As I mentioned before, I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend in Malta with my cooking club a couple weeks ago and thought I would give the virtual culinary tour before I forget. Malta is an island between Sicily and Africa that was ruled for a very long time by the British and everything goes into the mix. Lots of trifles and banafi pie for desserts, a hummus type appetizer that is made with some local bean and plenty of gorgeous seafood.
The first night out (the first night we stayed in with ordered pizza and plenty of vodka after a harrowing experience of driving on the left side of the road) we went to a fantastic restaurant (of the strawberry brulee). We had a course of multiple starters to share. My favorites were a swordfish carpaccio with black pepper vinaigrette and a shrimp carpaccio.
For our main we had a fish called an amber jack (very meaty, mild fish) that had been cooked in a salt crust. The second night we went to a simpler restaurant, also amazing seafood. I had mussels. One of my friends had salmon, similar to gravlax that was served what they described as minted cottage cheese. NOT cottage cheese, more like a dry ricotta with tons of fresh mint, out of this world.
The next evening we had a cook come to the house we rented... best idea ever. We had about 8 starters, a fried local cheese, 2 kinds of fish cakes, one with whiting the other shrimp and salmon, calamari, scallops, prawns, mussels, clams. Mains were chicken stuffed with crab meat and a beef filet with a stilton spinach sauce. Dessert was profiteroles and a local pastry stuffed with prunes.
The other thing we had that was very good is a kind of spread that is made from slow cooked tomatoes, like tomato paste but more so. They served it like a dip but we also had it on the most kick ass tuna sandwich known to man. They took a big crusty square bun, spread the tomato stuff on that, then tuna salad (very light on the mayo) and then stuck whole green olives over the whole thing.
Next year our trip will be Beaune France.
Mary