Open call for the Sovereign Art Foundation Student Prize for Malta and G...

Lord of the Pies

For a UK expat living in Malta one of the side effects of Brexit was the ban on being able to visit home and return to Malta with a supply of good old English sausages and pork pies. With Covid 19 further impacting on the problem by preventing even a flying visit the UK to satisfy the craving for pastry encrusted meat products drastic measures have become neccessary. Hence the recent attempt at making a pork pie. The only problem with this is that I think I may have overdone things size wise.

Still it worked out very well in my opinion.

Recipe and step by step method for a slightly more standard sized pie to follow soon.

Sovereign Art Foundation Student Prize

The Sovereign Art Foundation Student Prize for Malta and Gozo kicks off this weekend at Palazzo Ferreria in Valletta. Please visit and vote for your favorite work of art.

Students from secondary schools across Malta and Gozo between the ages of 14 and 18 entered the competition. 20 finalists are on display in Valletta for the coming week. Following the exhibition in Valletta the art will travel to Mater Dei Hospital for a week, then to Spinoila Park, St Juliens and finally to The Duke Shopping Mall in Victoria, Gozo.

Please support this exiting competition which is now in it’s third year. If you cannot attend an exhibition then please visit sovereignartfoundation.com and vote online.

The Foundation supports art as an important subject for students in school as a means for them to express themselves. It also provides therapy through art for underprivileged children.

The Sovereign Art Foundation's "Paper Plane"

...warm fuzzy feeling guaranteed

Please take a moment to watch this video. You will be glad you did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKUYWEnx_-U&feature=player_detailpage

Steve

...and a good time was had by all.

There are few joys in life that compare with spending time with good friends and eating good food. We enjoyed such an occasion this afternoon and it was the perfect time to try a fusion of a few cuisines from across the Mediterranean; Spain, Italy and Malta.

We started with a traditional Spanish asparagus stew as featured on this blog back in April 2010 only with chorizo sausage rather than bacon. This was accompanied by Maltese bread and dipping oil made from olive oil, chopped chilli and mixed herbs.

Following this we continued with tagliatelle and a bacon and mushroom creamy sauce along with a mixed leaf salad with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. The recipe for the pasta follows, quantities are sufficient to cater for eight dinner guests.

500g tagliatelle;
200g butter (salted);
400g mixed mushrooms (button, closed cap, porcine);
400g chopped bacon or thickly sliced ham;
300ml cream;
Half a teaspoon of nutmeg;
One clove of garlic;
Salt and pepper; and
100g parmesan cheese.

Actually the execution is really easy. Melt the butter in a large frying pan then slice the mushrooms and add them to the butter along with the bacon. Crush and chop the garlic and add this to the pan. Fry together for about ten minutes then add the cream and pepper to taste then cook for a further two or three minutes.

In the meantime cook the tagliatelle in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente, drain and add the creamy mushroom and bacon sauce. Finally, add the parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

For the salad toss together mixed lettuce, tomato, cucumber and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little lemon juice. Sprinkle with some fine sea salt and serve as an accompaniment to the pasta.

We chose a fine French Merlot as a companion to the meal and finished with a choice of sherry trifle and lemon meringue. A fantastic time was enjoyed by all.

For a bit of a change...

After a break of a few months this blogger is back with a new web address and a new location.

We're now in Malta, right in the heart of the Med' and ready to share some new recipes. Blogs will be more regular and will include some of the local flavour as well as old favourites from Spain and the UK.

So now for the addresses;

www.adventureswithcookinginmalta.blogspot.com

www.burningdownthekitchen.co.uk

www.burningdownthekitchen.com

All links lead here. If you experience difficulties please let me know. If they work then go tell your friends.

'til next time...