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!
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