-an OD of Love-

Ottijiet are Maltese traditional biscuits shaped in the form of the number 8. Infact, the biscuit’s name is derived from the Italian word  Otto  which means Eight. The word  otto  was borrowed by the Maltese and the Maltese created the plural of  otto  into  ottijiet which is colloquial maltese. These biscuits, are very easy to make and they form part of the autumn and winter cuisine.   The ingredients are very basic which are normally found in every housewife’s larder. However they are very delicious, especially when served at breakfast or teatime with tea and coffee. Once you start dipping these biscuits in tea or coffee, you won’t be able to resist yourself as once you pop you won’t stop. Yet you should try them and share them with family and friends. They will surely love them!!! Ottijiet are very popular in Malta, and can be purchased from all supermarkets and confectioneries. Here is ...

This little trattoria in a quiet back street of M’Skala was a true gem of a find. The food was by far and the most authentic and delicious my wife and I had experienced so far, better than most foo d we had in restaurants in Rome. Service was absolutely superb with wait ers who seemed genuinely excited by the food and wine of the region. A really excell ent experience. Infused with the romance of Vecchia Roma, this quiet, yet lively Mediterranean trattoria cannot fail to delight with its infectious atmosphere and the view which nowadays has become a rarity in my little country. The place is lively, the staff work fast but are respectful of your pr ivacy. Lunch for six including 2 bottles of good wine, drinks, coffees, sweets and liqueurs will leave you with a wonderfully full stomach and only a mildly depleted wallet at 140 euro for the six of us. From the moment you are ushered through the doors by the affable wife of the owner and the owner himself, Da Rocco, impres...

The recipe is simple, fix a day at least three months before. Start sending as many emails and smses, (as much as you can afford timewise) and just hope that at least ten friends turn up due to other commitments that funnily enough always pop up around that day. One of the funniest answers I received this time was that “I’m sorry Chal, but I’ll have the painter coming in that day so I will not be able to do it.” The Fenkata happens after eight in the evening and keeping in mind how hard working the local painters are I have trouble driving at night since all roads are usually jam-packed with ladders with men dressed in white dungarees all painting in the middle of the night. So once I get the idea of how many people will turn up (usually a couple of days before) I book a table at our favourite snack bar in Zebbiegh which is called the Farmer’s Restaurant for what the locals call a Fenkata (A night in a plain, simple and clean workmen snack bar eating a local delicacy which is rabbit t...

Well, well very busy end of march, start of April and regretfully I have to say that I did not manage to make any kwarezemal (I'll make some soon), but with the help of my dad for decorating I managed to make 13 figolis with the recipe I gave you earlier and here are some pictures of the process...don’t they make your mouth water, mmm? (Today the 4th of April there are only two left because they were demolished by my family) pic 1,2,3, just baked pic 3, dark chocolate coating pic 4 and 5 my dad being creative!! and the final product ready to be demolished after 5hours of hard work

Marinades 2 quick and very easy marinades, I really love doing because they make the meat tender and nice especially if it is grilled. They go very well with chicken, especially chicken breast. Ginger and yoghurt For 500 g of chicken you need 200ml plain yoghurt 1 spoon olive oil, extra virgin is better 2 spoons lemon juice According to taste Freshly grated ginger Freshly grated lemon peel Pinch of ground peperoncino or chili bits Tandori For 500 g of chicken you need 50ml plain yoghurt 3 spoon olive oil, extra virgin is better 2 spoons lemon juice According to taste Fresh crushed cumin Fresh crushed coriander Fresh crushed garlic Fresh crushed paprika Fresh crushed cinamon Freshly crushed cloves Salt Pepper In both cases mix all the ingridients together . Flatten the chicken breast with a meat tendiriser or a large spoon. Place the chicken in a plastic container and cov...