Gourmet Worrier

Pinotxo Bar

2009-11-12T09:51:12Z

The Pinotxo bar is probably one of the best tapas bars in Barcelona. It's located to the right of the main entrance of the Mercat de la Boqueria. The ever-jovial Juanito runs the front of house, so to speak while his nephew Albert cooks up a storm in the narrow kitchen behind the bar.

If you get there early enough and are fortunate to nab yourself a prized stool order a cortado and a xuxo de crema and spare a thought for me - sigh!

Walking back in time

2009-11-11T11:56:11Z

Walking into Gesther restaurant in Xaghra is like walking into your favourite aunt's kitchen - it's familiar, welcoming and honest. Hence, if you're looking for an authentic local meal in Gozo then Gesther is the place to go. The two sisters who serve traditional Gozitan dishes such as bragioli, aljotta and fenek run this tiny, retro kitchenette.

I first experienced Gesther in the late 70's as a seven-year-old girl and I'm proud to say that nothing has changed. The food, atmosphere and service are just as I remembered, both warm and inviting. The décor is quite basic in a retro kind of way, but don't let that put you off as you will be missing out on some of the most authentic, home styled cooking the island of Gozo has to offer.

The meals on the menu are family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Giusa was kind enough to give me the recipe to her famous Alijotta soup, which is a garlicky fish soup made with fresh tomatoes, marjoram, basil, mint and a touch of lemon juice. Aljotta is enjoyed all year round in Malta and is often made with seasonal fish such as White bream, John Dory, Amberjack, Dentex and Bass.

You can either make a fish stock with the abovementioned fish (or something similar) and then strain the liquid through a fine sieve or you can add the fish to the soup towards the end of the cooking process. When I asked Guisa if she used fish stock to make her aljotta she said 'sometimes I do and sometimes I don't'. So the recipe below is her 'sometimes I don't' version.

Gesther's Aljotta Soup

Recipe source: Gesther Restaurant, 8th September Avenue, Xaghra, Gozo

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

8-10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 large tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded and chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 litres of cold water

50g of long grain rice, boiled & strained

600 - 800g fresh, cleaned, deboned small white fish, roughly chopped

A couple of sprigs of fresh basil, mint and marjoram, roughly torn

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. In a large saucepan gently sauté the chopped onion and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil until the onion becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and fresh herbs and season to taste. Add the water and allow to gently simmer.

2. Add the fish to the saucepan about ten minutes before you are ready to serve the soup and then add the cooked rice to the soup once the fish has cooked through.

3. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top with a little more fresh mint. Serve with lemon wedges.

Keeping it Simple

2009-11-09T09:38:13Z

After the undisputed success of Cipriani's dark chocolate gelato both at home and with you all, I decided to confer with Marcella once more. No I didn't email the darling women again, instead I decided to flick through her book, which just so happened to arrive in the mail last week.

This time I was after a basic ice cream recipe as my fussy son has been harassing me to 'make - some - plain - ice-cream - mama!' I was pleased to find a rather straightforward recipe for 'Gelato di Panna' in Marcella's book. Upon looking at the simple list of ingredients I found myself wanting to add a vanilla bean, or some Marsala or maybe even an orange or lemon peel as it seemed like it 'needed' something more. Then I read Marcella's note where she states that:

'A look at this list of ingredients for gelato di panna may give you an idea of its flavour. No gelato I have ever had has a taste so pure, nor so true a claim to the name ice cream'.

That settled it for me. I was going to exercise extreme restraint and fight the urge to add anything to the cream, milk and sugar. The end result was nothing short of spectacular and indeed it was the most pure tasting ice cream I have ever had the good fortune of tasting.

I served the Gelato di Panna with some fresh strawberries that I had splashed with just a hint of rosewater, as I thought that Marcella would not have an issue with me fiddling around with the berries.

]]> Gelato di Panna - Cream Ice Cream

True to my word, I have not changed a thing here and I urge you to do the same. The only difference is that I have doubled the quantities, as I knew that we would all want seconds.

Adapted from Marcella's Italian Kitchen 1986

Ingredients

2 cups of full fat organic milk

2 cups of organic cream, heavy

8 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Method

1. Put the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and over a medium heat slowly bring to the boil. Cook for about 10 minutes and stir frequently.

2. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool completely. Place in an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Sorrento

2009-11-08T00:40:45Z

Summer is almost here, I can feel it, we all can.

So yesterday we decided to jump in the car and drive down to Sorrento for the day.

If you want to see more photos then please click here.

The Bingo Girls

2009-11-06T00:38:25Z

While I was quietly sipping my afternoon espresso at Il-Kartell, I suddenly spotted all these women appear, as it were from out of nowhere. They descended upon this particular street corner in Marsalforn dragging folding chairs behind them. From the depths of their calico shopping bags they pulled out their game boards and proceeded to play Bingo right there and then, oblivious to the world around them.

A Space for Catalonian Gastronomy

2009-11-04T20:49:45Z

La Llavor dels Origens offers four gastronomic spaces in the heart of Barcelona and their aim is to take their patrons on a 'culinary and cultural journey through the different parts of Catalonia, without leaving the city'. Hence, their concept is simple - to provide a 'restaurant-bar, take-away food, shop and bakery where one can find authentic products used in Catalonia cooking'.

The restaurant spaces offer a dining area where you can taste traditional dishes from all over Catalonia and learn about the history of their origins through an extensive menu-magazine with descriptions and pictures of all their dishes, wines and desserts. The menu-magazine is printed in Castilian, Catalan, French and English and the staff at Origens are more than happy to give you a copy to take home to read at your leisure.

As well as the restaurant, Origens also provide their patrons with a speciality food store where you can readily buy all the products on offer in their restaurants and other wonderful artisan products from Catalonia. In doing so, Origens aspire to evoke the 'tradition of the old cellars, so alive historically in villages and neighbourhoods in our towns, where at affordable prices, and at ease you can buy, eat and get to know our tradition'.

Well one tradition I was determined to experience was Crema Catalana. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record - this particular Crema Catalana has got to be the best one I have ever had! You're absolutely free to disagree with me on this one, and as a result we will probably have to part our different ways, but I'm standing my ground here - this Crema Catalana was exceptional!

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Crema Catalana

Recipe source: La Llavor dels Origens , Barcelona

Crema Catalana is one of the most characteristic desserts found in the Catalonia kitchen. It's typical to eat it in Catalonia on the feast day of San José. Apparently the convent of Santa Clara is famous for making the best ones. I did not have the pleasure of sampling the Crema Catalana from the convent of Santa Clara, but can I say, the Crema Catalana on offer at Origens are worth their weight in gold!

Ingredients

1 litre of organic milk

8 organic egg yolks

200g caster sugar

40g corn flour

½ cinnamon stick

One lemon peel

One orange peel

Sugar for burning

Method

1. Place the milk, citrus peels and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow the milk to stand for half an hour to allow the flavours to infuse. After half an hour or so strain the milk.

2. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar until they are pale and creamy. Dilute the corn flour with a little cold milk and add to the egg-sugar mixture. Add the egg-sugar mixture slowly to the strained milk and stir carefully until well combined.

3. Over a low heat, bring the mixture slowly back up to the boil and cook it carefully, so to prevent the edges from burning. Strain the mixture again and then evenly pour it into shallow terracotta cazuelas. Once they are cool place them in the refrigerator overnight.

4. When you are ready to serve, remove from the fridge and heat the iron. Sprinkle a little sugar over each crema and use the iron to burn the sugar. If you don't have a branding iron a domestic blowtorch will do. This mixture will yield approximately 8-10 individual creams.

Instant Gratification

2009-11-03T03:41:12Z

I've wanted to make loukoumades for some time now, but have been put off because they appeared to be too fiddly and time consuming. To be perfectly honest when I'm craving something sweet, the last thing I want to do is sit around and wait for dough to rise. I'm the first to admit that I don't possess Jamie, Ilva or Deeba's grace and patience when it comes to baking. Where sugar is concerned, I'm pretty much an instant gratification kind of girl.

So when Anastasia happened to mention on the phone the other day that she doesn't add yeast to her loukamades, I suddenly became all ears. Anastasia is one of those annoyingly gifted cooks who improvises and guesstimates her way around the kitchen and gauges quantities by look and feel.
]]> So when I asked her for the recipe I instantly sensed her cringe. 'Oh, come on' I whined 'I want to blog about your unbelievably simple loukoumades'. I find appealing to ones ego usually works a treat. 'OK' she replied 'how about I come to your house and you watch me make them, then that way you can write down the measurements while you make me a coffee?

'Fabulous' I replied, 'can you come now?'

'Yes, turn the coffee machine on and I'll be there in five.' she answered.

Loukoumades with Milk, Honey & Cinnamon Ice Cream

You can either toss the loukoumades in copious amounts of cinnamon sugar or douse them in some warm honey infused with cinnamon.

Ingredients

2 cups of organic self-raising flour

2 cups of water

2 tbsp of caster sugar

A pinch of salt

Grape seed or sunflower oil, for deep-frying

 Cinnamon sugar, to finish

Method

1. Put the flour, sugar, salt and water in a large bowl and whisk until you have a smooth batter.

2. Heat enough oil in a saucepan for deep frying and then take teaspoonfuls of the batter and gently push them into the hot oil with the other teaspoon. Fry for a minute or two or until they are puffed up and are a light golden colour. Drain on kitchen paper and transfer to a serving bowl.

3. Toss the warm loukoumades in copious amounts of cinnamon sugar or alternatively douse them in warm honey infused with cinnamon. Serve them warm with some homemade milk, honey and cinnamon ice cream.

Milk, Honey & Cinnamon Ice Cream

I was chatting to Denise from Chez Us about how wonderful this Milk, Honey and Cinnamon ice cream was and she decided to make a batch too. Why don't you go and take a look at hers - it's divine!

Adapted from Falling Cloudberries 2006

Ingredients

300ml full fat organic milk

300ml organic cream

3 organic egg yolks (optional)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup organic raw honey

Method

1. Bring the milk, cream, cinnamon and honey slowly to the boil in a saucepan.

2. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. When it's cool, place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Put the mixture in your ice cream machine and proceed according to the manufacturers instructions. Serve with a pile of warm loukoumades.

To see more photos of Anastasia making the loukoumades click here!

Morning Paper

2009-10-29T21:28:34Z

I have a feeling that this gorgeous old man has been reading his morning paper in that exact same spot for the last fifty years. If only those old stone walls could speak. I wonder what they would say?

Cours Saleya Market in Nice

2009-10-29T00:35:53Z

We were only in Nice for a couple of nights yet I had several things on my 'to- do-eat' list. High on the list was the Cours Saleya Market in the heart of Old Town. Hence, this popular meeting place and open-air market sells fresh flowers, outstanding produce, artisan products and live poultry sourced directly from neighboring farms.

I'm sure there were lots of lovely fresh flowers at this world famous market, but I was there for different reasons. I was on a mission for the perfect croissant to go with my café au lait. You'll be pleased to know that not only did I find the perfect croissant, but I also managed to find an abundance of cheese, freshly baked bread, locally cured olives, forest mushrooms, fruit confits and marzipan and a whole host of other utterly divine edible treats.

]]> Herbes de Provence, Moroccan Roses and a tonne of lavender sugar. Oh and a rather nice stainless steal olive oil decanter, which has nothing to do with strict custom laws, but more to do with a lack of space in my already bulging suitcase. Hence why is it still in France - sob!

After all the colourful purveyors have packed away their delightful stalls, the entire market is then hosed down. Then all the charming little cafes, restaurants and bistros that flank both sides of the market, hastily expand their seating into the abandoned market area.

In the evenings the bistros and restaurants in this area are often fully booked with both tourists and locals alike, so it can be quite difficult trying to secure a table. To avoid disappointment I would suggest that you make your dinner arrangements earlier on in the day.

For a slide show of the Cours Saleya Market click here!

A Year in Food

2009-10-27T06:11:07Z

Last Sunday I decided to take the plunge and set up a flickr account. Yes I know, I procrastinate and dally about the obvious, but like I said to my dear friend Lenny 'I'm a slow learner, but my uptake is huge'. So here's a little slide show of a year in food at Gourmet Worrier, well almost a year.

And to think we almost ate all of that!

'The World's Best Chocolate Ice Cream'

2009-10-26T09:42:47Z

I have said it before and I will say it again, I believe that the Italian's are some of the most convivial and passionate people out there. They have an intrinsic understanding of one of life's most vital tenets, and that is, that food is to be shared. Basic attributes such as bounty, openness, generosity, community and mutuality are the essential principles that should undergird both our kitchens and tables. Irrespective of where the exchange takes place, be it around an actual, physical table amongst family and friends or online via a social network, I have always found the Italian's to be consistently pleasant, amiable, genuine and extremely satisfying!

I recently gifted myself with my very own ice cream machine. The minute I walked out of the store I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to try first - Marcella Hazan's world famous 'Gelato di Cioccolato del Cipriani'. Hence, I first came across this recipe years ago in Nigella Lawson's book How to Eat where she rightly declared it to be - 'the world's best chocolate ice cream'.

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I was absolutely flabbergasted that she bothered to take the time to respond to an insignificant email, sent by a complete stranger about gelato! Such a simple gesture, yet in doing so, this culinary icon demonstrated to me the enormity of her character, passion, dedication and integrity, something that some of the 'ever so busy' and 'way too important' self-publishers out there unfortunately lack.

Hence, this is what the darling Marcella had to say:

Oh, Nanette, what a coincidence. I just made that gelato last Tuesday for my husband's birthday. I followed the recipe the Cipriani's pastry chef gave me almost 25 years ago which - if you are careful about following it literally - is foolproof. You'll find it in my third book, Marcella's Italian Kitchen, published by Knopf in 1986. It is still in print. I have made it so many times, always for my husband's birthday, for some of my classes, and occasionally for dinner parties. It has never failed. A very important step is to caramelize the sugar until it is extremely dark. Let me know how you make out. I hope your children like it. It is not very sweet.

Ciao, ciao
Marcella

So without further ado, I give to you Marcella Hazan's world famous - Il Gelato di Cioccolato del Cipriani recipe! And 'yes' Marcella, I followed the recipe to the letter and it was divine!

Il Gelato di Cioccolato del Cipriani

The secret to this gelato is the molten brown caramelised sugar that is added to the cocoa and dark chocolate, which intensifies both its flavour and colour. Essentially you are after the taste of burnt sugar as it's that 'smoky bitterness' that sets this chocolate gelato apart from all the others.

Recipe source Marcella's Italian Kitchen 1986

Ingredients

4 egg yolks (I used organic eggs)

130g plus 2 tbsp of granulated sugar

500ml full fat milk (I used organic milk)

100g dark chocolate (I used a min. of 70% cocoa solids)

40g unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 100% Dutch cocoa powder)

Method

1. Put the egg yolks and 130g of granulated sugar in a bowl and beat with a whisk until they are creamy and form pale ribbons.

2. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, then add it to the beaten yolks, trickling it in slowly and steadily and mixing it in with the whisk.

3. Melt the chocolate in the upper half of a double boiler, then pour it into the bowl containing the egg yolks and milk mixture, mixing it in thoroughly with the whisk.

4. Add and mix in the cocoa.

5. Transfer the contents of the bowl to a saucepan, turn the heat to medium, and stir with a wooden spoon (silicon spatula) until all components of the mixture are well amalgamated.

6. Put 2 tbsp of sugar in a saucepan with 2 tsp of water, turn the heat to high, and melt the sugar until it is dark brown. Add it immediately to the egg and chocolate mixture, mixing it in thoroughly with a whisk. If it crystallises, don't worry as it will dissolve as it is whisked.

7. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. When it is cool, place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Put the mixture in your ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturers instructions.

For a gelato slide show click here!

Barri Gòtic

2009-10-22T22:10:41Z

Barri Gòtic - the 'Gothic Quarter' is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere. Many of the buildings date back to the Medieval times and some as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona.

Peasant food fit for a King

2009-10-21T23:44:55Z

One of the first places I dragged Gillian to was Ta'Rikardu in Victoria, which is famous for serving delicious local Gozitan bread and fresh ġbejna. Ta'Rikardu is a rustic little place situated inside the old Cittadella, next to St Mary's Cathedral. They do a fabulous platter for two of sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, onions, fresh tomatoes and ġbejniet that you then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. The peasant platter is served with a basket of crusty ħobża Maltija - Maltese bread. If you decide to have the platter, then do have a glass (or two) of some of the 'sturdy' local wine.

]]> ravjul I have ever tasted which are made daily with fresh Gozitan ġbejna. I remember being so blown away the first time I ever tasted their ravjul that I quietly excused myself from the table and made a beeline for the kitchen in search of the genius behind these exquisite little masterpieces.

Hence, fresh ġbejna have a similar texture to silken tofu and are incredible on their own, or alternatively you could smear them on some crusty Maltese bread. Yes I known, there I go again about the bread, but seriously its incredible - just look at that crust!

It's just as well that I live in Melbourne, because if I lived in Malta for an extended period of time I would probably end up looking like a loaf of ħobża. I absolutely love Maltese bread and as far as I'm concerned there is nothing quite like it on earth. If you doubt me on this one then go ask Carmelita about the magnificence of Maltese bread, I'm sure she will echo both my sentiment and longing.

So rather than continue to extol the greatness of Ta'Rikardu and their amazing ravjul, ġbejna and ħobża why don't you just go there when you're next in Gozo?

130 year old graffiti on the side of St Mary's Cathedral.

Twilight ferry to the Isle of Calypso

2009-10-19T08:48:22Z

I find that the minute I board the ferry to the Isle of Calypso, Malta's sister island my heart begins to pound in my chest and I suddenly become charged with emotion. This tiny little island that is only 14 km long and 7.25 km wide has dominated my heart and influenced my life's choices since I first set foot on her soil in 1977 as a young and impressionable seven-year-old girl.

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My most recent homecoming was strangely different as I was returning to the island unencumbered and I was also accompanied by Gillian, my dear friend. Gillian was born and raised in Malta but now currently resides in Melbourne. On our plane trip over she admitted to having never spent more than a day at a time on Gozo, despite it only being a twenty-minute ferry ride from Malta. Depending on which island your from, that can either be a good or a bad thing.

My plan was simple, I was going to sit back and relax and allow my ancestral island to captivate her, and captivate her it did. The moment we arrived, Gozo instantly began to work both her magic and charm upon Gillian's searching soul. She was won over in a matter of moments by Calypso's scenic green hills and the ding-dong of church bells that are rung daily for Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None and Vespers.

I suspect the stunning beaches and outstanding food also played a pivotal role in Gillian's rapid conversion. Not to underestimate the significant role my wonderful family played in helping Gillian dispel all previous myths about Gozitans and their unique view of life. Thank you familija tieghi for welcoming Gillian into your home, hearts and kitchens and for embracing her as a long lost relative - for this I am grateful.

The road ahead is paved with good Martinis

2009-10-17T10:28:19Z

I clearly expressed to Huxley that I did not want a birthday party this year as I have just had three weeks of childfree, party time in Mediterranean. I should have known that he would ignore my wishes and do the complete opposite, but I thought that after sixteen years of marriage he would have realised that I loathe surprises and that I can't bear being the centre of attention.

So what did he do last night? He organised a surprise birthday party at our house of course! What was even more frustrating was that I was clueless to the fact that both he and the children were up to something and consequently I was utterly duped!

I waved Hoover and Fussy off at the front door last night as they stood there bathed and clean and ready for bed in their flannelette pyjama's. Hence, the last thing I suspected upon my return home after a quiet dinner with my colluding girlfriends, was to be greeted at the door by my glamorous, frocked up four year old daughter who then led me by the hand into a house full of people ready to party!

So thanks Corrie, Jacqueline, Yolanda and Ava for conspiring with Huxley against me and for managing to pull the wool over the eyes of the most controlling of control freaks. I love each and all of you despite your power, corruption and lies. And I love all your gorgeous gifts - you really shouldn't have.

May the road ahead be paved with good Martinis!]]>
So after sleeping off last nights frivolities we decided to have a quiet family lunch today at one of our favourite restaurants. Hoover and Fussy got to sing happy birthday at the top of their lungs and managed to blow out all the candles on my rather decadent triple chocolate, orange mud cake.

Thanks once again for all the wonderful birthday wishes you left on my facebook and twitter wall - baci a te!