic pulp extracted from the roasted bulbs spooned on grilled bread and dressed with some olive oil.

Calamari bruschetta

We marinated the king prawns in a mixture of vodka, ground ginger, rind and juice of a lemon and an orange, salt and pepper. These were grilled on the BBQ covered in foil. We could have eaten them head and all they were so juicy!

Sizzling juicy prawns

Finally, the sacred fish – the Pesce San Pietro – grilled plainly, rubbed with sea salt and some olive oil. Poor neighbours! They must have got green eyed with envy as the smell of grilled fish penetrated through their windows!

Pesce San Pietro

And to conclude this fishy feast we had a home-made banoffee pie by one of the guests and a frozen dark chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries prepared by me. Superb creamy and refreshing desserts!

Frozen chocolate mousse

As they say in Italian, everything was: Da leccarsi i baffi!

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This is the first of a series of articles about my experiences whilst travelling around the risotto rice belt. My first stop was Isola della Scala, home of the Vialone nano rice, in the Veneto region – Italy.

When it comes to risotto I’m a bit of a late starter. Since I grew up in Malta I had a broad Mediterranean diet and had experienced this classic Italian dish on occasions. My flatmate in Amsterdam, who is a big fan of this dish, cooked risottos fairly often yet its appeal never really stuck. I always thought it was a labour intensive dish, rather unappealing after a hard day at work. The need for precision and attention always meant that, given the choice, I’d take pasta over risotto any day.

Last year on a trip to New York I visited Risotteria, a restaurant with a focus on risotto. Normally it would not have been my first choice, but I love the novelty of these single-item restaurants. The risotto in question, with calamari and lemon, was very good, but I acquired more than just the taste of the dish from my visit. I was impressed by the versatility and creativity of a dish with endless possibilities.

Back in Amsterdam I started cooking risotto more often. I used Arborio rice, the most common type of risotto rice found in the supermarkets over here. But I could never get it quite right. I did my research and discovered that there was more to rice than just Arborio. I became acquainted with the Vialone Nano and Carnaroli rice, both of which were rice varieties unheard of to me. From what I read they seemed to be of far superior quality than Arborio.

Due to my growing interest in rice I decided to spend some time in the Po Valley, Italy, the birthplace of risotto. I stayed in Verona for much of the time. Situated in northern Italy, it lies at the easterly point of the risotto rice belt that stretches from Torino in the west, past Milan and ends a little east of Verona. Two suppliers growing rice near the city invited me over to spend some time with them. Here I began to appreciate the Vialone Nano and Carnaroli rice varieties above all others.

View The Risotto Rice Belt in a larger map

I first met with a comparably new supplier in the scene, the owner of Riso Melotti, in Isola della Scala just south of Verona. Over a morning coffee we chatted idly, and after we took the short journey with the car to his farm. It was a magnificent area, flat and expansive. Here I learnt about the process of growing rice and also it’s processing. I think my eagerness to learn more was evident. I was offered further visits and also an open invitation to his rice paddies. For lunch we ate at the Risotteria Melotti, a restaurant owned by the Melotti family. We ate and drank at a leisurely pace all through the afternoon. The young chef kept coming with a never-ending supply of rice and risotto dishes.  So to tantalise your taste buds the menu for that afternoon was:

An antipasto of ‘Melottino’, a salami with toasted rice, some cacciotina cheese known as ‘Melottina’, accompanied by some grissini. The primi consisted of: Grilled rice polenta with rabbit stew, a rice piadina with salami ‘Melottino’ and cacciottina ‘Mellottina’, and a rice strudel with vegetables and cream of Topinambur. The main dishes were three risottos: Risotto with broccoli and peperoncino, the famous Risotto all’Isolana and a risotto with scallops and sun dried tomatoes. For dessert I had a tiramisu made with plum cake prepared with flour of Vialone nano rice by Melotti. We finished the meal with the ubiquitous espresso before I left for Vinitaly, and spent there a lazy evening of wine tasting.

The second of the suppliers I visited was Riseria Ferron, headed by Gabriele Ferron, an internationally renowned chef, nicknamed the ‘King of Rice’. His empire extends to a restaurant located in the building of a 17th century flourmill, the Pila Vecia.

The risotto I tasted there was without doubt the best I have ever eaten. His degustation menu was a showcase of both Ferron’s skills as a cook, the versatility of the ingredient and an example of how the habitat of the rice paddies can be used to supply the kitchen with more than just the rice. One risotto in particular was made with the carp and other fish that live in the rice paddies.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the whole experience was that Gabriele Ferron and his son, Diego, prepared 8 separate dishes for around 80 people, having each plate cooked to perfection.

The menu for the degustation event at Pila Vecia, held during the Vinitaly wine fair was the following:

It was in Ferron’s kitchen that I learnt new techniques on how to cook risotto. From that moment risotto was no longer identified as a dish that required constant stirring and attention. One of Ferron’s techniques in particular, the one I’m sharing with you below, is a method that doesn’t require stirring or adding of stock slowly. It does not even take 30 minutes plus to cook! However it’s a technique that requires exact measurements.

Risotto is a dish that is often underrated and misunderstood. It is rich and creamy yet delicate and often lighter than pasta. With the addition of few ingredients you can create a diffusion of flavours with real depth. Its versatility makes it ideal as a gluten free, classic, store, cupboard, comfort food but it is also a dish that can thrill and impress. A risotto can be anything you want, convenient or complicated, quick or slow; but always one of the most satisfying dishes to cook and eat.

Here is the recipe that I now use on a weekly basis. It seems fairly simple but the measurements and timing are critical for the success of the dish.

Recipe: Risotto Parmigiano Reggiano

This is a basic risotto recipe that can be used as a base for most of your risotto dishes.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 320g Carnaroli rice
• 700ml vegetable stock
• 60g parmiggiano reggiano, grated
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• knob of butter
• extra stock

Making the vegetable stock

Roughly chop 3 celery sticks, 2 medium-sized carrots and 1 large onion. Throw all ingredients in a large pan, add 2 litres of water, a bay leaf and bring to boil. Simmer for 40 minutes, uncovered. Using a spoon/sieve, remove the foam that rises to the top. When it’s done, add salt to taste and then remove from heat and pass through a sieve.

Preparing the risotto

Pour the stock in a pan and bring to boil. In the meantime heat some olive oil in another large pan and add the onion. Cook until transparent; do not let the onion turn brown. Add the rice and toast until rice is very hot. Test with your fingers (careful though!). When hot enough, add the boiling stock at one go. Mix gently, cover and cook on very low flame for 13 minutes.

It is important that the stock is boiling hot. Let the rice cook until the stock is absorbed. Taste the rice. If it is not ready and all the water has dried out, add some more boiling stock and let it absorb it again. Taste the rice again.

Remove from heat and add the butter and the cheese. Mix gently until the cheese and butter have melted. If it is too sticky you can add some extra broth for a creamier texture. Put the lid on and cover with damp cloth for 2 minutes. The flavours will mix and create a simple wonderful dish.

It can also be experimented with by adding an older type of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, extra stock for more creaminess and maybe some grated cinnamon mixed in with the cheese. This simple dish then becomes quite sophisticated.

In the next article I will recount my visit to The Rice Fair in Isola Della Scala – a celebration of rice from Veneto region, together with the recipe of the famous risotto all’Isolana.

I also would like to hear from you. So please do let me know what type of rice you use for risotto and what technique you use to cook the dish.

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To commemorate the 1st year anniversary of Eatmania blog we have created this poll so that we can collect your thoughts and likings… so please vote since we’re eager to receive your feedback and comments!

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Mahi-Mahi fish

Lampuki fillets with fresh tomato and caper sauce

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 2 large lampuki fish, cleaned & filetted
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1kg fresh tomatoes
• 2 tblsp capers
• dried wild oregano or fresh oregano
• a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 large potatoes, cut into cubes
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper

Take the lampuki fillets and season with salt & pepper on both sides. In a large saucepan pour some olive oil, throw in the garlic cloves and lightly fry the fillets from both sides. Peel and remove seeds from tomatoes and cut into cubes. Throw in the capers, parsley and oregano. Season again with salt & pepper and leave to rest. In the meantime, boil the potatoes in salted water and add to the saucepan. Serve with some extra virgin olive oil.

Mahi-Mahi casserole

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Lampuki parmigiana

Lampuki parmigiana

Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 4 small lampuki, cleaned and filleted
• 1 large aubergine
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tins peeled tomatoes
• 50g grated parmesan
• 250g mozzarella di bufala, chopped (trick: leave mozzarella to drain in a colander so that moisture is removed and the parmigiana will not be too liquid)
• a bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Start by preparing the tomato sauce. Pour a glug of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped onion and fry for a few minutes; then throw in the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and leave to simmer for around 20 minutes. Make sure the tomatoes liquid is well absorbed. In the meantime, thinly slice the aubergine and start grilling each slice. When these are ready keep aside until required. Hence, take the cleaned lampuki, fillet them, making sure to remove all bones. You can always ask your fishmonger to do this job for you! Then, rub each fillet with some olive oil, season with salt & pepper from both sides and grill them very quickly on a hot grill for around 1 minute from each side. Handle the fillets delicately since they might easily crumble down. Now, you can start forming the parmigiana. Take an ovenproof rectangular dish, heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and start preparing the layers. First lay some tomato sauce at the bottom of your dish, lay 4 of the lampuki fillets on top, scatter with chopped parsley and grated parmesan. Then, place a layer of grilled aubergines and the mozzarella cubes. Repeat the same layer once again and finish off with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for around 20 minutes and serve warm with crusty bread. As in the traditional parmigiana usually this dish is more tasty if you indulge in it the next day!

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Chris taking the stand!

You can try this recipe with any type of fish you like, use fish with scales on or you can use fish which have a thicker layer of skin. I tried it with ‘cerviol’ or amberjack.

Fish baked in a salt crust

Serves 4

• 1.5/2 kg fish, cleaned with scales on
• 4 kg sea salt
• 3 egg whites
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Extra virgin olive oil

Beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the sea salt to the egg whites and mix well. Sprinkle the salt with some cold water, to make it damp. Take a large ovenproof dish, place a layer of salt at the bottom. In the meantime, drizzle the fish with olive oil from both sides and place on the bed of salt. Take the sprigs of rosemary and thyme and place them in the fish’s cavity. Cover the fish with the remaining salt, making sure that there are no uncovered gaps; although you can leave head and tail uncovered.

Cook in a preheated oven of 200C for 40 minutes. Remove fish from oven, leave to cool then break the salt crust with a knife. Scrape off any excessive salt from the fish, remove bones and serve with lemon wedges and good quality olive oil.

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Antipasto

Grilled Pancetta

Grilled Sicilian sausages

Fresh pasta with ragu

Another restaurant worth taking note of in Marzamemi is La Cialoma – www.lacialoma.it – menu is limited to the fresh dishes prepared daily by this family. From inside the restaurant you can see a spic and span kitchen where every dish is created with genuine ingredients, fresh herbs and high quality material. La Cialoma has a nice setting in the Piazza of Marzamemi which makes it a wonderful place for dinner, especially in Summer. We enjoyed the antipasto of marinated raw fish such as anchovies, prawns, cernia fillets and an original ricotta served with fresh sea urchin sauce.

Marinated mixed fish

Ricotta with sea urchin sauce

One can rightly conclude that our trip to Sicily was a gastronomic tour, more than anything! I believe that food is one of the best things in life…  and I am lucky enough to be surrounded by family and friends who understand my passion… sharing with them the tastes and smells of good food makes the experience a most rewarding one!

Group photo

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So, as we arrived in Pozzallo we headed on to Avola were we lodged at the Petrara Resort – www.lapetrararesort.com – the place is heavenly, very relaxing with a magnificent pool area and clean and comfortable rooms.

Our planned itinerary included visits to Noto, Siracusa, Ortygia, Pachino, Portopalo, Marzamemi, Modica, Marina di Ragusa and Pozzallo. These sweet little towns, with Baroque architecture, churches, restaurants and cafes portray a Mediterranean ambiance with Arabic influence. The sun burnt our energies early in the day, temperatures soar to a 40 degrees Celsius at 11 in the morning and the scorching heat lasted throughout the night. We drank litres of water and walked through the towns in shaded areas until we sought refuge in cafes and restaurants and refreshed ourselves with granitas or ice-creams. Believe me, there is nothing more soothing than a granita di gelsi (a sorbet of black berries) served with a brioche.

Needless to say, Sicily is also a fish haven! In fact, our lunches consisted mainly of fish dishes. Have a look!

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Fried Sardines

Fried sardines with lemon

• 8 filleted sardines
• 2 tblsp white wine vinegar
• flour
• olive oil
• fresh lemon wedges
• sea salt

Cook sardines for 30 minutes on low heat with 2 tblsp of vinegar. When ready flour them and cook them in hot olive oil until light brown. Serve with fresh lemon and sea salt.

Aubergine parmigiana with sardines

Sardine parmigiana

Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 800g filleted sardines
• 2 small aubergines
• 4 large fresh tomatoes
• 40g parmesan grated
• 2 garlic cloves
• fresh parsley
• fresh basil
• olive oil

Fry the aubergine slices in some olive oil and dry excess oil with a paper napkin. Chop the fresh tomatoes into cubes and tear the basil leaves into small pieces. Finely chop the parsley together with the garlic. Take a dish and start layering the parmigiana. Start with a layer of aubergines, top with the sardines, tomatoes, parsley, garlic and basil, scatter some parmesan and repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Cook in a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees celsius for around 30 minutes. Serve with some olive oil on top and crusty bread.

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