Anna Sultana’s Appetizers: Cheese Balls, Cheese Crescents and Stuffed Mushrooms

Happy New Year!!

I know, we just finished saying ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Hanukkah’, which is still going on until the evening of January 1, and now another celebration is bearing down on us.

Friends… gotta love ‘em.

They just want to drop in to wish you all the best in the new year.

There are even traditions about New Year visitors:

The first person to enter your home after midnight foretells the kind of luck you’ll have in the coming year. 

A tall, dark, handsome male bearing small gifts is said to bring the best luck; and no one should leave the house until someone first enters from outside.

How this happens is your problem.

Yeah, New Year visitors can affect your whole year!

So they really have to be treated with respect.

And, of course, they have to be fed.

Ma had some easy holiday snacks for just such important folks.

Some of the recipes require a bit of chilling.

It might be a good idea to do the prep work today.

That way you can relax and enjoy your guests.

After all, they meant well and your whole new year depends on them!

Wondering when Hanukkah will happen in the next few years? Here's a list:

2017:   December 12 - 20

2018:   December 2 - 10

2019:   December 22 - 30

2020:   December 10 - 19

Hope it helps!

                        Cheese Balls 

Chop separately and set each aside 

well drained roasted red peppers, enough to make 1/4 Cup

2 green onions

pecans, enough to make 1 2/3 Cups

Place in a large mixer bowl
500 g cream cheese, softened
200 g shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper 

Beat with mixer until blended.

Divide the cheese mixture in half.

To one half add the chopped roasted red peppers.

To the other half add the chopped green onions.

Mix each until blended. 

Refrigerate several hours so the flavours will blend.

Shape into 24 1-inch balls and roll in the chopped nuts. 

Or make Cheese Logs by dividing in half and rolling each half into a 6 inch log before coating with nuts.

Refrigerate until ready to serve with crackers. 

Hints:

Vary the stuffing by using the following:

1/4 Cup chopped fresh dill and / or 1/4 Cup chopped green onion 

medium or old cheddar cheese
green olives instead of the roasted red peppers

For variety coat the cheese balls with any of the following: 

toasted sesame seeds, chopped fresh parsley, dried parsley or paprika 

your favourite grated cheese or chopped nuts

grated parmesan cheese with a little finely chopped fresh parsley

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                        Cheese Crescents

32 crescents 

Mix until blended
1/2 Cup cream cheese 

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon bacon bits (either real or packaged)

Open
2 cans (235 g each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 

Separate into 16 triangles. 

Spread each triangle with 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture.

Cut each triangle in half.

Starting at short side of triangle, roll up. 

Place, point-sides down, on baking sheet.

Heat oven to 375°F. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Serve warm. 

Hints:

Vary the filling by adding any of the following to the seasoned cream cheese:

shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese

crumbled Feta with green onion or chopped spinach

black olives and sun dried tomatoes and grated cheddar

smoked salmon with chives or capers

garlic salt, canned small shrimp and chopped green onions, with or without chopped red peppers

For a sweeter filling don’t use the sage and garlic. Use this instead:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon chopped walnuts 

Allergic to nuts? Don’t want cream cheese? Use chocolate chips.

If you’re in a rush you can use different flavoured cream cheese.

If you have the mini crescent rolls you won’t need to cut them.

To make ahead, prepare the crescents, and place them on the baking sheet. Refrigerate up to 4 hours before baking as directed.

The leftovers are also good cold out of the fridge or reheated in the microwave.

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                        Stuffed Mushrooms

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan

In a medium bowl mix
3/4 Cup fine bread crumbs

1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 cup hot water 

Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Remove stems from
16 large mushrooms, about 1 pound

Arrange caps in the prepared pan.

Finely chop 

the mushroom stems

1/2 of a small green pepper
1/2 of a small red pepper

Place in a large frying pan
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine 

Add 

the chopped stems and peppers

Cook, stirring constantly, until tender. 

Stir the fried vegetables into the stuffing. 

Spoon the stuffing into the mushroom caps.

Preheat broiler.

Drizzle the caps with 

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 

Broil caps 5 to 7 inches from the heat 5 minutes, or until heated through. 

Garnish with

chopped basil

shredded cheese

Serve with crackers, bread slices and vegetables.

Hints:

Vary the stuffing by adding any of the following:

garlic, chopped green onions and grated mozzarella cheese 

cooked bacon and onions

cream cheese
canned small shrimp or crab meat

If you’re in a rush you can use a 120 g box of Stove Top Stuffing Mix.
Before next holiday season make a batch of the stuffing mix and keep it in the freezer.

Anna Sultana’s Cornbread and Polenta

A few days ago I posted the recipe for Ma’s Barbecued Pork Side Ribs.

The post also included the recipe for her barbecue sauce.

I mentioned that I would serve it with a salad and cornbread.

Got an e mail… 

I should’ve included the recipe for the cornbread.

A couple of years ago I posted the recipe for Carmela Soprano's Salmon Steaks with Avocado Salsa.

I mentioned that cornbread would be good with it.

I guess no one tried my suggestion for Carmela's salmon dinner, because I didn’t get any requests for the cornbread recipe.

Cornbread is not a Maltese recipe.

It’s a quick bread that contains cornmeal and is leavened with baking powder.

Since it doesn’t have yeast in it, it doesn’t need to rise.

If you’ve made muffins, you know how to make cornbread.

I don’t know where Ma got her recipe for cornbread.

She already had cornmeal in the kitchen.

Sometimes, as a change from pasta or rice, she used the cornmeal to make polenta.

Most of the time she served the polenta straight from the pot, as is. 

Sometimes she poured it into a greased pan and baked it to make a bread. 

She also served the leftovers by slicing the baked bread and frying the slices.

She thought cornbread was easy to make.

About the cornbread…

Don’t get annoyed if the family doesn’t finish it at one sitting.

You can crumble the dry bread and use it in poultry stuffing.

                        Cornbread 

grease an 8 inch square pan

preheat oven to 350º F

Bake 45 minutes

Combine in a small bowl

1 Cup cornmeal

1/2 Cup milk

Set aside.

Combine in a small bowl 

1 1/4 Cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Combine in a measuring cup

1 Cup milk

1 large egg

Place in a medium bowl

1/2 Cup shortening

Beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in

1/2 Cup sugar

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the liquid (3 dry and 2 liquid).

Blend in the cornmeal mix.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 45 minutes.

Cool bread in the pan 5 minutes.

Turn out and serve hot.

It can be sliced and served with butter, as any bread.

It can also be sliced thinly and served with syrup and butter, like pancakes.

                        Polenta

Place in a medium pot

4 Cups water

Bring to a boil.

Add

1 teaspoon salt

Gradually stir in 

1 Cup cornmeal

Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Serve hot.

As a breakfast cereal polenta can be served in a bowl with milk and butter.

If you made it for dinner, it’s like serving mashed potatoes.

You can top polenta with butter, or gravy, or a sauce.

Anna Sultana’s Stuffed Peppers, Maltese Style

Maltese recipes include quite a few stuffed vegetable recipes.

If something has an indentation, we will fill it.

Maybe it’s a form of nesting.

Maybe it's a type of hoarding.

Maybe it’s a way of making some really good recipes.

Ma had a few Maltese ways of stuffing green peppers.

She had two favourite Bżar Aħdar Mimli recipes, one had pork and one had anchovies.

Over the years Ma picked up some recipes from her co-workers and friends.

Can’t keep a good recipe down.

But, of course, Ma added her own touches.

This recipe calls for red bell peppers, which are ripened green peppers.

Green peppers are less sweet than yellow or orange peppers.
Red bell peppers are the sweetest.

You can use what your family prefers.

If you're shopping at a grocery store, you might find red, yellow and green bell peppers being sold together and called traffic light peppers.

You could pick up a few packs for this recipe.

The kids might enjoy the variety of colour.

Or they might fight over the yellow peppers.

So it goes.

If the kids are in that stage of life, stick to the red peppers.

Yes, they'll outgrow it.

Hint:

It would be a good idea to have tomato sauce on hand, or to make it about 3 hours before you make the stuffed peppers.

Ma’s recipe for tomato sauce will make enough for this recipe.

This is her sauce recipe if you want to use fresh tomatoes.

                       Stuffed Peppers

Serves 6

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan               

Wash

6 red bell peppers

Cut around the stems to remove them.

Cut peppers in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers. 

Place the pepper halves on the baking pan.

Place in a large pot

2 pounds lean ground beef or lean ground pork (or lean ground chicken or a mixture)

Fry, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat for 15 minutes.

Add

4 Cups tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon pepper

Simmer 20 minutes.

Add 

1 Cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel

4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Stir until everything is well combined.

Preheat oven to 450º  

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture into each pepper half.

Have on hand 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle over each pepper half

About 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Bake about 30 minutes, until cheese is melted, and lightly golden brown.

Serve on a bed of rice or with pasta.

Have some extra sauce and cheese for everyone to add to the rice or pasta.

Roasted potatoes would also go well with the green peppers.

Anna Sultana’s Stuffed Chicken & Soup, Maltese Style - Tigiega Mimlja

I’ve been watching Property Brothers in awe.

Each person gets his or her own bedroom and, if it doesn't come with an ensuite bathroom, then at least each person gets a personal sink.

During the 50s my home life was a little cozier.

Ma and Pop owned a duplex with a storefront.

Each apartment had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom.

That was one bathroom with just one sink and a shower over the tub for my parents, their three children and Ma’s brother and mother.

We managed.

Ma had to cook for seven people, seven days a week.

Man does not live by bread alone.

Or by rabbit alone - even when it’s cooked Maltese style.

When Pop's homegrown bunnies were too small to make a decent sized meal, Ma went to plan B and served Stuffed Chicken.

Ma’s Stuffed Chicken is not for vegetarians.

She extended it by using bits and pieces of what was in the fridge.

It was delicious and we were fed.

What more did we need?

Hints:

When cleaning the chicken be sure to save the liver.

It can be chopped and added to the filling.

Even Julia Child (or Dan Akroyd) knew to Save The Liver!

If you’d like the chicken to be crisper, rub lard on the surface after you have placed it in the roasting pan.

                        Stuffed Chicken

Grease a baking dish with

1/2 Cup lard

Quarter

2 pounds potatoes

Place the potatoes in the greased baking dish.

After the stuffing has been prepared

Preheat oven 350º 

Place the potatoes in the oven.

Clean 

1 chicken

Filling

Place in a medium bowl

1/2 pound ground beef or pork or a mixture

the chopped chicken liver

1 Cup dry breadcrumbs

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 hard boiled egg, chopped

Mix well.

Add

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Fill the chicken with this mixture.

In a dutch oven place

1 stick of celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 kohlrabi, chopped

the stuffed chicken

enough water to cover the chicken

Bring the water to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

Remove the pan of potatoes from the oven.

Push the potatoes from the centre of the pan to make room for the chicken.

Carefully lift the chicken from the broth and place it in the pan.
Sprinkle with
1 teaspoon rosemary (optional)

Return pan to oven.

Roast, uncovered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

About 1/2 hour before serving the chicken add to the broth

1/2 Cup rice

Cover and bring to a boil.

Serve the soup as a first course.

Serve the chicken as a second course with the potatoes.

Peas or a tomato and lettuce salad would be a good addition, too.

Or some of Ma's Green Bean Salad.

Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Mushrooms

The holiday season is in full swing.

Yes, I know, the past weeks just flew.

Unfortunately your company's appetites didn't fly away, too.

Okay… time to fill their tummies with bread crumbs.

Seriously.

In 2010 I posted a quick description of Carmela Soprano's Stuffed Mushrooms 

from Entertaining with the Sopranos.

I also quoted what Hugh Jackman had said in Kate & Leopold...

In a perfect world meals are the result of study and reflection.  

Without the culinary arts, existence would be unbearable.

And sometimes meals are a result of scanning the flyers.

About the mushrooms:

Some cooks could just take the suggestions and run with it.

And some cooks want measurements.

Alrighty then, here they are.

Hints:

Carmela said to wash the mushrooms under running water.  

I prefer wiping them with a damp cloth so they won't get mushy.  

                        Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 12

Preheat the oven to 400º

Oil 1 or 2 baking pans to hold the mushrooms in a single layer.

Clean

36 large cremini or white mushrooms (2 1/2 pounds)

Snap off the stems and set them aside.

Arrange the mushroom caps upside down in the prepared pans.

Trim off the ends of the stems.

Chop the stems and place them in a bowl.

Add to the chopped stems

1 1/2 Cups plain dry bread crumbs

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Stir in

1/2 Cup olive oil

Spoon the crumb mixture into the caps

Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.

Serve hot.

Anna Sultana's Baked Stuffed Lampuki - Baked Fish, Maltese Style

Since it's the Lampuki Season 
- at least it's the Lampuki Season in Malta - 

I thought I'd mention another lampuki recipe.

This is a baked fish recipe.

So, yes, it is a little healthier than a fried fish recipe.

If you can't find lampuki, substitute another dense fish.

Ma used bluefish and haddock.

I've used this recipe with salmon, too.

Hints:

You can place 3 strings on the potatoes before you place the fish on top.

After filling the fish, tie it together.

Or not.

The anchovies and olives are salty.

So if that's enough salt for you, don't add more.

The baking time depends on the thickness of the fish.

If you got a particularly thick section, go long.

If you didn't, don't.

                        Baked Stuffed Lampuki

Serves 4

Combine in a bowl

2 Tablespoons bread crumbs

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon mint

2 anchovies, chopped

3 olives, chopped

2 Tablespoons olive oil

In a well greased baking pan place

2 onions, sliced

1 kilo potatoes, sliced

Place 

1 kilo lampuki, cleaned

on top of the sliced vegetables.

Put the filling mixture in the side of the fish.

Secure the fish. (or not)

Cover the fish with

4 large tomatoes, cut into halves

Sprinkle with

1 Tablespoon mint

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Drizzle over the fish

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Bake in a 350º F oven for about an hour.

Anna Sultana's Bringiel Mimli II - Stuffed Eggplant, Maltese Style

Got an e mail about a recipe I posted about two years ago.

It was for Ma's Brinġiel Mimli.

That's stuffed eggplant, Maltese style.

Is there a variation?

Of course there is.

Eggplant isn't quite as popular as potatoes, tomatoes and corn.

At least not for many North Americans.

Which is a shame.

Eggplant is low in fat and carbohydrates. 

A 1998 study in Brazil found that eggplant juice reduces weight and cholesterol.

Don't get excited - if you're on medication stay with it.

And eggplant has a weird side...

There's a bit of nicotine in it. 

Don't get scared - 20 pounds of eggplant has as much nicotine as a cigarette.

But some people do get itchy skin or mouth, mild headache, and stomach upset after handling or eating eggplant. 

Eggplant is high in histamines.

Cooking gets rid of most of the problem, but some people still react.

So, if you get allergic reactions, be a little careful if this is your first time.

I'm hoping you will try eggplant and that you won't have any problems.

Because eggplant can be delicious.

Especially the way Ma cooked it.

A small hint: 

After slicing the eggplants lengthwise, sprinkle the 2 cut surfaces with salt

and let them sit 15 minutes.

Then wipe off the salt.  This will remove the bitter taste.

If you want this vegetarian style, you can use that 'veggie ground round'.

Add a little olive oil to replace the animal fat.

                        

                         Brinġiel mimli

                       

grease a baking dish         

preheat oven to 425º        

bake 45 minutes

Wash

4 eggplants

Halve length-wise and prepare (see above)

Parboil for 5 minutes.

Let cool and scoop out some of the pulp.

(Go easy - you want a firm boat-shaped container left.)

In a large deep skillet pour

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Heat oil over medium heat.

Add 

200 grams ground pork

50 grams bacon, chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 Cup bread crumbs

Fill the eggplants with the mixture.

Place them, filling side up, in the baking dish

Sprinkle over top of filling

grated cheese (Romano or Parmesan or a combination)

Bake about 45 minutes, depending on how crusty you like the top surface.

Serve hot with your favourite pasta and sauce and a salad.

Hot rice or a crusty loaf of bread would also work.

Anna Sultana's Bzar Ahdar Mimli II - Stuffed Green Peppers, Maltese Style

Okay.. you know what's coming.

Ma's recipe for Stuffed Green Peppers with meat is great. But of course Ma had more than one way to stuff bell peppers.

And a good thing, too.

Some people object to eating meat.

Especially as a stuffing in a vegetable.

No problem.

Ma had a recipe for Bżar Aħdar Mimli that is meatless.

The peppers in this recipe are fried on their sides, after they have been stuffed.

And, yes, you can use the red, yellow and green bell peppers that are sold together and called traffic light peppers.

                        Bżar Aħdar Mimli

Serves 4

In a large deep skillet pour

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Heat oil over medium heat.

Add

2 onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Fry until the onion is golden.

Add

2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 Tablespoon capers

8 olives, pitted and chopped

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped 

100 grams anchovies, chopped

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Fry a few minutes.

Stir in

1 Cup bread crumbs

Fry a few more minutes.

Cut off the tops of

4 large green peppers

Set aside the pepper tops.

Fill the peppers with the stuffing mixture.

In a large deep skillet pour

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Heat oil over medium heat.

Add

the stuffed green peppers

Lightly fry the green peppers on all sides.

Lower the flame to a simmer.

Cook the peppers until they are heated through.

The cooked stuffed peppers can also be served cold.

If you're looking for more of a challenge, 

try Carmela Soprano's Neopolitan Style Stuffed Peppers.

Anna Sultana's Bzar Ahdar Mimli - Stuffed Green Peppers, Maltese Style

A few days ago I posted about Ma's Qarabali Mimli.

Ma always prepared stuffed vegetables.

Her motto was 'have bread crumbs, will stuff.'

The only vegetable Ma didn't stuff was…

No, I've seen her stuff that, too.

At least twice.

Some vegetables, like Qarabali Mimli, could be turned into a total meal.

Some vegetables just became heftier side dishes.

All were good.

Ma's Bżar Aħdar Mimli - Stuffed Green Peppers - were of the latter type.

To Ma stuffing was just a different way of using some of Pop's garden produce.

Pop stuck to basics: tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers.

And Ma had a few recipes for each vegetable.

If you're shopping at a grocery store, you might find red, yellow and green bell peppers being sold together and called traffic light peppers.

You could pick up a few packs for this recipe.

The kids might enjoy the variety of colour.

Or they might fight over the yellow peppers.

So it goes.

If the kids are in that stage of life, stick to the green peppers.

Yes, they'll outgrow it.

                       Bżar Aħdar Mimli

Serves 4

grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan         

preheat oven to 350º        

bake 35 minutes

Fry

100 grams ground pork

In a large bowl place the stuffing ingredients

150 grams white bread, crumbled

4 Tablespoons milk

1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

The fried ground pork

Combine well.

Cut off the tops of

8 large green peppers

Set aside the pepper tops.

Scoop out the core and seeds and rinse.

Parboil the peppers for 3 minutes.

Fill the peppers with the bread / pork mixture.

Replace the tops and place the peppers in the prepared pan.

Pour around the peppers

1 Cup water

Bake about 35 minutes, until the peppers are soft.

Serve on a bed of rice or with pasta.

Roasted potatoes would also go well with the green peppers.

Anna Sultana's Qarabali Mimli - Stuffed Zucchini, Maltese Style

While I was growing up, Pop had a garden.

Over the past forty years, I've usually had a garden.

It was just a given, a natural part of life, like having a toilet.

Pop wasn't the crunchy granola type.

I'm not the crunchy granola type.

A garden is just what one sometimes needs to cook Maltese style.

Take the ever popular zucchini.

Zucchini are usually available in grocery stores.

Yes, even here in the north end of Winnipeg, I can buy zucchini.

Skinny Sheldon Cooper sized zucchini.

And that just doesn't work for some Maltese recipes.

Nope, for a proper stuffed zucchini, you need need a Hulk sized zucchini.

You need a zucchini the thickness of a baseball bat.

And the best way to get those hefty big boys is to grow them in your garden.

A little neglect can be a very, very good thing.

                        

                         Qarabali Mimli

                       

grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan         

preheat oven to 425º        

bake 60 minutes

Parboil for 5 minutes

2 large zucchini, which have been halved horizontally

Let cool and scoop out some of the pulp.

(Go easy - you want a firm boat-shaped container left)

Slice

2 large onions

8 large potatoes

Layer the slices in the greased baking dish.

Place in a dutch oven over low heat 

50 grams butter

Add

2 large onions, chopped

Brown the onions.

Add

200 grams ground pork

100 grams bacon, chopped

Simmer 5 minutes.

Add

the scooped-out zucchini pulp

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon curry

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Fill the zucchini with the mixture.

Place them, filling side up, on the potatoes in the baking dish.

Bake 60 minutes.

Serve hot with your favourite sauce.

Anna Sultana's other Qaqocc Mimli - Stuffed Artichokes, Maltese Style

A few months ago I posted Ma's recipe for Qaqoċċ Mimli.

It's my favourite.

And I hope you enjoyed it, too.

Like I said in that post, Maltese recipes are often just a guideline.

Some folks prefer a certain flavour, like garlic.

Other folks hate a certain flavour, like garlic.

Sometimes there's a sale.

Sometimes a gardener has a good crop and wants to use it before it goes bad.

That post was about one way Ma prepared artichokes.

But of course she had other ways, too.

And she would be open to suggestions.

Especially if it used an item that was on sale.

                        Qaqoċċ Mimli

Serves 8

Artichoke Prep Work

The 8 artichokes are soaked in salted water for 25 minutes.  

Then the leaves are opened by taking the upside down artichokes 

and smashing them against a table top.  

The Stuffing

Mix in a bowl

8 Tablespoons parsley

2 Cups plain bread crumbs

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 olives, chopped

8 anchovies, finely chopped 

8 Tablespoons Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Gently spread the artichoke leaves apart and lightly stuff the artichokes.

Place the artichokes in a pot large enough to hold them upright.

Cooking the Artichokes

Add to the pot

3/4 inch water

Drizzle over the artichokes 

4 Tablespoons wine vinegar

Cover the pot and place over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.

If the water evaporates away add more warm water so they won't scorch.

Cook until the leaves can be easily pulled out, about 1 1/2 hours.

Serve hot.

Although some folks prefer them cold.

Anna Sultana's Stuffat tal-Qarnit - Octopus Stew, Maltese Style l Octopus Information

Okay, some fish can be easily replaced.

Bluefish can replace lampuki in Ma's recipes.

Haddock is another good substitute.

But, then there is the octopus situation.

Ma sometimes made Stuffat tal-Qarnit.
Qarnit Stew.  

Qarnit is Maltese for octopus.  

Octopus is the stuff of legend.

And sometimes the stuff of science fiction.

Check out It Came from Beneath the Sea, a dandy 1955 Sci-Fi film about a giant octopus that attacked San Francisco. 

A few years ago I mentioned that Carmela makes Octopus Salad.

It's a green salad topped with bite-sized pieces of cooked octopus.

The fun part is finding octopus if you don't have Carmela's connections.

That and cooking it until you can actually bite into it.

If your grocery store is like mine you'll find a bag labeled Seafood Combination.

There are tiny octopus tentacles in it.

Not quite the same, but beggars can't be choosers.

A bit of octopus trivia…

Octopus is known in Hawaii by Hawaiian or Japanese names (he'e and tako).

In Hawaii Octopus is also a popular fish bait.

Imagine having it so readily available!

Octopus is a common food in Mediterranean cuisine. 

On the Tunisian island of Djerba, people catch them by taking advantage of the animals' habit of hiding in safe places. In the evening they put ceramic pots on the sea bed. The next morning they check them for octopuses. 

In the Greek islands octopuses are often caught by spear fishing close to the shore. 

No matter how you catch them, octopus needs to be cooked a good long time.  

                        Stuffat tal-Qarnit

Clean and wash

octopus, about 2 pounds

Cut in small portions.

Simmer in salted water until tender.

While the octopus is cooking, start the stew.

In a dutch oven heat

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Add

2 large onions, sliced

Fry until golden.

Add

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Cook 2 minutes.

Add

1 Cup red wine

8 olives

1 Tablespoon mint

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 Cup raisins

1/2 Cup mixed nuts

the cooked octopus

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Season with

salt and pepper to taste

Simmer gently for an hour.

You should stir it occasionally.

Add more liquid (either water or wine) if it becomes too dry.

About ten minutes before serving add

1 Cup peas

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with crusty bread or pasta.

Carmela Soprano's Neopolitan Style Stuffed Peppers

Father's Day is this weekend.

Yes, we've covered main courses.

And we've touched on desserts.

Now for a vegetable.

You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Paulie Walnuts has a sweet side.

He said he often makes a potatoes and egg sandwich to improve the guys' morale.

They are in a high stress line of work, after all.

His chapter My Nucci in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook has nice easy recipes.

Except for the recipe for Neopolitan Style Stuffed Peppers.

It's not hard to make, but it does take a bit of time.

About Father's Day...

You could do the peppers' prep work the day before and refrigerate them.

Or you could prepare them while chatting with the company.

I mean, stuffing peppers is not brain surgery.

And sitting together to prepare food is a good thing.

Want another do-together recipe?

My Ma's ravjul were often made at family gatherings.

Small, deep-fried ravjuletti are popular in Malta as an appetizer.

I don't know what happened when I counted the recipes.

I know this was supposed to be the last recipe.

But, after this recipe, there'll be another Neopolitan vegetable recipe.

Think of it as a bonus.

Hints:

Look for oil-cured black olives.

Gaeta olives would work well in this recipe.

This recipe is a bit salty.

If that can cause a problem, cut back on the capers.

                        Neopolitan Style Stuffed Peppers

Serves 6

Trim the ends from

2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound)

Cut them into 3/4 inch cubes.

Place them in a colander over a plate.

Sprinkle them with 

salt

Let drain for an hour to remove the bitterness.

Oil a baking pan that is just large enough to hold the upright peppers.

With a small knife, cut out the stems from

6 large red, yellow or green bell peppers

Remove the seeds and the white membrane.

Rinse the eggplants and pat dry with paper towels.

In a large deep skillet pour

1/2 Cup olive oil 

Heat oil over medium heat.

Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Stir in

3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

3/4 Cup black olives, pitted and chopped

6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

3 Tablespoons rinsed and drained capers

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

pepper to taste

Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in

1/2 Cup plain dry bread crumbs

Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 450º

Stuff the eggplant mixture into the peppers.

Stand the peppers in the prepared pan.

Sprinkle with

1 Tablespoon plain dry bread crumbs

Drizzle with

3 Tablespoons olive oil  

Pour around the peppers

1 Cup water

Bake for 60 minutes, until the peppers are tender and lightly browned.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Would I make Neopolitan Style Stuffed Peppers again?

You have to ask?  I'm Maltese.

We practically invented stuffed vegetables.

And I can imagine sitting and making them with Ma, like when we made ravioli.

One recipe down.  One more to go.