Subject: Maltese Pasta (6) Collection
From: [email-masked] (lambchopdelite)
Date: 19 Apr 2000 22:24:11 -0600
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes

Macaroni in a pastry case 
Baked Macaroni 
Macaroni mould 
Pasta with Ricotta 
Ravioli 
Spaghetti with anchovy sauce 

>From: "RikkU DikkU" <[email-masked]>
>Can anybody from the island of Malta submit some typical Maltese dish
>recipes ?

Here are five old Maltese recipes. They do not completely represent
the modern trend of eating pasta, which is very popular in Malta. I
have left out most imported recipes since we eat a lot of spaghetti
with various sauces such as al pesto, al la carbonara, con frutta di
mare etc., whilst lasagne and cannelloni are always popular. I am sure
one can easily get these recipes from proper sources. These that are
shown here are typically Maltese and of course the most popular is
baked macaroni.

Macaroni in a pastry case 

1 lb. of puff or flaky pastry
1 lb. macaroni
1 lb. minced meat (a mixture of beef and pork)
A large onion
2 heaped tablespoons tomato puree
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper
4 eggs
Butter or oil for frying 

Make the sauce as follows: Fry the onion until golden in butter or oil
or a mixture of both. Add the minced meat, salt and pepper. Stir well
and cook for 15 minutes. Add the tomato puree and 1/2 pint of hot water
together with a cube of meat stock. Simmer for at least an hour. Boil
the macaroni in plenty of salted water until barely tender. Pour one
cup of cold water into the pan as soon as the macaroni is done. It is
vital that the macaroni remain pretty stiff so that it will retain its
shape. Mix the meat and tomato mixture into the macaroni, add the
beaten eggs and the grated cheese together with salt and pepper to
taste. Stir well. Roll out > of the pastry to fit the bottom and sides
of a cake tin or oven dish. Put in a layer of macaroni. Finally, cover
the whole with a pastry lid and bake in a moderate oven for 1-11/2
hours. If you have cooked the timpana in a cake tin, the pastry at the
bottom may remain slightly underdone. If so, take the timpana out of
the oven about 15 minutes before cooking time is over and turn it
upside down onto a baking tray. Return to the oven for the remaining
cooking time. When aubergines are in season fry some slices of
aubergine and use these in the 'timpana' instead of the livers and the
brain. You will find that 'timpana' slices better if it is allowed to
stand for about half an hour after being taken out of the oven. The
ideal slice has neat see-through circles of macaroni on both sides.
This can be achieved by fearlessly undercooking the macaroni. 
Serves 6. 

Baked Macaroni 

This is made exactly the same way as 'timpana' omitting the pastry,
brain and livers. Instead, it is customary to sprinkle semolina or
fine breadcrumbs in the greased tin or Pyrex dish in which you are
going to bake the macaroni. Turn it out after allowing it to cool
slightly. Both 'timpana' and 'mqarrun fil-forn' improve with keeping.
Reheat any leftovers in a preheated oven after slicing them neatly. 

Macaroni mould 

12 oz macaroni
12 oz minced meat (a mixture of beef and pork) or bacon
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 or 3 eggs
An onion
2 large aubergines
2 dessertspoons tomato puree
Ricotta

Peel and slice the aubergines and soak the slices in salted water for
at least one hour. Make 'meat' sauce as for 'timpana'. Boil the
macaroni in plenty of salted water until just done. Mix it with the
sauce, eggs, cheese and salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a frying pan
and fry the aubergine slices, a few at a time, until brown. Grease a
pudding basin and arrange the slices round the bottom and sides
leaving no spaces. If any cooked slices are left over chop them up and
add them to the macaroni mixture. Carefully spoon in the macaroni and
cover the basin with its own lid or with grease proof paper. Steam for
21/2 hours. Turn out and serve hot. 

Serves 4. 

Pasta with Ricotta 

2 lb. pasta 
11/2 lb. ricotta
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 10-20 minutes
according to the thickness of the pasta. In the meantime put the
ricotta in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Beat the eggs and stir them
in together with the parsley, salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and
return it to the pan. Add the ricotta mixture and stir very thoroughly
to make sure the pasta is heated through. Add a big knob of butter.
Serve with a very plain tomato sauce and some grated cheese. 

Serves 4-6. 

Ravioli 

Dough: 
14 oz flour (or 8 oz flour and 6 oz semolina)
2 eggs
Salt A little water, as necessary

Filling:
14 oz ricotta 
2 eggs
3 tablespoons cheese (Parmesan)
Chopped parsley
Salt

Sieve the flour and salt into a basin, add the eggs and make the
dough. Mix the ricotta, eggs, cheese, salt and parsley. Roll out a
piece of the dough thinly into an oblong shape. Put teaspoonfuls of
the filling down the middle of the dough leaving a little space
between each. Cover and press round each 'ravioli' and cut into
squares or half round. Cook in boiling salted water for 15 minutes.
Drain and serve with tomato sauce and grated cheese. If preferred,
they can be cooked beforehand and placed in a Pyrex dish in layers
with cheese and tomato sauce in between and on top. Put on a few dabs
of butter and heat in a very slow oven. 
Serves 6. 

Spaghetti with anchovy sauce 
 
1 3/4 lb. spaghetti
3 tablespoons oil
1-2 crushed cloves of garlic
4 oz cleaned fillets of anchovy

Boil the spaghetti in plenty of boiling water. Drain. Heat the oil,
add the garlic, spaghetti and anchovy fillets. Stir and heat for about
5 minutes or until heated through. The traditional accompaniment for
this is a bowlful of grated galletti instead of grated cheese. 
Serves 4-6. 

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