Anecdotes from Malta

Cat Nap

2011-09-12T22:15:00.000+02:00

Thought of sharing this funny picture with you this week. Here's a cat who decided to have a nap in one of the kids' play castles.

Gnien l-Istazzjon, Birkirkara

2011-08-27T14:51:00.004+02:00

One of the greatest inventions ever to come about during the Industrial revolution was the steam engine. The first commercial steam engine appeared in 1698. Here, in Malta, this great invention took a long time to reach our shores. In fact almost two centuries passed since the introduction of the first trains. The Malta Railway was officially inaugurated on February 1883 and lasted for a period of around fifty years.

The train was lovingly known by the Maltese, as 'Il-Vapur tal-Art', meaning the land steamer. The dark green carriages were constructed out of wood and framed in steel chassis. There were only first and third class carriages. Prior to the introduction of electricity, carriages were simply illuminated by candles. After 1900 the carriages were lit up by electricity.

Trains were expensive to run and the introduction of trams and buses adversely affected the Malta Railway. Buses soon became popular. After almost 50 years the train performed its last service on the 31st of March 1931 . Unfortunately, from a total of 10 engines and about 34 passenger carriages, nothing is left to remind us of the existence of a railway system except for one surviving carriage which can be found in Gnien L-Istazzjon in Birkirkara.

The carriage that is in the garden is very dark, with no windows at all. I wonder why they were constructed in this way. Was it because they were third class carriages or for safety measures?

The Railway station at Birkirkara, is one of the most well preserved buildings in Malta. For a number of years, the station was used as office for the Local Council. Now it is presently being used as a childcare centre. The building is surrounded by pleasant gardens.

Our Lady Tal Hlas chapel (Protectress of mothers in labour)

2011-07-23T18:47:00.018+02:00

A few weeks ago I took my little one to a thanksgiving mass celebrated at Tal-Hlas chapel in Qormi. This special mass is celebrated at half past 4 every third Sunday of the month and the children of all ages are presented to Our Lady in gratitude following a safe delivery. My siblings were all presented at this quaint chapel and for this reason I wanted to keep to this family tradition.

This small chapel is situated in a secluded part of Qormi and lies on the border with Zebbug. For a time its location was disputed as either being in Zebbug or Qormi territory. Incidentally, this chapel is also said to lie in a path halfway between Birgu and Mdina. Hence it was a convenient resting place for the pilgrims travelling between these towns. The unusual twin porticoed loggias on either side with stone benches and tables, were built in 1699 to provide shelter for the numerous pilgrims who visited the church.

The original church, now turned into a sacristy, was built around 1500. In the year 1560, Fra Christophe le Boulleur Montgauldry, the Treasurer of the Order of St John, who had a house by the church (I believe the building opposite the church is the one that is being referred to here) was a great benefactor of the church, building it anew and paying for the titular painting now kept in the sacristy, which showed Our Lady with St Paul and St John the Baptist. In this sacristy a large number of ex-votos are kept here.

The original chapel was seriously damaged in the violent earthquake of 1693 and was rebuilt by the architect Lorenzo Gafa. The titular painting of Our Lady tal-Hlas (protectress of mothers in labour) was placed above the old one.

The feast, which used to to be held on the 15th August, is now celebrated on the Sunday following that date. In the past there was the custom of distributing hazelnuts and a glass of wine to visitors on the feast day.

This year, the feast will be celebrated on the 21st of August and two masses will be celebrated - one at 9:30am and the last one at 6.00pm. Parents who would like to present their children to our Lady are invited to attend to this celebration.

Stuffed Aubergines (Brungiel Mimli)

2011-07-03T19:44:00.006+02:00

This is another traditional Maltese recipe of parboiled aubergines stuffed with meat and baked in an oven until done.

Many think that cooking aubergines is complicated since you need to put them under salt for a couple of hours before you cook them. When I'm in a hurry I don't do this and I still get finger licking results!

Ingredients ( for 2 persons)

2 medium sized aubergines (eggplants)

1 onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

300g minced meat (mix of beef and pork)

2 tbsp margarine (or butter)

2 tsp tomato purée

60g breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons grated cheese,

Worcestershire sauce

grated salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Cut each aubergine in half lengthways. Bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the aubergine halves and parboil for about 10 minutes. Remove from the water and scoop out the pulp. Retain the pulp.

In the meantime, melt the margarine (or butter) in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Now stir in the meat, reserved aubergine pulp, tomato purée, and add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Fry, stirring frequently, until the meat is no longer pink. Take off the heat. Stir in the cheese then season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Arrange the hollowed out aubergine halves in a baking dish and stuff with the meat mixture. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top then transfer to an oven at 200°C and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

To make this meal more substantial you can add sliced potatoes and onions. Start the potatoes about 45 minutes before the aubergines.

A little old arch

2011-06-24T19:49:00.007+02:00

Hush! Who's hiding behind the wall...

I took a photo of this little arch tucked away up on a hill in my home town. I came across this old arch while walking along an old disused path that leads down to the little old boathouses in front of St Anne's gardens. Beyond the old arch there was this confusion of entangled vegetation that most probably covered up any signs of a cultivated garden. That jungle of creepers reminded me that life is always about survival of the fittest. The sturdy weeds took over what was once a beautiful garden and are blooming uncontested among the other weak shrubs.

Kwarezimal (qua-re-zee-mull)

2011-03-03T15:33:00.008+01:00

I don't suffer from sweet tooth but I have to admit that I've got a particular weakness for kwarezimal. They're my favourite cookie. The cookies in my photo do not look that appealing but I can vouch that they're really really good.

This sweet is usually made during Lent and contains no fat or eggs. The word 'kwarezimal' refers to quaresima - the forty days of Lent. In fact, the kwarezimal's popularity among the Maltese originates from the fact that it contains no fat or eggs, and hence does not interfere with fasting regulations. Although recipes vary, it is traditionally made up of almonds, flour, honey and spices.

(The ones I made were just plain ones because I had no crushed almonds in the pantry. )

Here's my mother's recipe

220g almonds (Lightly toast or roast the almonds. Grind coarsely)
220g flour
330g sugar
1tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch mixed spice
orange flower water
1 grated rind of lemon + juice,
1 grated rind of orange +juice
and grated rind of tangerine
1 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder

First, mix the dry ingredients, then add the citrus juices and a little orange blossom water. If the dough looks a little dry add more blossom water or just natural water to make a stiff dough. Knead lightly until well amalgamated and shape into ovals, approximately 17.5 cm long, 5 cm wide and 2 cm thick. Place on greased and floured baking trays and bake at 190'C/375'F/gas 5 for about 20 minutes.

The most important factor in baking kwarezimal is that you do not overcook or let them get too hard whilst in the oven. This is because once they are out of the oven they will harden more due to the almonds.

Haunted Mansion

2011-03-01T14:23:00.001+01:00

Old decaying leaves gently swirled beside my feet, as I stood in front of the imposing mansion. The cheery notes of a piano could be heard coming from the room on the left. This was the beautiful drawing room, all decked out in red velvet and golden bows. A mistletoe stood hanging in front of the huge window. Merry laughter broke forth from across the hallway - the guests were enjoying themselves in the warmth of the burning fireplace...

The clanking sound of a passing truck soon woke me up from my reverie and brought me back to the present. Of course, I had been daydreaming but I'm sure this house in front of me had seen better days. I'm referring to the haunted house situated in front of the Marsovin vineyards in Marsaxlokk. If I'm not mistaken this house was once known as the Sans Soucis house. At one point an English couple lived in it. I was told that the husband was a captain employed with the RAF. What happened to this couple God only knows.

Its once beautiful groundfloor windows are all barred up now. Although this house has long been abandoned by its human proprieters yet its ghosts still roam its floorless rooms. There have been numerous ghost stories tied to this place. Friends of mine who went to explore the house encountered problems in taking photos of its interior. Another friend of mine said he heard strange noises coming from inside the place. This house has been caught up for decades in a battle between the family members that inherited it and it now is up for development - but most probably the permit will not be granted. It seems that the ghosts of Sans Soucis mansion will be reigning supreme for the time being.

Pancake Disaster

2011-02-23T13:41:00.003+01:00

What is it with pancakes? What's this trick that I haven't yet discovered in making pancakes?!! I tried frying some pancakes the other day and the first one got stuck on the pan - (which, by the way, has only been used twice and just for pancakes only)!!! I tried frying another one in another pan but I got the same results!!! I used to blame my pans but when I watch chefs on TV preparing their pancakes in old pans I realised it's not the pan which is causing the problem but rather ME. At the end I cooked my pancake mixture in my waffle maker but I kind of lost appetite after doing them all. I just can't understand what I'm doing wrong. Does anyone have any tips???

Stuffed Artichokes

2011-01-31T14:04:00.009+01:00

I don't know what came over me last week when I bought these artichokes. I had completely forgotten how long it takes one to prepare the filling and to stuff them up. But once I got started with the filling I couldn't stop. Having a baby in tow did make my job of stuffing these two artichokes rather more difficult but somehow I managed in less than half an hour. I just couldn't abandon the artichokes - the filling smelled too enticing. So I persevered with Zack watching me with curiosity and sometimes moaning for attention.

If you're intimidated by this unusual-looking vegetable, you're not alone. But once you learn the simple procedure, preparing artichokes is easy.

Ingredients for two good sized artichokes

3 slices of stale Maltese bread (with crust removed)
olive oil
3 anchovies
4 sundried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
4 or more green olives
parsley

Method

Wash the artichokes under cold, running water. Pull off lower petals and cut off stem. Process the slices of bread in a food processor. Then add the rest of above ingredients in the processor and give them a quick whizz. Add a good amount of olive oil to the mixture. I don't add salt as the sundried tomatoes and anchovies are already salty.

Now here comes the difficult part. You have to separate each leaf and spoon the stuffing in between the leaves and place the artichokes upright, side by side, in a saucepan. Pour in water up to half the height of the artichokes, add a tablespoon of vinegar and some salt, and sprinkle with olive oil. Cover tightly, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; when the leaves are easily removed, the artichokes are ready for eating. Take the artichokes out of the water, and allow them to cool.

Crazy House Names 3

2010-12-20T22:11:00.008+01:00

When I first saw the name above at first glance I thought I saw Asterix but when I looked again it was 'Asterisk'!!! Would you believe it?? Why would people pay to have their house named after a punctuation mark?

Hmmm makes me curious to know what goes inside this house.......

AAAh this must be one lucky man and boy, he must be proud of it too!!

Phew! They did it notwithstanding all the obstacles!

Finally I found where Bo Peep lives...but I won't tell you where!

A dyslexic homeowner maybe? Read it from right to left

Crazy Chocolate Cake

2010-11-22T16:55:00.006+01:00

I'm writing this post in honour of my dear and loyal friend Vanessa. Although we've known each other since our kindergarten years I cannot say that we were the best of friends in our primary school years. Actually we were arch enemies! I think what really made me dislike her was because she spoke loudly all the time and to this day I dislike persons who need to voice their opinions loudly. There's nothing better than having a smooth talking person. On the other hand she disliked me because I had said something offensive about the boy she used to fancy. These complaints sound so silly now but that was our childhood. In the secondary years we somehow found out that we got on very well together. By that time Vanessa had mastered the art of speaking quitely and I could enjoy her company without any headaches. Today I'm posting a very old recipe - a recipe which Vanessa shared with me in our secondary years. We used to go crazy on this cake. I used to eat it all by myself. If I'm not mistaken I think it was my first try at baking.

This recipe of hers contains some unusual ingredients but it somehow makes a lovely cake.
Last Sunday I felt like trying it out again after having forgotten it for all these years and I've realised I still enjoy eating it. Here it is - don't expect a spongey chocolate cake. If you like chewy cakes - the maltese pudding style then, this is your cake. It has no eggs and no butter. It is also very easy to prepare.

Recipe

3 cups flour

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

half a cup cocoa

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

1 and 1/2 cup water

2 tsp vinegar

3/4 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

Then add the above ingredients to the dry ones until you've got a smooth brown paste. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. So easy!!!

Alleys in Zabbar

2010-11-17T14:02:00.014+01:00

More often than not, streets and alleys reflect the history of a particular place. These alleys can be still found in many old villages of Malta. Last summer while strolling through Main Street in Zabbar I got captivated by the number of enchanting alleys that could be found offshooting from it.

These alleys known as 'sqaqien' in Maltese are etched in Zabbar's village character. They are still throbbing with humanity and the houses in these alleys have remained untouched by touristic development. The narrow streets are haunting and enchanting, with some of the best quintessential Maltese architecture that one can see. Our ancestors designed these narrow winding alleys because they offered shade from the scorching summer sun. Today we're witnessing the decline of these historical alleys. High buildings are replacing the alleys that reflected the history of that place. As you can see in the photos below each alley has particular characteristics that distinguish it from other alleys...

'One sometimes encounters fine architecture discreetly hidden away, such as the one in Sqaq Berqi, an offshoot of Main Street.'

As I was leafing through a book about Zabbar the above quote caught my attention. What struck me is that 'the fine architecture' that the author is referring to happens to be an 18th century house which used to belong to my husband's grandparents. In the photo, on the right page of the book you can see the house in its heydey.

This is how it looks today. I had the occasion to explore this lovely old house which I'm sure has seen so many generations grow and dwell inside it. It has withstood the ravages of the two world wars. Indeed, it's a pity that now it's up for sale waiting for someone to give it its due attention.

Crispy Chicken Pieces

2010-11-03T13:15:00.007+01:00

Hello friends time is flying so quickly - we will soon be celebrating Christmas. Although my life's very busy taking care of little Zack I still find time to cook something different each day. A few days ago I prepared these sizzling chicken breast pieces and thought of sharing my recipe with you. They're very easy and do not take long to prepare.

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breast pieces

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 tbsp porridge oats

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

3 tbsp Parmeggiano

4 tps flour

1 tbsp Cajun

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp oil

Method

In a small dish or medium sized bowl, whisk eggs, black pepper and salt.

Cut the breast pieces into smaller bite size pieces.

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients together. Place crumb mixture in a bag. In the meantime coat chicken, one piece at a time in the egg mixture. Next dip the chicken pieces in bag with crumbs and shake to coat.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat (adjust when needed). Place chicken pieces in frying pan.

These pieces can be baked if you prefer a healthier option.

The Chinese Garden of Serenity

2010-10-07T14:17:00.018+02:00

In the South of Malta, in the quiet village of Santa Lucija, there is this beautiful Chinese garden which unfortunately few people seem to know of. This morning I grabbed the opportunity to pay a visit to this garden, and together with little Zack, I spent a quiet morning soaking up the soothing ambience that envelops this garden. Inside this garden I was embraced by its exceptional beauty and serenity. The artistic architectures just took my breath away and I couldn't stop admiring the mosaic on the ground which had been painstakingly done by hand.

The specific design of this garden makes you go through a personal rebirth and you feel the stress of modern life slowly abandoning you. Here life, with all its challenges is symbolically represented as a winding corridor at the northern end of the garden. The bamboo shoots represent meditation on life. Sadly, the fountain at garden's entrance which should represent birth was undergoing maintenance. The garden’s courtyard with its fishpond, rock garden, and circular door takes you to a magical place where you cannot help but be at peace with yourself.

This garden was constructed in 1998 and built by a group of foreign Chinese workers. If I remember correctly it was a sort of twinning project which the council of Sta Lucija held with a city in the Republic of China.

I believe this Garden of Serenity provides the ideal environment to allow one's creativity to blossom. There are so many quiet places where one could sketch, write a story, or simply read a book. This garden really lives up to its name “Serenity”. You will love it there. Anyway, I'm taking the opportunity to share with you some of the photos that I took of the beautiful designs, shapes and architecture in this garden.

Little Zack's out!

2010-08-27T09:33:00.004+02:00

Hey friends, I present to you the little dinosaur that I was carrying these past nine months. Here's Zack, born on the 16th of August at 4:20 pm. Thank God I've been blessed with a quiet baby. He's a little treasure. As you may have noticed my posts have slacked. Zack's keeping me very busy with his daily feeds and nappy changing. But I just count my blessings every day and enjoy this lovely miracle every moment of my life.

Gozitan Ftira (my way)

2010-08-06T16:02:00.009+02:00

My ftira with all the ingredients except the potatoes

Whenever we go for a summer holiday to our sister island of Gozo we always make sure to order the scrumptious ftira (a round flat bread) from Tal-Maxokk Bakery. I know it's full of carbohydrates but I cannot help indulging in its exquisite flavours. This summer we had to give Gozo a miss since I'm reaching the end of my pregnancy. So to make up for it, last week, I decided to try making a 'gozitan' ftira of my own. I cheated a bit because I used a ready-made ftira but anyway the result was simply gorgeous. Here's my version:

First I divided the ftira in two halves and drizzled the bread with a good dollop of olive oil.

For the topping, I used:

Thinly sliced potatoes, as many as you need to cover the ftira base

Sliced red tomatoes, and / or sundried tomatoes

Sliced onion

sliced olives

capers

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Rough Sea Salt

freshly ground black pepper,

sliced Maltese sausage (or tuna if you prefer a fishy flavour)

fresh basil leaves

I started by boiling two small potatoes for just 10 mins. In the meantime I lay the tomato slices on the bread. I added the sliced onion, capers, sliced olives, sliced maltese sausage and some fresh basil. I thinly sliced the potatoes as if I was going to prepare crips and lay the almost semi-transparent slices on the bread. Season with salt and pepper.

I drizzled some more olive oil on the toppings and baked for about 15 minutes until the potatoes turned golden and crunchy!

The end result: my ftira covered with thinly sliced potatoes (not baked)

Side note: Gozo bakeries cook the Ftira dough either closed or open. The closed Gozo ftira enclosed a filling and was intended to serve as a workman's lunch. Toppings and fillings usually have potatoes and /or cheeselets for example: cheeselets, eggs and grated cheese; potatoes, tomato, anchovies and olive; or ricotta topped with slices of potato; or sliced potato, Maltese Sausage, cheeselets and rosemary. Among many others!

And for all my foreign bloggy friends who have asked me about the ftira recipe I'm including a recipe which I found on the internet. To be honest with you, I haven't yet tried it out but will do so soon.

Ftira recipe

For the dough, 400g of plain white flour

100ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt/Water, as required

To make the dough, sieve the flour and put it into a food processor with the salt and the olive oil. Blend the mixture, slowly adding water until the dough forms into a ball. Put the dough into a plastic bag or bowl and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 200 deg. C. Spread the dough as thinly as possible so that it is at least 5cm wider than the baking dish. Add the ingredients as above. Fold the edges of the dough inwards, drizzle some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Fold the edges of the dough inwards, drizzle some more oil over the top and bake the ftira for 15 minutes, or until the dough is just starting to turn golden.

Apart from that I found out about a Maltese club in Uk which promotes Maltese food. It's called Maltese Culture Movement. I got to know that they can take orders for and supply the following at reasonable prices: galletti, gbejniet, ftira, pastizzi, imqaret,Kinnie, Cisk, Hopleaf, Blue Label. Any body interested can contact them at the above link.

Abandoned Hotel

2010-07-29T10:13:00.009+02:00

What is it about abandoned buildings that’s so alluring? What causes us to be fascinated by the forgotten ruins of structures that once teemed with life? There is something so intriguing and mysterious and beautiful about abandoned and decaying old buildings. It may have something to do with the original purpose of those buildings. Homes and towns where families once lived are fascinating, but there’s something tragic and amazing about hospitals, churches, hotels and castles. These places were often the setting of life-changing experiences. When they’re abandoned and left to return to dust, we can’t help but imagine what used to take place within those walls.

The destruction of the inside makes the building strangely peaceful while reminding us that, without human intervention, our man-made structures are quickly taken down by nature and by time. The ex-Corynthia Jerma Palace Hotel in Marsascala is one such example. This four-star Hotel used to be Malta's most prestigious hotel in the south. It closed down in March 2007 after 25 years in operation, owned by Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company, which also owned the land, and operated by the Corinthia Group.

The forces of erosion have dilapidated the building. The hotel was built on a peninsula facing the raging Majjistral and Scirocco winds and the sea, the wind and nature reduced this once splendid hotel into a heap of ruins inhabited by a massive colony of rats, mice and other infected insects. Other areas have been burnt down.

Palm trees, yucca and bougainvillea plants still thrive despairingly in this once-desirable place. The empty pools echo the happy cries of children of ages gone by. Stray cats roam the abondoned verandah in search of some shade from the relentless sun. Teenagers lurk in the darkest corners. Lovers hide in discreet places. Drug users leave their syringes lying about and now it seems that illegal immigrants are squatting on the site. This is what's left of the only hotel in the Southern part of our island. Such a pity...

Results

2010-07-28T15:35:00.003+02:00

Last week I posted a game where you had to guess what the close up shots of the objects were. I thought it was going to be easy and that somehow someone would manage to guess all of them. Only one of you managed to guess almost all of them. DPC - You came closest. Well Done!!

Ok. So here are the results ..(I sound like a Eurovision Song representative)
Starting from left side
First picture: cross section of banana, Second Picture on the right: the dried remains of a prickly pear leaf (that was difficult!)
Second row: watermelon, Second picture: the skin of a pineapple
Third row: passion fruit which hasn't yet ripened, second picture: the head of garlic in a net
Fourth row: the skin of a melon, Second picture: the skin of a ripe banana.

Close up shots

2010-07-19T11:35:00.004+02:00

In my previous post I mentioned that my husband has taken over my new camera. Well, in this post I'm attaching some pictures that he took in macro-mode (with the exception of the white thing ). They may not be the best shots but they're not that bad either. These are photos of everyday stuff - all of them natural stuff. Can you guess what they are?

Sunset

2010-07-11T09:10:00.010+02:00

(Sunset over the island of Gozo)
( The back of Paradise Hotel at Cirkewwa)

These photos were taken two Sundays ago, after a one and a half hour trip driving with my husband towards the North searching for the best location to capture sunset. (Sadly, I haven't yet had much opportunity to experiment with my new camera. I get tired easily and breathless doing simple tasks. Walking long distances in search of capturing interesting photos is also temporarily out of the question. Husband, seems to have taken over my camera - photography has become his latest fad. )

At last, we stopped over the top of the cliffs overlooking Paradise Bay and waited for the sun to go down. However at one point I got this sudden urge to go the loo. (Ah!! pregnancy has made me befriend the loo more than I want to. Doctor insists that I drink a lot of water and having baby squashing my bladder doesn't help the situation. Now whenever I go out to run some errands I either have to abstain from drinking or else make sure of not taking long in running errands. At times I feel like an old lady on diuretics.) Anyway, I was telling you about this sudden urge - well, we were far away from any public restrooms so I had two options - either outside (which would have never been my option) or start looking for any restrooms at nearby hotel or the bar near the Cirkewwa harbour. Husband was too far away for me to call him so I had no choice but to leave him there and go in search of the closest loo.

All of a sudden I turned into F1 driver Mark Webber and sped down the bumpy road (making it all the worse for me) and headed for the bar. I pulled in the first parking place I found but forgot that I can no longer squeeze through narrow places...aaagh reversed and found another place..but again it was also a narrow slot...I was going to leave the car sitting in the middle of the parking area when I found this yellow slot exactly in front of the bar's door, at that point I was past caring for any lurking wardens and simply pulled in front of its drive way. Had the door been wider I think I would have driven it inside. I simply needed a loo. Luckily, I made it in time and boy never did I feel so relieved! I had gone inside the bar like a crazy whale and went out like a fresh watermelon on sticks.

When I returned back to the photosession location I took the opportunity to take three sunset photos (two of which are above).

St Thomas Bay in Marsascala

2010-07-02T14:10:00.006+02:00

In the outskirts of Marsascala, one finds a large, natural inlet with small sandy banks and shallow water suitable for bathing. This is St Thomas Bay, known as 'Ir-Ramla' to the locals. St.Thomas Bay is on the outskirts of Marsascala. In fact it's very close to the village of Zejtun.

The bay is very large; however it only has a small sandy beach. Cliffs surround the majority of the bay. Its shallow waters and small sandy banks make the bay suitable for bathing especially for children. It is also popular with local holidaymakers. The bay is ideal for windsurfing. Now with the official opening of the new bypass Marsascala has become more accessible to all.

There are some cafes and snack-bars beside the bay. The bay is used also by many Maltese fishermen.

The Luzzu

2010-06-09T12:59:00.011+02:00

(Luzzu moored at Marsaxlokk)

Around 1000BC the Phoenicians decided to colonize Malta, bringing their Semitic language and culture, and becoming the direct male-line ancestors of about a half of the modern Maltese population. They used the islands as an outpost from which they expanded sea explorations and trade in the Mediterranean. They bequethed us the designs of their lovely coloured boats. Our Luzzu (pronounced loot-su in Maltese) like the Maltese cross is one of the symbols associated with Malta. The luzzu, painted in the traditional colours of red, blue and yellow, is a sturdy and reliable sea craft and can be put to sea in almost every kind of weather. Primarily, the luzzu is a fishing boat but it has other uses such as ferrying locals and tourists across the Grand Harbour.

(Luzzu on its way out at sea - taken at sunset)

When the sea is dead calm and it’s a clear and beautiful summer day, you may get the opportunity to catch a solitary luzzu out at sea – a soothing and breathtakingly beautiful sight that will make a perfect postcard moment. You can also catch a glimpse of these unique Maltese boats at Wied iz-Zurrieq, Marsascala, St Paul’s Bay and at many other seaside villages. They are indeed one of the main attractions in Marsaxlokk, which is Malta’s largest fishing village.

(One of the many luzzus berthed at Marsascala -taken at dawn)

This Maltese boat is a highly sturdy sea craft and is very much preferred by the local fishermen to other modern sea crafts. In the old days, it was much smaller and had sails. Nowadays, these boats are much larger and are powered by a diesel engine.

The colours of the boat are rarely ever changed, mainly out of superstition. So a fisherman will continue painting his boat in the same colours that his father and grandfather had used before him. Superstition plays an important role with these boats. All Maltese boats have the Eye of Osiris painted on them. The eye is believed to protect the fishermen from any harm when they’re at sea. On either side of the prow will be the carved and painted eye of Osiris: the Phoenicians' god of protection against evil: an example of ancient myth in modern times. The Maltese people are very superstitious and the eye is there to ward off the devil and to give protection to the small fishing boats.

The Past and the Present

2010-05-28T18:14:00.010+02:00

Mellieha

Here are 3 sets of photos, the past and the present. In the first one, one can see the Mellieha Parish church in the background. Now that I placed mine right under it I realised that I took the wrong angle of the church but it's definitely the same church.

The area beneath the church seems more or less the same.

Pretty Bay

I'm not sure which area of Pretty Bay this was but last summer I took one just for comparison.

Marsascala

I think this old photo, which was taken in 1885, was shot on the hill where the present church stands. I tried to take the same angle but couldn't since the church building is in the way. The last house on the right in the old photo can still be seen in my photo - it's the house behind the red kiosk.

Oh! For a little bit of freedom

2010-05-04T12:10:00.006+02:00

This is a photo I took of my parents' pet cat called Rusty. He is such an adorable cat. My sister heard his sad mewing outside when he was still a blind kitten, the size of a hamster, and when mum took him under her wing we fell head over heels in love with him. We took turns to feed him a small toy bottle full of milk and nursed him back to health until he grew into this lovely big cat that you see in this photo. He's got everything he can wish for, except, the liberty to roam the streets outside. Sometimes I feel sorry for him when he sits on the polysterene box which mum set up for him next to the main door so that he could at least smell the interesting air outside.

Whenever he tried to escape he always ended up scared to death under a stationary car, hissing like a crazy cat. So, no, he's not allowed outside. Once, I decided to take him out in our porch holding him like a baby but it happened to be a rainy day and as soon as a car whizzed by, the splashing sound of rain water scared Rusty and he regalled me with a deep scratch on my shoulder and back for he jumped down and went back inside. So much for kindness! At other times I allowed him to come up on the roof while I hung the clothes on the line but whenever our neighbour's pigeons happened to attract his attention he liked to make a disappearing act and God knows how many walls I had to jump to retrieve him back.

Now his latest fad is to watch the garden because some stray cats have found a way up the garden walls of our neighbours and they are enjoying their daily stroll on the garden walls. Poor Rusty is not enjoying himself much seeing other cats invading his territory and sometimes even sleeping in my parents' garden. It's as if they enjoy teasing our poor cat whose sole existence is destined to be inside.

103 Famous persons in one picture

2010-04-30T21:04:00.006+02:00

Today I received this e-mail challenging me to see how many names of famous persons I could manage to remember from the picture above. This was clearly a case of 'Art meets Knowledge.' It's one of those things that makes you stop and admire the endless creativity of people in all walks of life. Someone on the Web combined the image with links to the Wikipedia entries for each person he can identify. In only a glance you get the concept and think, "Imagine the conversations at that house party."

This e-mail stated that if you know 25 persons then you're really well educated. I really got into this game and drew a list of 35 persons. But I was grossly disappointed not to find the answers written beneath in the same e-mail. So I started my research until I got to some interesting information about this picture. In 2006, Chinese painters Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi, and Zhang An created an oil on canvas work incorporating many of history's most interesting and influential people entitled 'Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante.' The last three additional faces belong to the artists themselves. According to Dai at the time, they wanted to represent world history within a single painting. They wanted to showcase the world’s story, and let viewers feel as if they were flipping the pages of a history book.

You can see the entire painting here, nicely tagged with tooltips (if you hover over a face) and with links to the appropriate wiki page (if you click on the face). When you visit the site, be sure to scroll your browser window all the way to the right, as the painting is quite wide. (P.S Don't forget to hover on the animals too - some of them have got a name too!). Enjoy!

Crazy Maltese House names 2

2010-04-07T15:10:00.014+02:00

As I drive along the streets I often come across absurd house names. I see so many of these that I just couldn't help writing a second post about them. Some are plain ridiculous while others make you scratch your head in bafflement. Take these names below for example..

"Don't worry!" Who said I was worried?

Excuse me??!! Could it be a slang version of the Maltese word for 'fart'?? Please note their correction of house number. Oh my!

AAh! Did the owner win this house?

Do they have a pink kitchen? Pink bathroom, pink toiletpaper? Do they like strawberry ice-cream? Do they have pink cars? Do they chew pink bubble-gum only? Do they watch pink panther only? Do they love singer Pink only? The questions never cease...

Cookies anyone?

Apart from the horrendous spelling of the actual phrase 'Jaghli ghax jisbah' it's actually an idiom often referred to lazy people who get frustrated each time the sun rises cos that means another day of work. Can you imagine someone calling his house so? I just can't imagine why he took the painstaking effort to hang this large name plate on his house. Too much thought exerted in choosing this name, and too much hassle to nail this large plate on the wall.

Dwejra

2010-03-26T18:09:00.004+01:00

The Azure Window

Last weekend, Friday being a holiday, my husband and I decided to join our friends for a weekend break in a farmhouse on our sister island of Gozo. We were very lucky to have such beautiful weather and my husband and another guy even had a dip in the pool. On Saturday afternoon I left my female friends tending to their babes, while our hubbies played poker beside the pool and went for a drive without any particular direction in mind. I kept driving until I reached one of the most emblematic nature reserves in the Maltese islands: Dwejra. Sun was setting soon so I took out my new camera to snap away at the beautiful views in front of me.

It was a a gentle wind that blew around me. I stood fascinated looking at this beautiful sight in front of me which has been witness to so many eons of time; where rocks, sea and sky have played together in all their majesty for longer than any of us can hope to remember. On one side there was Fungus rock which seemed suspended in a perennial timelessness of its own, a silent sentinel to the surrounding area. This islet, which rises about 60 metres above the lapping waves, has been nicknamed "Il-Gebla tal-General and "Il-Hagra tal-General" all alluding to the once presumed fungus growing on this islet. Actually, in real fact it was found to be a plant which was highly valued at the time of the Knights of St John. They discovered a number of thereapeutic powers in this plant. They found it had the ability to cure typhoid, dysentery, venereal disease, hypertension and haemorrhage. A sort of primitive baskets and pulley system was connected from the cliffs of Dwejra to this islet and the place was guarded day and night. Grandmaster Pinto ordered that trespassers found on the islet would be forced to row in the Order's galleys.

A short distance away of Fungus Rock there's the iconic Azure Window, known as iz-Zerqa in Maltese. Unfortunately, this majestic natural arch is in imminent danger of collapsing. The name Dwejra which means "little house", with its curious rock formations and spilling seas, is a magical attraction offering opportunities for swimming in the spectacular deep-sea or in the Inland Sea and the unique experience of diving in the so called "Blue-Hole" near the Azure Window.

Kusksu

2010-03-23T16:33:00.004+01:00

Since broad beans are in season I thought of posting the recipe of this lovely and easy soup. This Maltese dish is sometimes confused with the North African couscous since the pasta resembles the very coarse couscous.

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato puree
300g fresh broad beans
50g kusksu pasta (available from all supermarkets)
700 ml of water
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

(Optional)
1 egg
some ricotta
2 gbejniet (Maltese cheeselets)

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil, add the tomato paste and fry a few minutes longer, then add the broad beans. These should be podded and if preferred the individual skins of the beans could also be removed. Once the onions achieve that golden colour add the water to cover and cook gently for about half an hour until the onion is cooked and the beans not quite tender. Add the kusksu and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes. Stir frequently as kusksku pasta tends to stick to the pan. Cover and turn off the heat and leaver for about 10 minuts. To make a complete meal out of this soup add an egg, fresh gbejniet (Maltese cheeselets) and even some rikotta.

Kusksu can be made with frozen beans but the final result won't be as good as the one made from fresh veggies.

Some Maltese Door Knockers

2010-03-02T16:48:00.016+01:00

Yesterday at one of my training courses (which by the way had nothing to do with door knockers) I learnt that in the past people did not knock on doors but they used to scratch at them. I had never heard of such a thing!! I wonder how they heard anyone scratching if they were upstairs!

Anyway I thought of sharing some information about some of our old and beautiful door knockers. In Maltese they are known as il-“Habbata”. Long after the method of scratching was scrapped the 'Habbata' entered in the picture many years ago as a matter of necessity. Somehow it has survived the mechanical and electric doorbell and has become part of our street embellishment. These door knockers used to reflect the personality and taste of the house owner. They were available in numerous motifs, shapes and sizes.

Some of our old buildings throughout the Maltese Islands can boast of some exceptionally fine examples which can ultimately be described as truly works of art. Perhaps the most traditional motif in the Islands is that in the shape of a dolphin. These are still manufactured in significant quantities and much in demand albeit very costly.

The above photos with the exception of the ninth one ( taken at Valletta) were taken during one of my walks at Zabbar and Birgu.

A box of trinkets

2010-02-15T15:12:00.003+01:00

A few months ago my father reminded me that I had a lot of stuff left at my parents' house. So off I went to check what possessions I had left behind and forgotten all about. I had a good laugh looking at the stuff that I had kept through the ages.

One of them was this box of trinkets. Actually I used to call this my treasure box and it had its pride of place on my dressing table. The box itself was originally a cookie box but it had such lovely paintings on its exterior that I had decided to keep it. When I opened it it felt like I was opening Pandora's box - so many memories closed inside that box.

I had practically forgotten what I had treasured through the years... the broken head of a porcelain duck (I think one of my sisters broke mum's porcelain duck and I decided to treasure its broken head) a football sticker given to me by a boy I used to fancy at primary school, small velvety teddybears that must have been the craze at the time, a dinosaur rubber (not that I was a fan of dinosaurs!) and a pink panther one , all forms of hearts I came across, rubbery ones, wax ones and plastic ones too.

I found a peacock -craft which I had done ages ago and which at the time was something that I was really proud of because I had created it out of my own imagination. An australian hanky, a treasured note from two ex-friends of mine, an underground train ticket ( these trains somehow fascinated me at the time), little notebooks, my treasured Air Malta hostess gold-plated tag, a woven flower given to me by my hubby's nan and a little treasure chest in which I used to collect all the little lost gems that I found around me. At one time I had built a good gem collection but I think my sisters got hold of them. All these treasured possessions mean nothing to me now but I can't get myself to throw them away. Isn't that strange ?

Why the rainbow?

2010-01-28T15:48:00.001+01:00

Does anybody know why there was a rainbow logo showing near the http address of my own blog??

How sad...I came to check my blog again and the rainbow logo has vanished. ...is my eyesight playing up?!

Il-Barumbara - A dovecote

2010-01-28T15:12:00.009+01:00

Wild pigeons had been living in Malta thousands of years before the first inhabitants arrived on rafts or canoes from Sicily. These pigeons lived on cliff ledges and in holes in cliff walls, as well as in man-made buildings – a characteristic which led to them being domesticated.

Before the advent of guns, ways and means were found to catch wild birds for food because there wasn't much else available to the poor by way of protein, except for snails scavenged from fields. When guns arrived they were for the privileged few - unaffordable to those who could not even pay for a pair of shoes. So the poor people had to find ways to catch wild birds in quantity without the use of weapons. They came up with the idea of building a dovecote or barumbara as an integral part of the house - except that it wasn't for doves but for pigeons.

Farmers used to build ledges and holes in the walls of their farmhouses to be taken up by the domestic pigeons, which were induced to stay around the farmhouse by being fed on grains and other seeds. These man-made ledges and holes in walls came to be known as 'Barumbara' in Maltese. This is probably a corruption of the Sicilian word 'palummara' or the Italian word 'columbara' - a place where pigeons live and breed.

Each old Maltese farmhouse used to have a barumbara in one of its walls. There are also several areas and streets in Malta known as Il-barumbara, indicating that there must have been ancient dovecotes in the vicinity. The pigeons were encouraged to breed in the upper section of the house, where four or five rows of nesting places would be made in each of the walls. There might be up to 100 nesting places in one small room!

Nowadays you might come across some old rural dwellings with just a few nesting places for pigeons incorporated in the facade as the one I found in Zabbar.

Rough Seas

2010-01-18T18:06:00.003+01:00

Yesterday morning the sun decided to shine for a few hours after a rainy week and a gale force wind on Friday and Saturday. I took the opportunity to test out the christmas and graduation present that my hubby bought for me - a professional Canon. I admit I'm still green but I'm working on it. I stopped my car near the abandoned Jerma hotel and took photos of rough seas pounding on the shore close to the hotel. It was such a weird situation .. with the eerily silent hotel behind me and the booming sound of the crashing waves in front of me. It was a sure scary sight to watch all those waves crashing and pounding on the rocks very close to where I stood.

A picture of Serenity

2010-01-11T16:07:00.004+01:00

I took this photo last summer on one of my car trips in the countryside. I found this old narrow disused route which I started following and this is what I came across. This picture, for me, epitomises serenity. Three horses in a meadow, in summer, with no one to bother them - no cars, no people (apart from me) away from pollution and the humdrum of everyday life and with the sea as a backdrop. What more would they want?

This was taken in the Delimara area, very close to the old disused lighthouse. Horses are quite rare in Malta for the simple reason that it's very expensive to import a horse to our country. Moreover, to own a horse can also be a very costly matter because their upkeep and care can cause a really deep dent in one's pockets. We don't get to see a lot of horses grazing in fields and meadows in Malta. So I was really surprised to find these three beautiful horses grazing to their hearts' content out there far away from humanity. Their owner was nowhere to be seen but I have the impression that few persons come over there.

Catching up..

2010-01-05T17:55:00.007+01:00

How time flies! It's been so long since I wrote a post but I was extremely busy preparing for another party which took most of my free time. This Christmas I decided to prepare a three course meal rather than the usual party with so many nibbles to create.

As starters I prepared three kinds of vol au vents with mushroom, salmon, and artichoke stuffing. This was followed by courgette and parmesan soup. Next came stuffed chicken and pork, potatoes, cauliflowers and a mixture of other veggies. As for dessert our friends helped themselves to pancakes with a selection of stuffing of their own choice, strawberries, nutella, banana, nuts, cream and ice-cream.

Finally, at tea-time, some of us played boardgames and the rest competed on the Playstation. We had chocolate dipped figs, (thank you Juniper for the recipe), Bacio-cake which I incidentally found in another bloggy friend's site (thank you Dina), log cake and mince pies. Our friends must have really enjoyed themselves for they came at around half noon and stayed till very late. And somehow I pulled it off once more!! Don't know how I managed but having two ovens did help me cheat a little bit in preparing everything on time. Oh I nearly forgot to tell you that I nearly freaked out when I went to take out my courgette soup from the fridge and did not find it there. My husband had put it in the freezer instead and when I peered inside the pot I found a green circular block of ice!!! I found this out at 12:00!! So you can imagine my panic! But I managed to thaw it in good time. Phew!

Now to come to the other subject...Another thing which kept me from posting was my surprise at finding I was pregnant on Boxing Day. That was one Christmas present that I was surely not expecting! Now I'll just have to get used to a new way of life - a slow-paced life -and I think this will take me time to adjust to. I'm so used to running so many errands at one go, carrying heavy stuff by myself, and eating so many kinds of food which now I'll have to give a miss. Now I have to think twice at whatever I do - is this wrong? is this good to eat? Can I nibble some more sweets? So many questions... Don't want to get over the moon or over excited because I might feel drastically crestfallen if anything goes wrong. So I'm taking it day by day. As the Maltese like to say "Issa naraw.." We'll see...

Incidentally this is my first blog post without a photo. Didn't know what to put up here.

Christmas lights in our Maltese streets

2009-12-10T15:43:00.004+01:00

Come Christmas time and most of our busy cities are alit with beautiful Christmas lights. The pictures above were taken in Valletta and Paola this week, on my first two days of christmas shopping. I've still got a lot more shopping to do and so little time in my hands!!

My Third Award: Nenhum olhar e mais puro do que uma crianca...

2009-12-03T16:21:00.003+01:00

I would like to thank - Crafty Sue - for this new award and I am honoured to accept it. Thank you so much! Please go over and visit her cute blog. She is an Anglo-Maltese married to an Italian and has been living in Italy for a long time now. She loves making crafts, posts craft patterns and shares her ideas quite regularly.

Have a look at the blog that created this award:"Arte da Li" http://li-katuki.blogspot.com/

The rules for this award are:
1. Post the sentence : Nenhum olhar è mais puro do que uma criança.... (done)
2. Post the award. (done)
3. Mention the blog that gave birth to this award: "Arte da Li" http://li-katuki.blogspot.com/ (done twice)
Mention and thank the blog that gave you this award and post their blog link. (done)
Pass it on to 10 blogs and leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they've been awarded.
The 10 blogs I chose are:

Capers and Olives

Heaven is in Belgium

Life is just like that

Thrills, Frills and Drills

La Delirante

Reflections

Sequins, Beads and Polysterene Balls

2009-11-30T15:09:00.008+01:00

This season, I decided to start up another hobby. I don't know what it's called - all I know is that you need jablo balls, small pins and lots of sequins to make Christmas baubles. One fine day I woke up with this craft idea in mind so off I went to my nearest hobby shop and bought what I thought would need to start off this hobby. When I went to pay for my stuff at the counter I asked the salesgirl to check if I was on the right track - she just changed my pin box because mine were too large.

Back home I opened up the boxes and bags and started planning my design. It didn't take me long to learn how to do this hobby by myself. My idea is to hang one handmade bauble on to the hamper bag that I will be preparing for each of my female friends that have invited us over to their place for Christmas. What sets me back is the lack of time. Although my husband thinks this is just a waste of time - when I could buy ready made baubles - I'm sure my friends will appreciate the effort I put in making their baubles. What's more - I hope I'll manage to finish the baubles on time for each party that we're invited to.

St Martin's feast

2009-11-12T20:06:00.005+01:00

Next Sunday we shall be celebrating St. Martin's Day 'Jum San Martin' in Malta. The actual feast was last Wednesday, November 11th but it if it happens to fall on a weekday we usually celebrate it on the Sunday nearest to November 11. In the past the children used to hang an empty bag by their bedposts in anticipation for St Martin's arrival. In the morning, then the excited kids would find a bag full of goodies or a bag full of coal - depending on their behaviour.

Nowadays, at school children are usually given a bag called 'Il-Borża ta' San Martin', containing autumn fruits such as figs, oranges, tangerines, apples, pomegranates , nuts like walnuts, hazel-nuts, almonds, chestnuts and a sweet bread with an aniseed-tasting sweet on top (Il-Hobza ta' San Martin) associated with the feast. There is also a traditional rhyme associated with this custom:

'Ġewż, Lewż,

Qastan, Tin

Kemm inħobbu lil San Martin..

(Walnuts, Almonds, Chestnuts, Figs, Oh how I love Saint Martin!)

The feast of St Martin is celebrated in the village of Baħrija on the outskirts of Rabat at the the only chapel in Malta dedicated to this saint. It is the tradition that on that Sunday a fair is held to commemorate the feast. The Turkeys' Fair, in Maltese referred to as 'Il-Fiera tad-Dundjani' , originally took place in 1953 , when the rector of the time started the fair as a fundraising for the building of the new church to replace the small chapel that had become too small for the evergrowing congregation that attended. At this fair one can find plants, fresh vegetables, local honey, and other such local stuff and an exhibition of local animals.

At this time of year we usually have a temporary respite from Autumn and enjoy what we call in Maltese - Is-Sajf ta' San Martin - St Martin's summer. I always look forward to this feast because we get to enjoy a couple of warm days at this time of year. This feast is also associated with a substantial increase in hairfall too. Have you noticed how much more hair falls at this time of year? Men beware!

Open Weekend at Fort Manoel

2009-11-02T08:00:00.018+01:00

Manoel Island is a tiny island which lies in Marsamxett Harbour between Sliema Creek and Lazzaretto Creek, and is accessible by a bridge from the Gzira seafront. The Knights of St John realised the potential of the Island as an isolated territory against the plague and other infectious diseases and built a quarantine hospital here in 1643. In 1722, Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena began to appreciate the value of the Island for the defence of Valletta and commissioned the fortress which bears his name, Fort Manoel. The first stone was laid in 1723 under his patronage and the supervision of world-famous engineer Francois de Mondion.

While its defining characteristics survived the ravages of time, over the centuries Fort Manoel fell into disrepair, especially following the heavy and extensive aerial bombardment endured during World War II. On 23rd February 1965, the Fort was officially handed over to the Maltese Government; Fort Manoel was subsequently abandoned and fell into a state of neglect. Further damage was also inflicted during peacetime by vandals, squatters and souvenir-hunters, and by the end of the 20th century, a derelict ruin was all that remained of this once proud and imposing fortress.

In the year 2000 MIDI developers took possession of Fort Manoel and works relating to the restoration of the Fort were initiated by a restoration team. Last weekend the MIDI consortium hosted an Open Weekend at the Fort for the public. Yesterday, hubby and I together with a couple of friends joined the thronges of people who paid a visit to this historical gem on our island. Below you'll see some of the photos I took of the event.

World War II lorry on display

World War II exhibition

The view of Valletta from the parade ground

The parade ground and Barrack Block B

a closer view of Valletta from the parade ground

St Anthony of Padua's chapel where the engineer Francois de Mondion was buried

a detail from the chapel's interior

St Anthony of Padua's chapel and its restored interior

exiting the Polverista

The Polverista

Couldn't help taking a photo of these 3 nuns...

Blogging Women

2009-11-02T07:24:00.001+01:00

Oh! I've just discovered that I've won a contest in Blogging Women. My blog will be featured for the month of November. Isn't that lovely? All you female bloggers out there - I invite you to hop over to Blogging Women and have fun discovering other blogs. Thanks Fay!

Chilling out with friends at Ghajn Tuffieha

2009-10-26T15:14:00.007+01:00

Yesterday, we decided to go out in the afternoon and dine out with our friends at Ghajn Tuffieha - (pronounced 'ine' as in 'nine' Too-fee-ha ) one of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the North of our island. Although the air is now somewhat cooler than in summer, yesterday a good number of people were either sunbathing or frolicking round at the beach. When I saw all the activity at the beach, I kind of forgot that it's been almost a month since Autumn started. We are still enjoying warm days here in Malta. There were even some daring people who went for a dip in the choppy sea even though it was windy. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we did not notice how time flew. At the end, after watching sunset, we reluctantly made our way home.

Bird Hunting in Malta

2009-10-18T09:57:00.002+02:00

There goes my staying late in bed this weekend. Living near the countryside does have its repercussions. Why is it that weekend or no weekend I have to be woken up so early? Today, (like in the past 4 weeks) the constant gunshots of heartless bird hunters, somewhere in the vicinity of our house woke me up at around 5:30am. I can't imagine, for the life of me, how they can make out the birds flying in the darkness of morning. Don't they strain their eyes? Their incessant killing starts from 5am!!! Today, I've been tossing and turning in bed waiting for the shots to abate - in vain. Blessed Sunday indeed!

As I'm typing, the sound of gunshots is still going on. The sound of the lead pellets hitting our skylight and the side windows is very unnerving. I feel sorry for those birds, that, after flying for so many kilometers in so many days, their life ends up in one second here in Malta. It's heartbreaking. Unfortunately, the news that makes headlines is only the bad publicity! The BBC and other foreign news are having a field day with our hunting issues. Take a look at these links and you'll see what I mean:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8266902.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8308711.stm

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/malta-hunting239.html#cr

Our island is rarely in the news but wonder of wonders when our hunting season opens we get to be very 'popular' or should I say 'infamous' with the rest of the E.U countries.

Recently, Maltese educators were asked to refrain from passing any negative comments to the students with regards to bird hunting because they were told that the children might turn against their hunter parents!

http://www.timesofmalta.com.mt/articles/view/20091010/local/hunters-protest-over-teachers-attitude

If the FKNK (Federation for Hunting and Conservation representatives) had the time to prepare the Teachers' Pack, I suggest that they keep on reading it themselves. As a teacher, I would never impart positive comments regarding hunting. Hunters should go and get a life! They should abide by the law! The lengths hunters will go through to justify shooting birds is amazing.

img credit Wildlife Extra

Banana and Chocolate Squares

2009-10-12T16:20:00.005+02:00

With the onset of the rainy season, I usually start looking for some good baking recipes. This weekend, while I was browsing through some food blogs this recipe caught my attention. It was very easy to prepare - in fact, I think it only took me an hour from start to finish. And, mark my words, once you take these delicious chocolate and banana squares out of the oven, they won't last long - they're simply irresistible! One last thing..make sure you don't forget the chocolate chips - I completely forgot about them - I sprinkled them in the last minute and, as expected, they didn't melt properly!

Another authentic Maltese recipe - Torta tal-lampuki ( Dolphin-fish pie)

2009-10-05T16:47:00.007+02:00

Since we are in the lampuka season I thought of posting a lampuka recipe. The Lampuka - also known as Mahi Mahi, Dorado or Dolphin Fish – is Malta's 'national' fish. The season stretches from the end of August to the beginning of November. This is a seasonal fish and is very much in demand during its season. The following recipe was extracted from The Food and Cookery of Malta.
For the pastry

400 g plain flour
200 g margarine
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp (approx.) cold water

For the filling
2 medium sized lampuki (approx. 400 g)
1 onion, sliced 2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 dessertspoon tomato puree
1 medium cauliflower
800 g spinach
8 black olives
1 tbsp sultanas
6 walnuts, shelled
(I also added some boiled potatoes, and some green olives too. )

Make the pastry. Use no more water than necessary. Keep the pastry cold while you prepare the filling.

Cut the fish into 4 or 5 steaks, coat lightly In flour and fry in shallow oil until just cooked. Remove any bones and the skin. Reserve. (Tip: I prepared the fish the night before because it takes a long time.)

In a large pan soften the onion in olive oil. Add the tomatoes, cook for a few minutes more. Add the cauliflower broken into florets and the spinach. Add about 250 ml of boiling water, cover tightly and cook until the vegetables are just tender. Remove from the heat and add the olives, sultanas and walnuts. Season. It is import ant to let this mixture and the fish get quite cold before finishing the pie.

Line a large shallow pie dish with slightly more than half the pastry. Put half the vegetable mixture over it, then the fish, then the remaining vegetables. Roll out the rest of the pastry to cover. Decorate and brush with beaten egg to which you have added a few drops of oil. Bakc at 200°C/400°F/gas 6 for 30 minutes, then at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 until golden brown and the filling heated through. This pie tastes equally good hot or cold.

Some prefer to cook the cauliflower and spinach separately. In this case, add the 250ml water to the tomato and onion mixture and simmer gently for about half an hour.

For a change, I made small pies (qassatat) instead of a large one. Qassatat come in very handy when I'm at a loss at what lunch to prepare for work.

House Parties

2009-09-22T19:26:00.011+02:00

I did mention that I like to host parties, didn't I? Well, these past couple of weeks I was busy preparing for two parties, aside from preparing for work too. One party was to congratulate our dear friends from Luxembourg, Ana and Karl, who tied the knot a few months ago and who came to visit us last week, and the second one was our housewarming party. It took us more than 6 months to celebrate our housewarming party with our close friends! We just never found the right time to celebrate it.

When I make up my mind to host a party I get carried away with planning the event, and that includes the decorations, cleaning the house and preparing the food on time. I don't know why but even if I start preparing from three days before I rarely finish on time. My husband, on the other hand, does his best to concoct original cocktails and serve different drinks. When our parties are over our friends usually leave our house,slightly if not totally intoxicated, holding on to their bulging tummies.

I just love throwing parties but they practically, take up all my energy. As soon as I send out the invites I browse my collection of recipe books to get some ideas, and write a list of appetizers. I try to keep to 12 items per person but somehow in the preparation process the items increase in number. Next, I disseminate each food item to its basic ingredients and write all the ingredients that I would need in a list, then buy the ingredients, prepare each item and finally put the final touches to each item..and each time I invite our friends over I always say to myself that next time I should prepare less food but somehow I never manage to..

The collage above shows some of the food I prepared. Clockwise from left: Choco,Oat and Nut balls, parma ham and melon kebabs, artichokes stuffed with Maltese sausage filling, bacon and avocado squares, double decker egg and ham sandwiches, pancakes stuffed with seafood, classic Maltese timpana, lampuki rolls, apple and pork rolls. Centre: S almon and caviar hors d'oeuvres.

Award Time

2009-09-16T22:35:00.002+02:00

I've been awarded again - this time by my bloggy friend - Sue from CraftySue: http://craftysusie.blogspot.com/. I am so honoured to receive yet another award. She's got this passion for making lovely crafts and sharing her ideas with all and what's more she's just adopted this cute cat Tod. Do hop over to her lovely website.

Thank you Sue!

There are a few rules that come along with this award. To accept the award I have to do a few things:

1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on my blog.
3. Link the person who nominated me for this award.
4. Name seven things about me that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate seven blogs.
6. Post links to the seven blogs that I nominate.
7. Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know I nominated them.

Now to award seven other blogs... this is always a difficult part, all the blogs I follow merit this award but I can only nominate seven, here goes:

7 things about me

1: Am crazy about pigs - They're such funny creatures!
2: Love all things blue.
3: I'm a summer girl, love the sea, sun, summer fruits, bbqs ...
4: I'm a shopaholic.
5: I love cooking and trying out new recipes.
6: Love hosting parties and making all the party food myself.
7: I like watching TV programmes where there is a drastic change or a complete makeover involved such as: Take Home Nanny, Houses Behaving Badly, Extreme Makeover

And now for the nominated blogs...

1. http://heavenisinbelgium.blogspot.com/
2. http://ladelirante.blogspot.com/
4. http://ruby-marie.blogspot.com/
5. http://fromthenorthfork.blogspot.com/
6. http://allaboutg.blogspot.com/
7. http://sugarmama-sugarmama.blogspot.com/

A walk round the city of Vittoriosa, (Birgu), (Part 2)

2009-09-08T08:05:00.020+02:00

The different food aromas wafting up from the windows signalled the approach of noon. Walking in the shady streets I got so engrossed in distinguishing the different smells that were teasing my olfactory senses that I nearly missed this quaint old Norman style house in North Street.

I went back a few steps and looked at the open door - was this a museum? or was it just open because it happened to be so I asked myself. I read the Information display outside: This house with Siculo-Norman features was built in the 13th century. My! That was a long time ago!

I ventured inside, making shuffling noises just in case there was anyone inside. Silence...I became more adventurous and nimbly climbed up the tiny stairs that led to this one tiny room upstairs. There was a chest of drawers, a plate for donations and an album displaying the 'before' and 'after' photos of the house I was in. Yes, it was a kind of free museum - its owner had restored it to its original design and left it open for the curious tourists. How nice of him! I didn't take photos inside as it was too dark. I was glad for two things: that I had gone inside a very old house and seen with my very eyes the interior of an old house in Birgu and that I discovered another Norman house in Malta. I had previously thought that there was only one house with a Norman style in Malta and that was in Mdina.

I carried on with my journey of discovery round Birgu and spotted this small niche of a small Madonna lovingly decorated with sea shells. I spied another niche with a carved Madonna in another street corner. It is evident that the Madonna holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the Maltese people.

Wandering in the silent and shaded streets I found this Butcher's shop - couldn't help taking a photo of it. And I also loved the facade of this new restaurant.

Finally, in Pacifiku Scicluna Street, I came across this small building wrapped up in old electricity supply wires which used to house the executioner and his family during the times of the Order of St John and the Inquisition. His symbol can still be seen engraved on top of the windows.

There was so much to discover in Birgu. Each street had its own characteristics that distinguished it from the others leading to it. The inhabitants of Birgu have worked together to beautify their city - they have put plants everywhere, they have restored their houses with pride and they make sure to keep the streets clean. My journey came to an end with a mobile call which reminded me that my time was up - I had to go back home.

A walk round the city of Vittoriosa, (Birgu) (Part 1)

2009-08-24T08:28:00.016+02:00

My walk round this ancient fortified city of Vittoriosa started off from this dark tunnel that can be found in an area called 'Il-Mandragg'. I've got this weird fascination with old tunnels and couldn't resist starting my walk from this very old one - a tunnel which must have borne witness to so many historical events that took place years ago. Looking behind me I could just about view three boats bobbing in the calm waters of Kalkara creek.

This tunnel led me on to the upper levels of the fortifications that surround this city. I turned right and found myself facing this old building. I was really amazed to find a display dating back from the years of the Second World War,still hanging over the door of this building.

From there, I wandered along this narrow winding path, past the honey coloured walls of the eerily ancient houses that overlook the harbour.

I spotted this door with the Maltese cross painted on it. My walk led through the winding streets: one beautiful street leading to another equally lovely one. The streets are so narrow that you can clearly hear the inhabitants talking inside and TV sets warbling in the background. I almost felt as if I was invading their privacy but then, these people have long got used to being overheard in the streets. Their lives are all one village gossip. You either like it or you don't.

Traipsing along the old streets I came across this secluded corner, sheltered by a vine tree. The boat carrier lying alongside the wall jarred harshly with the ancient clay jar and the stone well on the opposite side. The vine that had been lovingly sown in between them seemed to have the strange chore to set apart the old from the new.

Three Beautiful Maltese Houses

2009-08-17T13:14:00.007+02:00

A Villa in Marsaxlokk

A converted farmhouse in Zabbar

An intricately designed townhouse in Paola

Cat Naps

2009-08-10T13:43:00.006+02:00

Cats have a habit of finding strange places where they take their forty winks. I took these photos in the street where my parents' house is situated. This cat has a knack of sleeping in my mother's planter. The other cats have other favourite places - verandas, under the shade of cars, and even car bonnets. The second photo shows the two culprits napping on a neighbour's car. These two particular cats enjoy lapping the last rays of the sun on car roofs or bonnets! And they always take their time to slide down the cars. One of them is so gutsy that he doesn't jump off when I approach my car, not even when I open the car door. He stays there looking at me with that laid back attitude of his until I start the engine. Even a little animal can have a mind of its own!

Many stray cats roam in this street and everyone does his bit to take care of the cats. All these neutered cats are fed daily and taken care of by the people living in the street. However, when some heartless people decide to abandon their pets in the area the cat population starts accumulating again. A vet once said that a single cat and its offspring can cumulatively produce up to 70,000 kittens in 7years. Quite a large number of cats, isn't it?

Crazy Maltese House Names 1

2009-08-04T13:26:00.005+02:00

We, Maltese have some fascinating customs and reasons behind the selection of our house names. One custom is that of naming one's house using the first part of the Christian names of the partners who own that house. Here are some examples:

'Marton'- Mary and Tony
'Josmar' - Joseph and Mary
'Carvin' -Carmen and Vince
'Charldor'- Charles and Doreen

Incidentally, DJ Bundy, a local DJ, once mentioned that there is a house in Zurrieq which was named "Condom" which we hopefully assume stands for the names of the proprietors rather than some kind of fetish for rubbery stuff. Some people can be so dumb at times.

Another custom is to find house names which are based on religious beliefs. Religious observance in Malta is strong and has been so for many centuries. Most of these house names usually bear the name of the proprietors' favourite patron saint or that of the patron saint of the village. For example if you go to Qormi you'll see lots of 'St Georges' and 'St Sebastians'. In Zabbar you will find many houses named 'Madonna tal-Grazzja'.

Then there are those houses which are named 'God Bless Australia', 'America' or 'Canada'. These reflect the migration of the Maltese to the above mentioned countries and the successful life they once bore.

And then, there are the plain weird ones of which I'm building a collection. Here are the first few.

Hmm the owner needs to brush up his French. I guess it should have been Mère de Grâce.

Did you know that St Joseph had a surname? It was Falzon!

A little demon in the house?? Short for Important?

Here's an example of the first custom I mentioned ...but pet's name has been also included.

Time Travellers robbed of their unknown future, maybe?

And last but not least, I couldn't help taking a photo of this hilarious plate. It does give you a sense of welcome, doesn't it?

Thank you

2009-08-04T12:57:00.003+02:00

Thanks Doreen (http://doreenscreativespace.blogspot.com/) for thinking of me and rewarding me with this award. Today I'm passing it on to these fine people:

Here's my chosen list:
http://aroundtheisland.blogspot.com/
http://maltadailyphoto.blogspot.com/
http://nickphil67.blogspot.com/
http://accidentallykle.blogspot.com/

If you accept this award, please pass it on and then let your chosen blogging friends know they have been awarded this by sending them a comment on their blog or by emailing them.

Choosing Watermelons

2009-07-23T21:43:00.012+02:00

Thinking back to when you I was a child, the pinnacle of summery suppers and family gatherings was always the cold juicy watermelon that was offered as dessert. Watermelons remind me of the childish embarrassment of having sticky, sweet juice trickling down all over my chin and my clothes. Then, there were the youthful seed-spitting contests with friends. Funnily enough, it was my husband who introduced me to this rude game! Choosing good watermelons can be a tricky task but once you learn the tricks you won't be bringing back home tasteless ones any more. Here, I've jotted down some hints which I gathered from my friends and from reliable vegetable sellers.

Hints to help you choose a ripe watermelon

When you go to the Green grocer to buy one you would want to try and find one that is ripe and ready to eat.

1. First of all look for shiny watermelons. Ripe watermelons will be more dull in colour, but have a shiny complexion. The watermelon should be evenly toned.

2. Look for the yellow or white spot on the watermelon. (This is where the watermelon was sitting on a ground.) Ripe watermelons will be yellow in colour, while white means it isn't yet ripe.

3. Hold the watermelon in your hands and squeeze it. Listen very closely for soft cracking inside. This means that the watermelon is ripe. Don't squeeze too hard or you'll end up squashing it for real. Another way is to knock on the outside of the rind. If you hear a hollow sound then the water melon is ready to eat, but if you hear a solid thud put it back. The fruit is over ripe and you won't be getting very good flavour from it.

3. A vegetable seller once told me that the best way to pick a watermelon is to look for all the brown veining on the rind. The more brown veins the more sweeter it is.

4. Did you know that there are female and male watermelons? I bet you didn't!Females tend to be larger, sweeter and have less seeds than males. To find out if a watermelon is male or female, look at the bottom side and check out if it's got a skirt..(joking) look for a ring that is going in the opposite direction of the other watermelons' circles. Smaller ring sizes, about 19mm, are male watermelons. Female watermelons may have larger circles.

5. Once you buy your water melon eat it within the first few days of getting it home. Everything about it is healthy, and in addition, it won't leave you feeling over stuffed if you eat too much.

And now here's a weird recipe which my mother tried out last summer. I was a little worried this would taste strange but let me tell you, we loved it! And as much as it seems a weird combination it's truly refreshing. The tartness of the blue cheese and the cool flavour of the mint just balance the sweetness of the watermelon perfectly. What's more it only has 3 ingredients!

Watermelon and Blue Cheese Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients
200g creamy blue cheese, crumbled
50g fresh mint, diced
1200g to 1600g watermelon, diced, (about half a large watermelon )

Method
Combine all ingredients in a very large bowl and mix. Refrigerate until cold before serving.

Last but not least,watermelons are not only refreshingly tasty they also have tremendous health benefits. Eating watermelon is almost like taking a multivitamin tablet every morning, but with a much better taste. So keep that in mind whenever you're out buying a watermelon.

Zesty Summer Pasta Dish

2009-07-23T20:47:00.010+02:00

Although I'm not a pasta lover, sometimes there comes a day when I just feel like having some kind of pasta dish. Yesterday was one of those days. I concocted this recipe myself. And since it turned out to be very good I thought of sharing it with you. I couldn't think of a suitable name for this recipe. Maybe you bloggy friends could help me make up a good name for it.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 can of artichoke hearts
about 15 cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 large can of tuna
50g sliced green olives
one large minced clove of garlic
olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Parmeggiano cheese, grated
a few rocket leaves to garnish
pinch of salt

Saute garlic in olive oil. Rinse off canned artichoke hearts. Add chopped artichoke hearts and saute 10 minutes on low heat. Add cherry tomatoes, tuna, salt and green olives. Cook for 35 minutes on low heat. Sprinkle parsley in the last couple of minutes. Prepare pasta as directed. Serve with sauce and toss with Parmeggiano cheese. Finally, garnish with rocket leaves. Enjoy!

Marsaxlokk Sunday Market

2009-07-20T12:51:00.024+02:00

Yesterday morning I went to the Marsaxlokk's famous open market along the quay. Crochet tablecloths, souvenirs, fruit, vegetables, clothes, shoes and traditional items... almost everything can be found on the stalls. The traditional fish market takes place every Sunday and fish of all shapes, colors and sizes are a proof that Marsaxlokk deserves to be named Malta's most famous fishing village. Couldn't help taking pictures of all the bright and colourful items on display. Many of the photos speak for themselves.

Tablecloths

Fresh vegetables

People from all walks of life

The caper seller

Fresh fish

Lots of colourful aprons

Two old women chatting

Cheap shoes by the dozen

Haggling for the cheapest prices

Hair accessories

Freshly baked bread

Colourful fruit

So many watermelons

Legumes and beans

Fishing...

2009-07-14T15:36:00.009+02:00

Last week, I accompanied my husband on one of his fishing stints. This is quite a recent hobby of his and although I've been encouraged quite a number of times to join in the fishing I have not yet changed my mind. I don't like sitting down staring at the sea, doing nothing - that's what I usually answer back when people ask me why I don't go fishing too. But last week I must have been in need of some quiet time by the sea as I did not seem to mind sitting down and observing what was going on at sea. I didn't even bring a book with me as the sun had already set by the time we had settled down. For once I didn't lose my patience doing nothing. I felt a sense of calmness surrounding me.

There were so much going on around us that I had no time to get bored. From where I was sitting, close to the ex-White House restaurant in Marsascala, I saw fishermen returning in their boats with their day's catch, and others leaving the creek (as seen in the photo above) perhaps looking forward to a great catch. People came by to say hello. There were people going for their daily evening walk. Others just sat down on the benches eating some take-away while updating themselves with the latest gossip. And while I was staring at the sea I took a couple of photos. I think these three young lads in their boat made a pretty picture.

Baked Macaroni - an authentic Maltese recipe

2009-07-10T14:11:00.001+02:00

Traditional Maltese food is clearly marked with Mediterranean references. Italy, especially Sicily (called ‘the elder sister’), has left significant traces on Maltese food. Pasta dishes like 'ravjul' (ravioli), lasagna, 'imqarrun' (baked macaroni), with their hundreds of sauces, are all dishes of Italian influence. Since Malta is so close to Italy, pasta has always been one of the staple foods of the country.

Most of our Maltese recipes have been passed on from mother to daughter for generations but were never committed to paper until two authors, namely, Anne and Helen Caruana Galizia undertook the hard task of collecting them in one book in the 1970s. The recipe that I am posting here is an authentic Maltese one which I have found in their lovely book entitled: The Food and Cookery of Malta. My mother, who has their first publication, often referred to this book for particular recipes. And while she cooked I used to sit next to her quietly leafing through its pages. I don't know what I found fascinating in it - after all it had no pictures. Anyway, I made it a point to buy the book once I grew up and had my own kitchen. This definitely could be one gift which all Maltese expats (or even foreigners who liked our traditional dishes) would appreciate. Here's the recipe...

2tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

50g bacon, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

400g minced beef and pork

salt and pepper

3tbsp tomato puree

400g tin of peeled tomatoes

125ml beef or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

grated fresh nutmeg

200g chicken livers

400g macaroni

4 large eggs , beaten

4 heaped tbsp grated Parmesan

Method

To make the sauce, heat the oil and fry the onions gently until golden, add bacon, garlic and minced meat, salt and pepper. Use little salt at this stage. Stir well and cook for 15 mins. Add the tomato puree, the tomatoes, stock and the bay leaf. Grate in some nutmeg. Simmer, covered for about 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 3o minutes.

If using chicken livers, remove any discoloured parts, chop into large pieces and fry lightly in oil. Cool and remove the stringy bits.

Boil the macaroni in plenty of salted water until 'al dente'. Pour a cup of cold water into the pan as soon as the pasta is cooked. It is important it remains underdone so that it will retain its shape and texture at the end. Drain. Mix the meat and tomato into the macaroni. Add the eggs, the cheese and season again if required with salt and pepper. Mix all well together in large bowl. Leave to cool.

In a large oven-proof dish put in a layer of macaroni and meat, then a layer of chicken livers and cover with the remaining macaroni. Bake at 220°C for 15 minutes. Reduce to 180 C and continue cooking for 30 minutes.

A perfectly baked 'imqarrun' is crunchy on the outside and moist inside. This dish improves with keeping. You will also find that it slices better if allowed to stand for 30 minutes after it comes out of the oven.

As you can see it's an authentic Maltese one what with the copious salt amounts and ingredients that are so high in cholesterol. No wonder many Maltese of the older generation are so plump! I usually use a healthier version of the recipe with less eggs, salt, and sometimes I omit the bacon and liver. It's definitely a less tasty macaroni but at least more healthy! If you feel like trying out this recipe it's up to you to choose whichever version you deem best.

A quaint old house in Xghajra

2009-07-07T09:11:00.003+02:00

For years I've been passing in front of this house that looks like a small castle and always marvelled at its strange facade. It was built around 200 years ago and until fairly recently, there were three families living in it. Apparently, these were devotees of the Madonna of Lourdes so they built their house in her honour.

As you can see, they structured the balcony wall to look like a cave with the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in a corner and Bernardette kneeling in front of her. If I had a better camera maybe I would have been able to get a close up of the inscription at the right of the balcony but for now I'll have to make do with what I have. I also noticed that a large fissure is threatening the left turret and if immediate care is not taken I guess the owners will have quite a problem rebuilding the turret again.

Turtle Release - 30th June

2009-07-03T12:17:00.017+02:00

Last Tuesday I was invited to watch eleven turtles being released at Golden Bay. It was a lovely experience to see such large turtles being set free again. Nature Trust (Malta) in collaboration with the San Lucjan Fisheries centre organised the Turtle Release event together with Eko skola. There were various schools who attended this event. The turtles had been saved and now were being released back into the wild after their long rehabilitation period at the San Lucjan Aquaculture Centre. These were injured turtles that had been brought ashore in the past months by members of the public, fishermen, NGos such as Birdlife and BICREF and or the Wildlife Rescue Team of Nature Trust (Malta). These turtles were taken care of at the San Lucjan Rehabilitation Centre in Marsaxlokk. Volunteers of Nature Trust went each week to San Lucjan to help clean, medicate and care for these turtles till they were fit again to be released.

The turtles were brought in plastic basins and were covered with wet towels to protect them from dehydration. You can see the silhouette of one turtle in the blue basin.

The first turtle is released! Everyone awaits its arrival with trepidation.

Some kids try to pat its back before it goes back to the beckoning sea.

Last couple of steps and off to swim!

Paparazzi follow baby turtle's path.

Ready...... Steady.....Go!

I hope they are left free to catch those dreaded jellyfish and eat them to their hearts' content!

A Lovely Blog Award

2009-07-01T20:03:00.003+02:00

I received my very first blog award from La Delirante at A Salvadorian living in Malta. Thanks so much Wen. I am honoured.

The feast of Imnarja and the Maltese traditional dish - Il-Fenkata

2009-06-30T15:50:00.008+02:00

Yesterday, June 29th, we Maltese, celebrated the feast of St Peter and St Paul, more commonly known as Imnarja, (derived from the Italian Luminaria meaning illumination). It probably refers to the bonfires that were lit up during this feast. This major festival commenced in the time of the Knights of Malta who could eat rabbit any time they chose and enjoyed hunting them for sport. And to add insult to injury they prohibited us Maltese from eating rabbit with the one exception of the feast of Imnarja.

So to make up for what the Maltese were missing they used to flock to Rabat on the eve of the feast, on foot or using horse and mule driven carts. They would then gather at Saqqaja, on top of the hill in Rabat, and would recite the rosary and other prayers. Later they would join the Bishop and his Cathedral Chapter in the procession towards Mdina. Accompanying the procession one would also find the daqqaqa and the folklore singers (the troubadours) wearing priestly robes. Later on they would drink, cook rabbit, sing folksongs and dance away the night. In the past marriage contracts also stipulated that the husband must take his intended wife to the festival of Imnarja.

Nowadays Imnarja is celebrated in and around the historic town of Rabat and features an agricultural fair with local produce on sale, livestock competitions, marching bands and horse racing in the afternoon. The most traditional and folkloric part of the festival takes place in woodland at Buskett, near Rabat, where people from all over the island flock to enjoy folk music and singing. Beneath the trees, people linger until late at night, tucking in to rabbit stew (il-fenkata) which is a Maltese speciality. If you think of rabbits as pets rather than good food providers, I suggest you skip this meal. Many people, however, enjoy this traditional Maltese meal.

The fenkata has now become the national dish and is promoted on tourist menus. A Fenkata today is best described as a kind of rabbit outing or celebration where a family or group of friends goes out into the country to eat a dish of spaghetti and rabbit. The rabbit, marinated overnight in wine, garlic and bay leaf, is lightly browned with a very delicious sauce made up of garlic, wine, curry, carrots and peas and tomato sauce, then simmered for several hours, ideally in a terracotta casserole. Restaurants usually serve it with chips (the ubiquitous British legacy), and crusty local bread to soak up the rich sauces. Traditionally rabbit stew is served on spaghetti.

Yesterday I took a photo of my rabbit stew in the making, followed by another one served on a plate.

The Cricket (Il-Grillu)

2009-06-24T13:36:00.010+02:00

I used to think that the sound that emanated from the cicada in the morning was the same as that which the cricket produced at night. It took me a long time to realise that these two insects were completely different from each other. The diurnal insect is the one which we call il-werzieq in Maltese (cicada), whereas the nocturnal one is called il-grillu (cricket).

In the past the latter insect was very popular with the Maltese children. They used to capture this poor insect and put it inside jars so that they would hear it strumming its legs to produce its chirping sound at night inside the children’s homes. Most often they used to capture more than one and then they used to spend their time selecting which one of the crickets made the loudest sound.

Since this insect seeks warm temperatures and humid places we often hear it singing during summer nights. During the day the cricket seeks shelter under the foliage. The cricket's sound can be heard from afar but it’s not that easy to detect its place of concealment. It has a knack of hiding itself well. Moreover, as soon as the cricket detects sound it stops immediately making it all the more difficult to discover where its hiding place could be.

Sadly enough, certain human activities, coupled with the high population density, are threatening this insect. These threats which have significantly reduced the extent of many insects’ and animals’ habitats are mainly related to Malta’s relatively large built-up land area. Whereas before we used to hear a whole cacophony of crickets at night now you might hear one every so often.

The Irresistible Hobz Biz-Zejt

2009-06-17T16:03:00.017+02:00

No bread compares to the traditional Maltese loaf and I’m sure that many out there agree with me. It’s so wholesome and tasty and yet so plain! As in many other places, what was poor man's fare is now rich man's favour. Not that one has to be rich to acquire such food. Many Maltese still eat it as a snack or as part of their supper. Both the stonecutter in the quarry and the farmer in the field, as well the family relaxing by the seaside on a delicious Summer evening, all love to dig their teeth into this tasty meal. It satisfies the taste buds and fills the stomach in the simplest and most complete way. It is inexpensive and easy to prepare, but it is true that richer foods and faster food have replaced most of what today can be considered as traditional food.

In the past, the manual workers used to take lunch which consisted of half a loaf of our excellent bread, hollowed out and filled with tomatoes, oil, olives, anchovies and accompanied by a glass of wine. They then wrapped it up in a cloth for freshness and then sliced it up with a penknife at the time of eating. It was very filling and practical especially for outdoor workers. This tradition is unfortunately giving way to the more regular sandwich.

When I sometimes pass in front of a bakery the heavenly smell of baking bread evokes memories of when dad used to come from work carrying with him a freshly baked bread still crackling hot. We kids used to make a feast with a simple loaf of bread. Mum sliced the bread and we siblings were left free to prepare our Hobz biz-Zejt the way we wanted. I was usually allowed to have the round crusty part (il-genba) from which I dug out the middle and filled it up with all the stuff that I could get hold of.

The term ‘Hobz tal-Malti’ makes me conjure up images of this delicious snack eaten on the sand, watching the sun set, with the salty sea smell lingering on one’s skin. Hobz biz-zejt somehow always tastes better eaten at the beach – did you ever realise that? So what exactly is this hobz biz-zejt? If I had to translate this term it would literally mean "Bread with oil” which up to a certain extent is true because drizzled oil is one of the basic ingredients but it has more than just that. And what goes on in this Hobz biz-Zejt??

The first thing you have to do is to get hold of a fresh Maltese loaf (hobza). The crust should be cracked and crunchy and the middle soft and white. Cut thick slices of bread. Halve a couple of ripe summer tomatoes and rub the cut side over the bread until it gets a reddish hue. If using tomato paste, (kunserva) just spread over the bread. Next dip one side of the bread into a plate of good olive oil. Or else you can drizzle the oil onto the bread. Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. That’s the basic recipe. What follows is up to you. You can either have it as it is or else add some of the following ingredients. The other ingredients vary widely, although capers and olives are almost universally included. Here is the list of ingredients I compiled:

Butter beans marinated in garlic and oil, olives, marinated vegetables, lettuce, anchovies, tuna, onion slices, peppered cheeselets (gbejniet), capers, marjoram, mint, basil, pickled onions, bigilla, sundried tomatoes, cucumber slices, artichoke hearts and even ham. Yes!! I was told that the Qormi people like having their hobz biz-zejt with ham! My dad who hails from that town often puts ham in it and I can vouch that it is very tasty.

'Non Gode L'Immunita Ecclesiastica'

2009-06-10T15:08:00.011+02:00

Wayside chapels have been a feature of the Maltese landscape for at least 500 years. Their origin dates back to the times when the Maltese Islands were much more sparsely populated, and the many small isolated farming communities found it necessary to erect their own places of worship. One of the characteristics of these chapels is the marble plaque near their entrance: NON GODE L’IMMUNITÀ ECCLESIASTICA. It was a warning to malefactors. This means that the chapel did not have the privilege of giving protection to those who had committed a crime. In the past many churches had this privilege of protecting criminals from the civil authorities. Those that did not have this privilege fixed this plaque to their facades.

In the past the church in Malta was immune from civil law jurisdiction, and this permitted malefactors to escape justice by taking refuge in a church or chapel. This meant that anybody breaking the law had the chance to flee for sanctuary into any church and hence could not be arrested by the authorities as long as one stayed inside. The crime rate in the mid-eighteenth century was quite high. Burglary, theft, deception, defrauding, brawling and fighting were the order of the day. It was not only ordinary lower class men who came into conflict with the law by stealing cattle or by committing any other crime. In those days, even the Hospitaller Knights broke the law by brawling and fighting duels, although they were prohibited to engage in such activities. Even a respected priest, once, stole plenty of silver plates from the French Auberge!!!

Fugitives hiding for sanctuary in churches often were supplied with all necessities, such as foodstuff and clothing, by friends and relatives. Some of them were able to hide out for 30 to 40 years or even until they died!! Unbelievable!! These people must have had a strong resilience. Although the British government abolished this immunity permanently in 1828, many existing chapels did not remove the small plaque on their facades.

The Old Red Telephone Booth

2009-06-10T14:50:00.001+02:00

Our island, due to its strategic importance has been conquered by a sequence of powers including the Phoenicians, Romans, Fatimids, Sicilians, Knights of St John, French and British.

It was in 1800, that Malta voluntarily became part of the British Empire. The British took over Malta, and transformed the island into a Naval base. It wasn't until 1964, after 100 years of British rule, that the islands were granted independence and eventually became a Republic in 1974. It's been 35 years now since the Britons left our country but so many things around us still bear traces of their influence on our country. The famous red telephone booths which can be spotted in certain old streets in Malta are one such example .

The red telephone box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It's not only a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom and Malta, but also in Bermuda and Gibraltar - the latter two being also ex-British colonies. Sir Scott originally suggested mild steel colour for the kiosks but the British Post Office chose the colour red to make them easy to spot. Some of these phone booths in use today have been converted to internet kiosks.

Home-Made Chocolate Ice-Cream

2009-06-09T18:06:00.009+02:00

Four years ago my sister gave me an ice-cream maker. It took me almost 3 years to try the machine out. The reason was that I hadn't enough space in my first freezer to put the ice-bowl inside. So my poor machine had to wait until I got my long awaited large freezer to see the light of day.

To be honest, the first ice-cream (which happened to be a strawberry one) was in my opinion a flop. It tasted really good but it was very runny. I had not refrigerated the ice-bowl and milk long enough for the ice-cream to achieve the desired texture.

The second time round I tried a vanilla recipe. This time I made sure that the milk and cream were really cold before using them for the recipe. And yes the vanilla ice-cream was really delicious. One day I would like to get my hands on a vanilla pod and make a real vanilla ice-cream. So far I have not set my eyes on any vanilla pods in any Southern supermarket.

My third attempt was a chocolate one - the best one so far. I just couldn't resist having spoonfuls of it while it was churning in my ice-cream maker. So creamy and irresistible!! And it turned out so good that I thought of sharing this easy recipe with you.

What you need:

200g fresh cream (refrigerated and whipped)

250ml milk (refrigerated)

100g sugar

50g cocoa powder

and ice-cream maker of course!

Yes, that's all you need! Just mix the ingredients, put the mixture in the fridge for about an hour and a half then pour it in the ice-cream maker and hey presto in twenty minutes you'll be indulging in a home-made ice-cream with a deep and rich chocolate flavour.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Light (Il-Kappella tal-Madonna tad-Dawl), Bidni Area, Marsascala

2009-06-09T14:46:00.003+02:00

On your way to Marsascala, via the old route, there is a country lane on the right hand side that takes you to an area known as Bidni. In a completely rural setting, with crickets and sparrows providing background music you can visit the 18th century chapel of Our Lady of the Light as I did two weeks ago.

This chapel was built in the second half of the 18th Century and replaced another chapel which was dedicated to St John the Baptist. Unfortunately, this chapel was closed by the bishop for lack of decent upkeep. At that time the Maltese were still very wary of building on the coast and many chapels were neglected. The new chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Light and it immediately attracted popular devotion. Meanwhile, people from all over Malta flocked here to pay her their homage.

The most interesting things found in this chapel are the 23 "ex voto" paintings kept in the vestry. These are small pictures made as fulfillment of vows to Our Lady of Light, mostly for assistance given to mariners in storms or in naval battles with the Turks. These paintings are fine specimens of popular art. They should be valued for the evidence they give of the devotion of the Maltese fishermen and the Knights towards the Madonna.

In each painting you see the letters V.F.G.A. (Voto Fatto, Grazia Acquisita -I received the grace after I had made the vow). Most of these small paintings belong to the 18th Century, with the oldest dating back to the year 1727. There are also relics from galleys, as fragments of rigging, likewise offered as fulfillment of some vow. This custom of offering Ex Voto paintings continued well in the 20th Century.

The main painting shows Our Lady holding the Child Jesus and helping save a Purgatory soul. Two other saints, John the Baptist, who reminds us of the previous chapel, and St Francis of Paola, a popular saint at the time, are also seen in this picture. On top of this painting there's a short Latin inscription, "Profer Lumen Caecis" (Give Sight to the Blind), a brief prayer to the Madonna, and beneath the painting "Mater Sanctissima Luminis" (Most Holy Mother of Light. "Tad-Dawl" is the Maltese for "of light").

Another writing on the door says that Rev. Lawrence Degabriele, Archpriest of Zejtun, repaired the chapel after the terrible storm of March 9, 1908, had inflicted great damage on it. It is said that this chapel remained under the administration of the Zejtun clergy because it was a priest from Zejtun than managed to give the last rites to a person dying at Bidni. Certain objects in nearby buildings are worth noticing, as a sundial and the stone loops for the erection of flagpoles on the 8th September, the day when the feast was held.

Pinned to the door of the chapel was a note advising the faithful when the next mass would be held. It added a human touch – and it was good to know that the chapel is still in use.

Historical Salt Pans in Marsascala (Is-Salini)

2009-06-01T15:50:00.009+02:00

Walking along the coast of Marsascala from the Dolcelatte ice-cream shop towards St Thomas Bay you are bound to see some rocks which have been painstakingly carved out into salt pans and which are a historical attraction in themselves. They probably date back to Roman ages. The irregular shapes of the pans fitting together like intricate patchwork make a wonderful sight. I have been told that salt is still being collected from these salt pans. One family has worked in the salt pans for many years, possibly generations. These salt collectors usually start work at around 5:30am to avoid the scorching heat of the sun.

Snails in summer

2009-05-31T14:05:00.011+02:00

As I was driving along the countryside in the limits of Zejtun I came across these weird masses of white shelled snails on top of stones and poles. These creatures are really weird. With the onset of summer they enter a period of inactivity known as estivation. They find the highest possible places so as to avoid damage from high temperatures of summer. Doesn't the heat of the sun bother them when they are under its cruel mercy? They're lucky that they've got white coloured shells but I still cannot understand how they survive the intense heat of our Maltese summers! Instead of finding places in the shade they suction themselves to the walls, dry branches or poles and retreat into their shells. Thus protected, they wait until the weather becomes more suitable.

Old Abandoned Buildings in Marsascala

2009-05-29T14:52:00.024+02:00

What is it with abandoned places, frozen in time, that makes them seem more real than any other representation of history we encounter? Why do they fascinate us so? It makes you wonder how many ghosts roam these deserted buildings...

Villa Mondello

On reaching the BOV branch in Marsascala one is bound to see the imposing beauty of Villa Mondello which was built around the 1930s. It used to be a school in its prime time. The children of that time must have been exceptionally lucky to attend to such a magnificent school. It now stands there - a derelict building, witness to the continuous changes that have been taking place in this village.

Ta' Grabiel's family house

This house used to belong to the family which at present runs the Grabiel business in Marsascala. This house had an unmistakable beauty in its heyday. Unfortunately now it's up for sale. I hope whoever buys it restores it back to its original beauty. We don't want to see any more lovely old houses demolished and replaced by high rise buildings. We have more than enough in Malta.

Incidentally, this week I happened to come across an old photo of Marsascala taken in 1885 and I was quite surprised to note that the house above was already in existence at that time! The old house is the last one in the right hand side of the photo. Here's a close up of the house.

Apap Bologna Palace

As I was strolling along the promenade a couple of weeks ago I found this old abandoned building up a slope behind Brighton take-away. Looking at this derelict building I couldn't believe that it was so quiet up there, so secluded. Only two fighting cats broke the silence that reigned in that place. The garden with the overgrown shrubs and creepers next to the house reminded me of Estelle's house in Dicken's Great Expectations. I was almost expecting an old woman hobbling in the garden. Curiosity got the better of me and back home I did some research as to what this lovely building used to be before. It belonged to the nobles Apap Bologna, on whom the title of "Marquis of Gnien is-Sultan" was bestowed by Grand Master de Rohan in 1792. These were great benefactors of the parish of Marsaskala. In the year 1997 the Apap Bologna Palace together with the chapel, was donated to the Bishop's Curia to serve as a rest house for elderly priests. However, I got the impression that the building is no longer in use..Who knows maybe I'm wrong..

The Carob Tree - Il-Harruba

2009-05-26T19:58:00.010+02:00

The Carob Tree (il-Harruba) is quite common on the Maltese Islands and could still be found in its natural habitat. The carob is one of the Mediterranean’s oldest trees, and grows without care or cultivation, surviving on meagre rainfall. This low-spreading tree with its characteristic canopy effect is part and parcel of the Maltese rural landscape and is protected by law.

The carob is indigenous to the eastern Mediterranean, and the Bible is replete with references to what are likely to be carob-pods, like the pods that the prodigal son fed to pigs when he wasted his father’s inheritance and was forced to become a humble swineherd. The pods are also known as St. John's bread or locust beans because the pods were once thought to have been the "locusts" that were eaten by John the Baptist in the wilderness. In the past carob seeds were used to weigh gold, hence the word "carat."

During the second World War, carobs fetched the highest price ever at a penny a pod. The seeds were ground along with precious and rare supplies of coffee-beans to make it last, something that the French did at the same time with acorns. In Malta and Sicily up to fairly recent times, carob syrup was used to soothe sore throats and ease coughs. I remember quite clearly when I developed a whooping cough and there was this old farmer (whose farm was situated in front of our home) who used to bring mum a lot of carob pods. She used to prepare this brownish mixture which she then made me drink. It didn’t look appealing but it really soothed my horrible and intense coughing bouts.

Carob sweets (il-karamelli) are still popular, and often sold at Good Friday processions because they are deemed traditionally to be the only sweets allowed during Lent, having supposedly medicinal properties. These sweets are made from the carob pods. According to an old Sicilian recipe for ‘Caramelle Di Carrube’ one needs to prepare equal amounts of carob pods and honey and have them boiled together until caramelised. The mixture is then strained and poured onto an oiled surface, marked into little squares and allowed to cool before being cut up into sweets.

Carob-pods, are now making a comeback as a health food in Europe. The carob-flour is made by grinding carob-pods that have been dried and roasted. It has a very strong flavour and must be used with care. The taste is a little like honeyed chocolate, and in fact carob is sometimes used as a substitute for chocolate. The dark-brown carob pods are not only edible but rich in calcium, sucrose and protein. Moreover, the pod has vitamin A, B vitamins, and several important minerals. And although carobs are very sweet, they contain far fewer calories than chocolate!! They are sold at high prices in many European food-markets, but in Malta they are no longer even harvested as food for animals!! Are carobs set for a revival in Malta too?

Capers - Il-Kappar

2009-05-25T18:26:00.009+02:00

Capers (kappar) have been a part of Mediterranean cuisine for thousands of years. In fact, they were often used as a type of currency among merchants travelling ancient trade routes. Soon, capers became favorite additions to fish sauces and marinades, along with brined and dried anchovies. The indigenous bush which produces capers is very well-suited to the sandy and nutrient-poor soil found in Malta. Caper bushes can often be found growing between the cracks of sidewalks and broken roads.

The salted and pickled caper is a distinctive ingredient in Maltese cooking: often used as a seasoning or garnish. The buds, when ready to pick, are a dark olive green and about the size of a kernel of corn. Capers ready for the market place are usually packed into distinctive glass jars filled with coarse salt or vinegar brine. They are used in salads, pasta salads, pizzas, fish dishes and pasta sauces. Examples of uses in Maltese cuisine are the “Hobz biz-Zejt”, "iz-Zalza tal-Lampuki". (Dolphin Fish sauce)

A number of kitchen supply stores and grocery stores in Malta sell bottled capers, so cooks should not have difficulty finding enough for a recipe. Capers straight out of the jar are far too salty for consumption, so it’s recommended placing them in a small strainer and rinsing them under running water before adding them to sauces or to fish. Because the flavor can be so intense, most recipes only require a few capers to add sharpness to a savory dish or sauce.

I still remember those days when our parents used to take us siblings for a walk in the countryside and to keep us occupied they used to give each of us a plastic bag to pick the capers from the bushes. It was kind of tedious but I used to love exploring all the nooks and crannies around me. Those were the days!

The caper bush

Strawberry and Coconut Cheesecake

2009-05-18T16:34:00.008+02:00

And here's another tried and tested recipe that has strawberries in it.

Ingredients

200g coconut biscuits (e.g Nice biscuits)
25g desiccated coconut
75g melted butter
405g light condensed milk
500g low fat cream cheese (e.g Philadelphia)
juice of 1 small lemon
450g strawberries
2tbsp strawberry jam

Method

Grease and line a 20cm tin with baking paper.

Mix together the crushed biscuits, coconut and melted butter. Then lightly press into the base of the tin. Chill.

Beat together the condensed milk and philadelphia cheese until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the lemon juice and combine thoroughly.

In a blender or food processor, pulse half the strawberries with the jam until lightly crushed, leaving small pieces.

Spread half the cream mixture on to the biscuit base. Spoon over all the crushed strawberries, then top with the remaining cream mixture. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Halve the remaining strawberries and arrange on top of the cheesecake.

Best Blenders For Mixing - Wowzio

2009-05-18T16:25:00.001+02:00

Best Blenders For Mixing - Wowzio

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The Valletta Waterfront

2009-05-18T15:59:00.006+02:00

In the 18th century Grandmaster Pinto built these baroque style warehouses in the Grand Harbour, a natural deep water port, which for many thousand of years was the centre of Malta’s maritime activity. There are 19 warehouses in all and these stretch along the water's edge and the historical Quay Wall where the Knights of St John and European merchants used to unload their wares.

The Valletta Waterfront has been brought back to life with the restoration works carried out by the private consortium VISET Malta. The Valletta Waterfront is also the gateway to Malta’s capital city, Valletta – a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen. In fact, as one of the most successful Mediterranean ports, the Port of Valletta welcomes more than half-a-million cruise passengers a year.

The Waterfront is currently being used as a popular venue with a concentration of upmarket bars, retail outlets and restaurants. International names such as Hard Rock Cafe operate in the area. Whether you are looking for a dining experience, shopping, a memorable event, or simply a stroll along the promenade, the Valletta Waterfront has something for all your senses.

Marsascala police station

2009-05-12T15:44:00.008+02:00

Coastal redoubts were one type of coastal defences built in the early 18th century. The most numerous types of fortifications of this period were the coastal batteries, which were generally built in vulnerable bays opposite each other and armed with cannons. On the other hand coastal redoubts were built in the middle of the bay in order not to let enemy forces disembark their troops ashore.

They operated as an infantry defensible stronghold to resist enemy troops. The idea of building this type of fortification was brilliant because if enemy soldiers were able to disembark their soldiers, they would overwhelm these fortifications quickly. The reason was because in the middle of the bay there was no fortification. But with the introduction of the coastal redoubt the situation was different because all the vulnerable points of the bay were defended by these coastal fortifications.

This redoubt is currently being used as a police station in Marsascala and is very close to the parish church. It is one of the best preserved redoubts in the Maltese islands. It was built in 1715 at the expense of 768 skudi by the Commendatore Gio.Battista Briconet and was initially garrisoned by local militia from the Zejtun Regiment. It consists of a pentagon-shaped fortification and entrance was from the side today facing a private building. A redan, ( a work in a V-shaped projecting angle) fitted with musketary loop-holes, was erected. Obviously such a small fortification was not meant to deter any potential landing, but to slow down an enemy's movements once on land.

Lemon Meringue

2009-05-11T17:53:00.005+02:00

And here's my lemon meringue recipe. In the photo my pie looks a bit messed up. The humid weather didn't help much but I assure you that it was gorgeous.

Ingredients

CASE:1 x 23cm pastry case, made from short crust pastry, baked blind and cooled.

LEMON CURD:

Juice and grated rind of two lemons

300ml water

110g sugar

4 tablespoons cornflour, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

MERINGUE:

4 egg whites at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

TIPS: When making meringue, your utensils must be squeaky clean and bone dry.

Method

1. Combine the lemon juice, rind, water and sugar.
2. Heat, stirring till the sugar is dissolved.
3. Stir in the dissolved corn flour and egg yolks, and continue cooking till the mixture is thick (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for a few minutes..
5. Spoon into the pastry case.
6. Beat the egg whites till stiff. Gradually beat in the sugar. The mixture should form stiff, dry peaks.
7. Pile the meringue on top of the lemon filling, taking care to cover it completely.
8. Bake at 150ºC for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the meringue has set and is golden brown.
9. Leave to stand till cool.

Let me know if you try this..

A Busy Sunday

2009-05-11T17:01:00.004+02:00

When I set my mind to do something I just have to do it. For this mother's day I came up with the idea of preparing something good and homemade for mummy rather than going materialistic. Last week I had thought of preparing her a strawberry cheesecake as it looks aesthetically pleasant and I had already bought the stuff. However, when I called my mum last week she mentioned how much she liked anything to do with lemons...I mean, I knew she liked lemons but I never knew they were her favourite fruit ...so my strawberry cheesecake idea was shelved temporarily .. So I asked myself what lemon tasting dessert could I make for mum. A friend of mine suggested I try a lemon meringue. I liked the idea but the only snag was that I had never tried it. And this was definitely not going to discourage me.

Come Sunday morning and I woke up at around 6:20 when even the birds were still snoozing near our house. I went to check the recipe and realised I was missing the short crust pastry. So off I went to the nearest confectionery. Back home I started preparing the Sunday lunch (spare ribs, baked cauliflower - thanks to my friend Doreen's recipe, chinese noodles, and potato wedges) while defrosting the pastry in the microwave.

I was very careful to follow the instructions word by word and everything seemed to be going perfect until I came to the meringue bit...That's where I blew it. I mixed the sugar and eggs together before having beaten the eggs by themselves. So 4 egg whites went down the loo.

Luckily I had another batch of eggs and managed to beat the egg whites until I had 'dry peaks'. Boy, didn't I feel relieved! At around 9:30am my hubby woke up, and came to see what I was up to. He asked me if I was ready - well I wasn't but we had agreed to go out with his family at around 10am. I took a quick shower, dashed to the roof to hang the clothes, checked on the lemon meringue in the oven and tried to clear some of the numerous utensils I had left on the cupboards...

We went to San Anton fur and feather fair to see the cute rabbits and strange looking hens and cocks. Back home I said to myself why don't I prepare a strawberry cheesecake too. Sometimes I am simply unstoppable. And I started taking out some more utensils to finish this cheesecake. By 2:00pm I managed to prepare Sunday lunch + 2 desserts. I was dead tired, what with all the cleaning and clearing but was so glad to have managed my Sunday itinerary perfectly well. As the saying goes...it's all a matter of timing!

And by the way when I took the lemon meringue to my family's home they thought I had bought a lemon meringue packet and whipped it up in 5 mins! I didn't know whether to feel offended that they couldn't recognise the real thing from a ready made one or pleased that my dessert tasted so good that it seemed like a professionally done one. hehe. Anyway to cut the long story short they liked it so much that they asked for second helpings. Another success story!

Il-Majjistral Park Walk

2009-05-08T09:41:00.013+02:00

This is the best time to go out for a walk in the countryside. We went to the Majjistral Park Guided Nature Walk when it was still free and I can say it was a really lovely experience! It's a walk that offers you an opportunity to learn more about Malta's flora and enjoy the spectacular countryside. The walk is six kilometres long and takes approximately two-and-half hours, while the terrain consists mostly of rocky paths along the cliffs, and dirt tracks.

The site is rich of biodiversity and history giving you an experience of natural beauty, a walk in history and a sense of wilderness that is hard to imagine and experience in Malta – an island densely populated and under the pressure of development and progress. The highlights of the area included amongst others: beautiful views on the northwest coast, wild rugged landscapes along the boulder scree below the plateaus, a large number of traditional corbelled stone huts (giren) and a rich garigue bursting with flowers.

The park extends from ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa (Golden Bay) to Il-Prajjet (Anchor Bay) and the walks are led by a qualified and experienced guide. The site was first earmarked as an area to host a Golf course with an aim to attract a niche of golf tourism to our Island. In the process the authorities changed their decision and declared the site a national park aimed for public enjoyment and with a focus to attract niche tourism – this time ecotourism. The NGos that had lobbied to convince the Authorities to change their position on Golf ended up being assigned the management of the Park. Today Din L-Art Helwa, Nature Trust (Malta) and Gaia Foundation are working hard withthe local authorities to conserve the area.

Here are some more highlights of our nature walk :

The cart ruts

The Cave Dwellings

A lost cameleon

A rare view of sheep grazing in the fields

The place which marked the end of our Nature walk.

For more details go to http://www.majjistral.org/.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

2009-05-08T09:03:00.004+02:00

Last Wednesday I had only one and a half hour to spare before going out and as I looked at my bowl full of lemons one thought came to mind...a lemon cake..!! The result was a tangy and gorgeous cake.

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter,
50ml oil
Finely grated zest 2 lemons
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
50g ground almonds
150g plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour
2½ tsp baking powder
90ml lemon juice
75g icing sugar

Method

Line a small, 17cm-long loaf tin, or similar, with nonstick baking paper, and preheat the oven to 180C (fan-assisted 160C)/350F/gas mark 4. Melt the butter, then pour into a mixing bowl along with the oil. Add the lemon zest, sugar and eggs, whisk for a minute until smooth and slightly bubbly, then stir in the almonds.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornflour and baking powder, then sift half of this into the butter/egg bowl. Beat in 75ml of the lemon juice, then sift in the remaining flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tin, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove and leave to cool for five minutes. Beat the remaining 15ml of lemon juice with the icing sugar, and spread this mix over the top of the cake while it's still in the tin. The icing is spooned on while the cake is hot, and this helps it turn into that beautiful, crisp lemon glaze as it cools. Leave until barely warm before serving.

Spring is in the air...

2009-05-06T18:22:00.007+02:00

Yes!! The lovely smell of regeneration is in the air. It's the season of new life. Most of the flowers are in full bloom. The roundabouts and the centre strips are a myriad of colours. Spring makes me feel alive again after having spent winter under wraps. Winter makes me hibernate and slow down. It is the season which makes me go dormant. But spring awakens my senses. There's the sound of bees, flies and nestlings. The perfume of the beautiful flowers tickles my sense of smell. The sight of the different and bright colours makes me realise how lucky I am to be alive.

The photos above show some of flowers that have bloomed in our front garden.

Maltese balconies in Marsascala

2009-05-04T18:40:00.008+02:00

The balconies are unequivocally an important feature of the Maltese streetscape. They are amongst the first characteristics of Malta you notice. In many ways, they are similar architecturally to those of the North African countries. In Gozo and in some older Maltese villages, you’ll see square stone balconies, often elaborately carved. The elegant wooden balconies of Valletta (the capital city of Malta) were used as a view point for families to catch up on the business of the streets below. Today in Valletta you will see baskets lowered from balconies for the baker to pop in a loaf of bread. This simple act saves the home owner several tortuous flight of stairs. The finest and longest balcony is that of the Grand Master’s palace in Valletta. It stretches around corners and along the side street walls.

It is believed that the first open balconies built entirely from stone began to appear locally during medieval times and that the first closed timber balcony appeared around 1679, when the corner balcony of the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta was covered with a timber and glass structure joining all the rooms on this side of the Palace. During the 18th century the popularity of the closed timber balcony spread from Valletta to the villages where it became fashionable to replace the open balconies with an enclosed timber one.

Last Friday I woke up early and went for a drive round my lovely hometown. I took photos of some particular houses which caught my attention. These three houses with their different colour schemes look really lovely next to each other. Don't you agree?

I took photos of the above balconies because I think these Marsascala houses are pretty old. And their balconies are rather unusual. I have never encountered such balconies anywhere else in Malta.

Lemons: Sorbetto Sicilia

2009-05-04T18:24:00.007+02:00

Last weekend, my mother in law gave me a bag full of lemons! So last week was strawberry week. Now it seems it's gonna be a lemon week. First thing I thought of making, was a lemon sorbet. I served it yesterday for dessert. To be honest with you when I first tasted the cold mixture it was so good that I didn't give it ample time to form into sorbet. I served it as it was.

Here's the recipe.

150 ml fresh lemon juice

150 ml fresh orange juice

150g sugar

250 ml water

grated orange peel (1/2 an orange)

grated lemon peel (1/2 a lemon)

In a mixing bowl, put the sugar, water and fruit juices and stir well. Add grated peel. Pour in Ice-Cream bowl and let the ice-cream machine stir the mixture for around 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Cocktail

2009-05-04T17:59:00.007+02:00

Here's another way of using some more strawberries.

Ingredients for 2 martini glasses :

6 ice cubes

8 strawberries

a little lemonade

100ml vodka

Blitz the strawberries and ice-cubes and divide the mixture between the two glasses. Then add 50ml of vodka to each glass. Add some lemonade to mellow the vodka's powerful taste. Decorate with a couple of strawberries. Enjoy!

Chicken a la Carte

2009-05-01T08:42:00.005+02:00

Here's a film which has left me pondering about the dire situation of so many people around the world... and yet they are so happy.

Chicken a la Carte : Director: Ferdinand Dimadura Genre: Drama Produced In: 2005

Synopsis: This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization. There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.

Share the movie with friends:

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte

A Super Easy Strawberry Flan

2009-04-29T15:54:00.006+02:00

Yesterday I prepared this super easy strawberry flan (and which was a great success) and thought of sharing it with you. I know it looks very amateurish but when you've got loads of strawberries you need to think up a few ways of making use of them.

What you need is :

A ready made flan

a pack of strawberry jelly

around 300ml of tepid water

a box of fresh strawberries

a pack of whipped cream (such as Dolceneve)

around 500ml of cold milk

First I prepared the jelly mixture. The trick here is to use half the amount of water shown on the pack. That way you avoid having a soggy flan.

Then I added the amount of milk required with the Dolceneve mixture and whipped it for around 5 minutes.

Next, I cut the flan in two and poured the jelly on the bottom half. Then I spread some of the whipped cream on top of the jelly.

I replaced the top part of the flan and continued spreading the cream on the top part. Finally I cut each of the fresh strawberries in halves and decorated the flan with them. Super easy and really yummy!

Here's a photo of half of my flan. I'll leave it to your imagination to guess where the other part of the flan has gone!

Strawberries anyone?

2009-04-28T18:37:00.005+02:00

Last Sunday my sisters-in-law and I went to the strawberry festival - or as known in Maltese 'Festa Frawli' that was held in Mgarr. The square was buzzing with people who came from far away to enjoy themselves at this fair.

There were various stalls on the church parvis selling anything that has to do with strawberries. People could be seen jostling at the stalls to have their share of strawberry goodies. There were strawberry ravioli, strawberry risottos, strawberry ice-cream, pancakes, waffles, fresh strawberries, jams, cakes, chocolate-dipped strawberries..so many goodies! I made a pig of myself and had a strawberry waffle, an ice-cream followed by a Hobza biz-zejt, and kannoll- all in that order.

I got carried away with the atmosphere and bought 4 packs of strawberries. One pack at 3 euros each seemed a bit pricey but then I realized that every pack was fully packed with huge delicious strawberries. (I couldn’t even find one bad strawberry!) Their taste was incredible. They were so sweet! Today I made a strawberry ice-cream, a strawberry milkshake for my husband, and a strawberry flan.

Malta in the old days

2009-04-25T14:59:00.007+02:00

This week a friend of mine forwarded me some beautiful photos of Malta in the past. Were it not for these photos our generation and future ones would not be able to appreciate how Malta was before we started demolishing the lovely buildings and replacing them with high ones...

The photo below depicts the tram passing through Fleur de Lys in 1912.

In the second photo the tram is seen passing through Portes de Bombes in Floriana. I never knew that the fortresses were attached to Portes de Bombes..

In the third photo one can see the train passing through the tunnels underneath the main entrance of Valletta. The train station was situated there. This photo dates back to c 1890.

An old bus..

The Alhambra theatre in Sliema which now houses the Zara complex. Been going through that shop so many times and never realised it was that old!

The Sliema coast.

In the photo below the famous chalet can be clearly seen built on a reef projecting out from the shoreline. The structure was completed in 1926 to the design of the British architect B.W. Cordwell. The two tier reinforced concrete structure was interpreted in the contemporary Neo-Liberty/Art Deco architectural style. The chalet at Ghar id-Dud was a popular rendezvous as an open air café and dance floor until the early 1960’s when it was closed down due to severe deterioration which rendered the structure unsound. Ever since its closure the platform structure support on concrete columns has suffered even further deterioration due to its highly vulnerable location exposed as it is to the elements. Today it is a derelict remnant of a by-gone age and is an aesthetic eyesore. Years have passed and yet we still use the famous Maltese expression "Mela hsibtek qieghed ix-Chalet?" which translates to : "Do you think you are at the Chalet?" We refer this question at someone who's lying somewhere very relaxed.

Tower Road in Sliema. What a difference from the present Road!

A lovely quote...

2009-04-23T16:57:00.003+02:00

As I was going through my emails I came across this quote which really makes sense.

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she will give you a home.
if you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a tonne of shit!!

The Three Crosses

2009-04-18T17:18:00.006+02:00

During one of my walks in my hometown of Marsascala I came across this strange monument in the Bidni area. It's got these three crosses engraved on a wall. The middle cross which is slightly larger than the other two has around what look like seven tools hanging from it. My question is who erected this memorial and for what reason? It's a pity that there is no date or inscription to explain why it was built in the first place.

Till 1615, Zabbar and Marsascala, were still forming part of the Zejtun parish. At that time a mere 650 people inhabited Zabbar. As was the practice, Bishop Cagliares established the limits of the young parish. As a matter of fact, a section of modern Marsascala remained within the limits of Zejtun, while another part which included the areas where the first parish church of Marsascala was built, fell within the limits of Zabbar. It is possible that the Three Crosses at Bidni were put up as an indication of the place where the limits of Zejtun and Zabbar met.

According to Guze Muscat Azzopardi there are three versions regarding the origin of these crosses. There were three monks who got killed by the Turks and buried here, the second version says that a man died of the plague and was buried here by the villagers of Zejtun and the last version is undoubtedly the least credible one: an elderly hermit was buried three times in this place after repeatedly rising from death.

Marsascala

2009-04-07T15:01:00.003+02:00

This kind of spring weather makes me feel the urge to go out for walks and explore new paths in the countryside. To be honest, I do not walk much but when I do I really enjoy myself. I take my camera with me - always on the look out for old disused paths, something unusual, derelict buildings, or a beautiful scene. In one of my walks in Marsascala, I took some pictures which you will see in the coming posts.

Marsascala is a small picturesque sea-side village in South Eastern Malta that has grown up around Marsascala Bay. It also goes by the name of Wied il-Ghajn. In the past it used to be a fishing village but now it has been turned into a tourist resort. Marsascala is divided into different areas namely, Zonqor, Bidni, Siberia, Bellavista and St. Thomas area.

In summer Marsascala is buzzing with activity. Most of the people usually walk along the promenade that stretches all the way around the bay from Zonqor Point around to the ex-Jerma Palace Hotel, with stops on the way for drinks and snacks from the bars and restaurants nearby. These walks usually take place in the evenings as it's a lot cooler than during the day when its just too warm to contemplate walking, and the day is usually spent in and around the cafes and restaurants.

2009-04-06T20:14:00.000+02:00

I was never in favour of blogs. In my opinion, they can be very revealing about one's life. But on reading other people's blogs I realised that blogs do not have to be about one's life - they can cover any topic one may fancy. It's all about what one chooses to write...