Mushroom Pot Pie

Yet another recipe that I've put my own spin on. This recipe is from In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita. The main thing I changed was using my own dough recipe instead of puff pastry to try and save on some of the fat.

If you decide to make your own pie dough, you'll want to start by making your dough since it needs to sit for about an hour. My go-to dough for this recipe is 10 oz all purpose flour, 5 oz margarine/butter, about 1/2 tsp salt, and water.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and with a pastry cutter, work in the margarine/butter until it is evenly distributed. Slowly add enough water to form a dough. The amount of water needed is never the same because of humidity, so add a bit then you can always increase it. If you find your dough too wet, just add small amounts of flour. When your dough is formed and feels wet enough, wrap in plastic wrap or a produce bag, and put in the fridge for about an hour so the gluten does what it does. Now to make the filling. You will need the following:

- a medium onion, chopped
- a clove or two of garlic, minced
- a few kinds of mushrooms (shitake, cremini, king oyster, button, portobello, etc)
- one or two carrots
- one or two parsnips
- 1 cup frozen peas
- about 1 cup cooked lentils or 1-14oz can rinsed
- 2 cups stock (I use mushroom and vegetable cubes- one of each)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper
- thyme and rosemary either dried or fresh
- 2 tbsp oil (evoo, canola, etc) 

The ingredients I didn't use are: 1/2 cup red wine, diced potato, brussel sprouts, leek, and puff pastry. The real recipe is found at http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2013/03/mixed-mushroom-pot-pie.html.

So, first you need to heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and start to brown them. In a few minutes, you house will smell awesome. This is when I add the stock cubes minus the water, the salt and pepper, and thyme and rosemary. Now add the flour and tomato paste and stir until the flour disappears and you can smell the tomato paste. Slowly add the water or actual stock, soy sauce, lentils, carrots, parsnips and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veg is softened. Add the peas and turn off the heat.

I spray my ramekins with non-stick spray and add about two laddles of the mixture into each. I place them on a baking sheet for ease of movement in and out of the oven. Roll out your dough, and cut rounds that fit your ramekins. Place on the top of the filling and pierce the dough for air vents.

I find this recipe usually fills five ramekins. Cook in a 425F oven until your dough is golden.

There are a few reasons why we love this recipe. It is portioned out in the ramekins that are easy to store and take for lunch. I LOVE mushrooms, so I can go nuts and add a ton of them. This recipe is tasty, and tastes even better the next day when warmed up. It is full of vegetables and lentils and is a meatless main.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Lisa

Easter isn't Easter without Figolli!

Even though we weren't home for Easter, we still had figolli. We tried three different ones, and they were all different. They were quite different from the ones we make. The flavours varied quite a bit.

For those of you who don't know what Figolli are, they are traditional Maltese Easter treats. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the shapes started as symbolic, like a fish, a lamb, a bird, a rabbit, etc. Malta is a very religious country, so the shapes would reflect that. Now a days, less traditional shapes have emerged, like a car, a boat, a butterfly, etc. Some people coat them in chocolate and others in icing. My family enjoys the icing. I personally find it easier to ice figolli with icing-it is more forgiving. The cookie is similar to a butter cookie with an almond paste filling. In Malta, you see figolli made with blanched almonds, but that is a lot of work! We just use the almonds with the skins on, and it really gives a better flavour in my opinion. What also makes these "cookies", is the use of almond extract. I've searched high and low in Canada for a good one, but nothing compares to the pure almond extract you get in Malta. The smell and flavour it imparts is out of this world. We bring it home from Malta and a little goes a long way. The real stuff can't be stored in plastic jars because it will eat through the plastic.

Since we are celebrating Easter as a family late this year, I couldn't show up without the traditional treat! What kind of Maltese family member would I be?

I started making my own figolli a few years ago. I'd send one to Joe's work for the office, usually in a Firefox/Mozilla theme. Here are a few pictures of ones I've made:

My dad helped me decorate this one. We were basing the picture from a t-shirt.

When Firefox for Android came out, I thought the Android robot was appropriate.

Because the company is Mozilla, I tried the mozilla dinosaur.

The last few years, I just made my figolli in square pans and decorated them in a scene of some sort. That is really taking the easy way out as figolli go. This year, I made shapes! Traditionally, huge metal cookie cutters are used, but as I learned from my mom, you can save a ton of money by making your own with cardboard. In case it isn't obvious from my pictures, these are BIG cookies. If you try to eat one of these in one sitting, you are certain to go into a diabetic coma. Luckily, they freeze really well, so you cam pace yourself if you choose not to share.

Because it is a family tradition, I don't feel right giving out the recipe that we use. There are many variations of the recipe online. It all comes down to preference after trial and error. I don't think there is a bad recipe, just a texture and/or flavour difference. If you see my mom's recipe box, she has about 10 or more different ones all labeled as "<insert name>'s". Everyone has their own recipe!

Once iced with a mixture of icing sugar, water, and we add a little almond extract, they are a blank palette. You get to choose the colours and designs. I use gel food colouring because a little bit gives great colour.  I usually end up with a bunch of bowls with different colours by the time I'm done. A sugar high also accompanies from licking my fingers. I did my best to not eat a lot of the sugar this year.

The shapes I attempted this year, are a bunny, butterfly, and egg. My artistic skills are next to nonexistent, but I think they turned out okay. As Joe says, I am my own worst critic, so I see my amateur flaws. I should have baked it more or should have taken it out of the oven sooner, the details didn't turn out how I wanted, etc. Here are a few pictures of the figolli I made this year.

I rather enjoy making these for my loved ones. Traditions are important to carry on, which is why I started to make my own figolli. There will come a day when my mom doesn't want to or can't make them, and I'd like to be able to step in when needed. Figolli are part of my heritage, and future generations need to know how to carry along the tradition. Baking and cooking are in my blood, and it is a fun skill to have!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!
Lisa

Oh so tasty

While in Malta, we have been eating a fair bit of produce. I've written about the cauliflower and lima beans, but let me tell you, the strawberries are AMAZING. We were in Ta' Qali for a bit today, and there was a huge farmers' market in a parking lot. We stopped in to see what they had, not thinking about the season we were in and if apples even grow here. The produce that was available was jaw dropping. There were 0.65€ cauliflowers. They were the size of a basketball! There were different kinds of squashes that you buy by the piece that were the size of the largest watermelon you could find or a small ottoman. There were bunches of fresh garlic, onions of many varieties, Maltese zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, carrots, artichokes the size of pepper squash, chard and spinach, lima beans, eggplant, cabbage, sweet potatoes that were as big as a baby's head, and the best strawberries we've tasted outside of Ontario.

The shear sizes are mind blowing. My jaw was dragging on the ground while we walked to the different vendors. I felt like I was walking through the award winning vegetable section at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. And the prices! They were dirt cheap! If our prices were that good, my grocery bill would be a quarter of what it is now. Everything looked like it was picked this morning, and at the peak of freshness. We've been spoiled with the availability of fresh local produce daily. I can't wait for Ontario's growing season.

Last night, we took my aunt and new uncle out for supper. The food was good, but I enjoyed dessert the most. Joe had a seafood risotto that had muscles, prawns, cuttle fish, and octopus and I had a chicken breast dish with mushroom and asparagus gravy. Holy portion size! We shared a "salad" of sauted mushrooms, asparagus, and bacon. I found the chicken needed more salt, and the "salad" less. There was a dollop of cream cheese on top, so if I had used that, it might not have been so bad. Instead I used some of the bread to cut the saltiness. Joe had a fig ice cream that was quite interesting. I had a lemon sorbet that was light and refreshing. If it wasn't for all the sugar, I'd make it all the time. Our new uncle insisted on Joe and him having a liqueur. They chose sambuca. I tried a minute amount just to see what it was like. It smelled awesome. I love black jelly beans and suckers, and that is what it smelled like. It wasn't that bad, but then again, I only touched it to my lips a few times.

Tonight we are eating in with my parents since it is our last night in Malta. We're having stuffed eggplant and zucchini- a Maltese kind of supper. We picked up all of the veg for it at the market this afternoon. I love the Maltese way of life where you go out and get fresh produce each day. You can go to a butcher or fish monger close by, the produce trucks are around almost every street corner, and you can smell the bread from the bakery when you walk in the street. The only thing I'd want different is to have more availability of whole grain and/or whole wheat breads. There are so many pastizzi vendors, that you can just walk past them without a second glance. Everything you need is a few minutes walking distance in most areas.

Tomorrow night we will be back in our own kitchen. No more restaurants for us for a while!

Moderation in the key

These past two weeks have been rather challenging. I knew it would be. With all of the sweet temptations and Maltese hand pies, we haven't indulged much.  It has been hard to resist, especially when my dad brings them here. I've eaten the white bread in moderation. Bread here is 99% of the time white, and it is everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I'd eat it all the time if I wasn't being careful. We found a place that served wholemeal pasta, and that is the only time we ordered it.

I've been drinking Lacto-milk while in Malta. To say the least, my cappuccino attempts have been rather disappointing. I cart around a small wine bottle from Air Malta wherever I go filled with my own milk so I can have caffeine. The taste is just plain weird. Aside from it coming in a tetra pak carton from the unrefrigerated shelf, it tastes watered down and has a strange taste to it. I've had it cold, hot, and steamed. I've used sugar and sweetener. Doesn't make a difference.

One of the neat things I've come across, is that almost anything will be put on a pizza here. It is pretty cool. I had a tasty one with tuna (common with Maltese people), artichoke hearts, peas, and onions. Luckily, I have been able to order with Parm instead of Mozzarella. I'd never had artichoke hearts other than in dip, and I rather liked them. The peas were an odd addition, but it worked. My mom usually makes tuna pizza, so I'm used to that. Unfortunately, the crust only comes in white flour. Some of the unconventional items have been smoked salmon, eggs, shell fish, and octopus to name a few.

I've had ice cream twice here, both times it was a hazelnut flavour of ice cream. Thankfully, it doesn't bother my stomach. Ice cream is everywhere too, so the blinders have to go up. If I don't see it, I won't want it. I'm glad that where we are staying, there aren't many pastry places. The coffee shops usually have cakes and cookies, and the odd time a few creamy pastries. We've usually eaten already, so it is easier to say no.

The hardest time I've had would have to be last night at my aunt's wedding supper. I really wanted to try the eggplant rolls, but they had mozzarella in them and I wasn't taking any chances by removing the cheese. Then the garlic bread was put down right beside me. Torture!!! It smelled so good with melted mozzarella on it. Then the cubed cheese was calling my name. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a soft cheese. Ney Ney. At least I could partake in the main course. I ate way too much meat, but I was good during the day.

I'm surprised that lactose-intolerance seems like such a foreign concept in Malta. When I ask about how something is prepared, people almost seem offended when I say I can't have it. It isn't a choice for me. I would love to have whole milk cappuccinos or tea at any time, or cheesy pizza, but I don't want to fell the after effects.

Our adventures are coming to an end in a few days. I think I can continue being mostly strong. After seeing myself in the wedding pictures, I am even more determined to stay on track.

Aw rats...

The last few days haven't been very adventurous, in a culinary sense. We picked up broad beans from a farmer on the side of the road. I hadn't had them before, and they were pretty good. It is a popular thing to eat in Malta. I think they are similar to butter beans. You need to take them out of the pod, then peel the outer layer off to expose the bean. They can be eaten with that extra layer, but I'm told that they are more bitter that way. All of the produce trucks are carrying them right now. I love the produce trucks. Every day, you can go and get fresh fruit and/or vegetables. We were driving behind a truck today, and a cauliflower fell off the truck when it hit a bump. We didn't stop for it, but someone must have had a free cauliflower!

A new thing we tried today was ftira. It is basically a Maltese sandwich. Ours had ham and egg. It wasn't made on the traditional Maltese bread, but it was still okay. They looked like they were put into a panini press. You see them advertised almost everywhere.

Since I'm not using sugar, the cappuccinos haven't been quite right. Sometimes I ask them to warm my milk since the cafes don't have lactose-free milk. I've been carrying around an airplane-sized wine bottle or my travel mug with lactose-free milk. I get some odd looks, but what can you do. I'm thinking of going back to a bit of sugar so I can enjoy them while we are here. Stevia just isn't cutting it. If I add two of the packets, I really taste the artificial taste.

Easter has to be the worst time to be in Malta when you are diabetic or watching your sugar intake. There are figolli EVERYWHERE! For those who don't know, figolli are traditional Maltese Easter cookies that are huge. They usually fit on a big dinner plate. You can even find them at the dollar stores. They are a sugar cookie (kind of) filled with an almond paste then iced with icing or chocolate or both. My aunt gave us a store bought one and another aunt brought a homemade one for all of us. There are a bunch of sweets that are usually made around Easter, and that makes it that much harder. Growing up with figolli makes it so hard to say no. We have just had small slices of them as an indulgence. I've thought about waking up in the middle of the night and devouring them. Must...be...strong...

The stores are still filled with the Easter eggs. It was neat that yesterday, Easter Sunday, the kids take their chocolate eggs and figolli to get them blessed after the procession of the risen Lord. I'm surprised they could hold off that long.

Today, we tried a new fish! It was called Awrat, and was wild caught. It is a milder white fleshed fish. We picked some up from a local fish monger and brought it back to the apartment to cook up. It was different, but not in a bad way. We just baked it in the oven. Mom cut off the tails, but the heads were the off-putting part. I found the eyeball, and it felt like a marble. We each ate the equivalent of one fish each.

I've been making vegetable side dishes with eggplant, cauliflower, mushrooms, and carrots. The carrots are usually really sweet, with I love. The cauliflower tastes a bit different than the one we get in Canada. It isn't as pungent. I roasted some in the oven and today I started them on the stove top and then put them in the oven because I made too much for the pan, then they went back on the stove.

I'm noticing my taste buds changing. After drinking water all day, I was getting sick of it, so I tried a diet Pepsi. It wasn't half bad. Now I'm drinking Coke Zero. I don't know if I can handle regular Coke anymore. I'll never be able to match Joe in quantity of Coke Zero consumed, but a bottle now and then seems to hit the right notes.

Tomorrow we are probably off to Gozo, so maybe we'll try some more new stuff!

Ciao,
Lisa