ISSUE Nº
it's all about food
05
July 2011
TRADITIONAL TASTE OF SUMMER Donald Caligari Conti
BARBEQUES
Great Recipes & Ideas
BALSAMIC VINEGAR
An Italian Producer’s Story
THE ART OF SLOW COOKING
Olivia Vassallo
Inspired by perfect
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editorial
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Issue 5 July 2011
Editor Joséf Bonello
Editor at Large Mike Dimbleby
Creative Director Mark Portelli
Art Director Germán Perujo
Design & Production Alan Cachia, Germán Perujo, Kevin Barun, Matthew Debono.
Photography Matthew Debono at ESL and George Scintilla “Food is the punctuation in the prose of life” says I. You may laugh at this, cry, or even rip this page out to place is on the floor of your budgie’s cage. Yet before you write me off, just lend me your time for a few minutes and let yourself be awestruck at the philosophical grandeur of my ground-breaking quote. You see, our day ideally starts with the opening inverted commas of breakfast. Before we utter much, well before we look decent enough for public viewing, we are advised to pour skimmed milk over human fodder known as cereal and chomp through it with mimicked delight as we charge our body’s system to take the beatings of the day ahead. As we digest our bundle of protein and carbs, we set about our day until our first comma, where we pause for an apple or wholesome snack. Our life snails on until our healthy lunch of tomato and lettuce salad is met by an exclamation mark from our eager taste buds and stomach lining expressing ‘what the heck!’ as we make believe a sense of culinary satisfaction. A semi-colon leads us to some dessert, not of chocolate ripple ice cream with fresh cream topping but maybe a bruised
banana at best. By now we have used several apostrophes to shorten our food intake and are looking forward to tea time with an eager question mark dreamily wondering “who knows what’s for dinner?” I will breeze past the exclamation uttered at the view of a plate of grilled chicken slivers and whole baby beetroots with half an apple washed down by a glass of Hv20 to satisfy the craving for a slab of three-inch thick rib eye surrounded by kilos of oven-roasted potatoes followed by crème brûlée and a glass of Sauternes. In any case, whether we eat healthily or not, our days are bound to come to a close with a ceremonial wake where friends and others eat and drink in sponsored stupor to celebrate our life and mark it with a definitive full stop. Eat your heart out Plate-O!!
Coordinator Alison Vassallo
Advertising Alberto Serra (Sales Manager) Alison Vassallo
Published by Executive Services Ltd. 183/2 Constitution Street, Mosta Tel.: 2142 2171/2/3 Email: cibus@eslmalta.com
Enjoy Cibus ! P.S. On behalf of all the Cibus Team at Executive Services Ltd I wish to congratulate our lovely contributor Olivia Vassallo on her becoming a Darmanin through Holy Matrimony. Wishing her and her darling unlimited exclamation marks and foodie fun!
Cibus enjoys a circulation in excess of 40,000 distributed with The Sunday Times. While making every effort to satisfy our clients and readers, Executive Services Ltd. cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in advertising or Editorials.
it’s all about food
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contents cibus promo
contents
Baked Stoned Bass with a Breaded Crust Shellfish Gratin, Almonds and Truffle Purée
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Pan Seared Blue Fin Tuna issue 5 / July 2011
with Tomato Marmalade,
Caper Nut Brown Butter & Mixed Leaves tossed in Lemon Vinaigrette
VICTOR BORG AL MOLO RESTAURANT
HIRAM CASSAR MARINADE SPRAYS & BARBECUE SAUCES CHAPTER ONE RESTAURANT
INGREDIENTS: cover image: George Scintilla • Chopped basil • 1kg stone bass(dott) fillet • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil. and cleaned. • 1 juice of fresh lemon. • 4 sliced bread without crust, travel • 100 gr whole almonds raw, and frozen. • 40 grTIMELESS English mustard CILENTO • 100 gr ground almonds. • 500 gr mixed shellfish off the shell. • 30ml black truffle oil. Olivia looks at the art of slow cooking • 4 egg yolk (clams, mussels, prawns.) • 350ml extra virgin olive oil • Finellybbq chopped shallot 2 cloves recipes • 50ml white wine vingear crushed garlic. MOUTH-WATERING RECIPES •BBQ Salt/ white pepper • Chopped parsley. We bring you the favourite BBQ recipes of six top local chefs
INGREDIENTS: • 4 x 160 to 200 gr extremely fresh tuna steaks • Mixed leaves such as rocket, mache, radicchio, baby spinach • Tomato marmalade 1.5kg large ripe tomatoes, half table spoon salt, 100g sugar, 100ml red wine vinegar, 3 onions chopped, 175ml olive oil, Sprig of thyme, Bay leaf, 5 garlic cloves
• Caper Nut brown butter sauce 120g capers, 120g butter, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, Juice of half a lemon • Lemon Vinaigrette 150ml extra virgin olive oil, 50ml lemon juice, Pinch of salt, Half teaspoon sugar, Half tablespoon water, One round of fresh ground pepper
METHOD: 1 The tomato marmalade should be made well in advance. Chop the tomatoes in quarters and mix together with the salt, sugar and vinegar and leave to sit for a few hours or overnight. 2 Chop the onions and cook in the oil, add the tomatoes and cook covered for an hour. 3 Add some water , the thyme, bay leaf and the garlic. Continue cooking for around an hour or until the marmalade is thick. Put the mixture through a ricer or food mill. 4 Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the ingredients together. Toss the leaves in the vinaigrette just before serving.
5 Heat a griddle pan until almost smoking. Add an even amount of oil directly on the fish. Gently place the tuna that has been well seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and sear for around one minute on each side(or less depending on thickness) leaving the centre rare. Remove the fish and keep warm. 6 Cook the butter in the same pan until brown (make sure not to overcook). Add the capers, lemon juice and chopped parsley. 7 Serve the Tuna on hot plates together with a good amount of marmalade, caper sauce and the mixed leaves.
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traditional tastes METHOD: 3 Shellfish gratin. Sweat the 1 Spread mustard on one side SUMMER TASTES and crushed garlicand in tasty of the fish and cut the bread the Donald Caligari Conti prepares shallots some authentic, healthy olive oil without colour, add the same size of the fish and place on Maltese summer delights top. Pan fry in some olive oil, bread shellfish and cook slowly, side first, when the bread is golden season and add some lemon juice, special recipes keep aside. brown, place it in a tray and bake GLUTEN FREE 4 To do the sauce: Put 4 egg yolks in a pre heated oven 190 degrees Summer can be a testing timein fora those with a food stainless steel pan intolerance and cook for 5 mins. some tips to make life a little easier and more tasty on a Bain Marie, stirring 2 To make the purée of almond constantly and add slowly the and truffle. Roast the whole interview extra virgin olive oil until it comes almonds until golden brown, LAGER THANinLIFE sweat the ground almonds some to a creamy consistency. At the end areduce white brewery wine vinegar olive oilCibus in a small mix the spends Editorpan, Joséf Bonello day atthe Farsons and by halfsoand add to the sauce. whole almonds theour ground discoversand why local beer tastes good almonds and some vegetable interview stock and blend all together until it comesLIQUID to a smooth purée, add GOLD truffle oil & seasoning at the end. Caroline Crutchley shares a story of a Balsamic Vinegar producing dynasty
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THE REAL TASTE OF WARM SUMMER NIGHTS
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it’s it’s all all about about food food
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cibus promo
RAISE A GLASS What we drink is just as important as what we choose to eat. Good drinking habits enhance a healthy diet and help us make up for a poor one. Here’s a range of drinks of unbeatable natural flavours with no nasty additives to tantalise with: Thorncroft Cordials are plant based drinks, not fruit cordials, with an emphasis on fine natural flavour. Unlike an everyday cordial the dilution ratios are between 12 and 15 parts water to 1 part cordial (or up to 5 litres of delicious drink)…great value from a single bottle of 375ml.
There’s loads to choose from: Wild Elderflower Cordial is considered by many to be the most deliciously refreshing soft drink ever. Made with the fresh petals of elderflowers grown following an old Victorian recipe. Serve jugfuls ice cold with loads of slices of fresh lemon and mint sprigs. With the Cranberry & Hibiscus Cordial, the sharp fruitiness of cranberry is blended with the exotic refreshing hibiscus petal giving a truly magical mix. The irresistibly delicate Pink ginger cordial is utterly refreshing from fresh ginger root pulped and filtered. No chilli required, this has a lovely kick all of its own, admired and enjoyed even by those of us who hate ginger. The fresh, captivating aroma of Wild nettle cordial is reminiscent of sauvignon wine. Bring out its delightful surprise by diluting it with ice cold sparkling water. The “feel good factor in a bottle” is what the Detox cordial is all about. Based on a purifying combination of dandelion and burdock with an added blend of liquorice and ginger.
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it’s all about food
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TO HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES The original health and well-being drink,
Purdey’s, contains sparkling spring water, fruit juices, vitamins and natural plant extracts. It’s a drink that's good for you - rejuvenating you during your busy day whilst juggling life’s many demands. A vital elixir gently lifting you and helping you feel rejuvenated.
Amé (pronounced Ah-may) meaning gentle rain in Japanese is a premium adult soft drink. It is a delicate blend of fruit juices, spring water and herbal extracts with no artificial sweeteners or sugars. It comes in four great flavours – Orange & Grape, Grape & Apricot, Elderberry & Lemon and Raspberry & Blackberry. Enjoy them chilled on their own or make your own spritzer by topping up with freshly squeezed juice.
Whole Earth’s range of organic sparkling drinks still has the refreshing taste of ‘fizzy drinks’ you love but with no added artificial sweeteners or flavours. Just add a slice of lemon, lime or orange and they will rehydrate you leaving yourIndustrial Park Hard Rocks taste buds refreshed and satisfied. Tel: 21 431309 Fax: 21 4218 Website: www.goodearth. There’s plenty to choose from, sparkling elderflower reminiscent of English summer, sparkling cranberry, utterly refreshing, sparkling ginger, a fiery hot sensation, sparkling apple & raspberry, simply perfection in a can, sparkling lemonade, a childhood old favourite, sparkling cola, an uplifting flavour on a classic drink.
When choosing what to drink whilst mingling with family and friends, be different. Choose a healthy alternative instead of your average sugar-loaded beverage. Adjusting your taste buds might take some time, but it's worth it.
So let’s toast to smarter choices this summer! These products are available from all leading supermarkets and health food shops
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it’s all about food
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