Tatyanaleonov sbsfeast malteseeaster

Celebrate

MALTESE EASTER

In Sydney’s western suburb of Cecil Hills, Easter celebrations are laden with delicious Mediterranean food, special sweet treats, lots of laughter and traditional folk music that takes the Camilleri family on a nostalgic trip back to Malta.

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Previous page: Host Maryann Camilleri with her niece, Alexia. Clockwise from right: Malta’s national beer; Maryann busy in the kitchen; bread with oil (recipe page 54); savoury crackers (galletti) are made from scratch; family members enjoy the appetisers; Maryann’s handmade figolli (Easter biscuits); freshly made Maltese cheese using special moulds sent from Malta.

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aryann’s eyes are alight with an effervescent energy and her contagious grin can’t get any wider. “I just love Easter,” she trills as she puts the last touches on a pink butterfly-shaped figolla, carefully wraps it in clear cellophane and places it on the buffet alongside the other colourful figolli. Some are blue, some are yellow, others are green, but all the biscuits are decorated with sugar-based edible flowers and mini chocolate Easter eggs.

“Everyone loves figolli,” Maryann explains as she proudly shows the colourful collection of traditional Maltese Easter sweets she has made to the family. “My cousin, Mary, sent me the figolli cutters from Malta. I make them every Easter and gift them to relatives and friends.”

Like most Maltese Catholics in Australia, the Camilleri family attend an Easter service at their local Catholic church on Easter Sunday morning. A customary extravagant lunch follows and this is the time to share laughter – and plenty of food – among family.

Although Maryann was born in Australia, her love for Malta is evident as she rushes around the kitchen preparing one scrumptious looking dish after another. After 40 days

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of Lent, where most Catholics restrain from overindulging, Easter lunch is always a big cook-off affair for the family.

This year, the Easter lunch is at Maryann’s house, and she wants to make the day perfect. Many of Maryann’s relatives, including her husband, Bartholomew – whom she met in Malta in 1981 when she was 22 and married 10 years later – originally come from Malta. Although they all call Sydney home, the connection to their homeland is still very strong and they relish in celebrating feast days like this one, just as they did in Malta.

As more and more people gather, Maryann ushers them out of the kitchen and into the dining room to a tableful of appetisers she has prepared. Freshly stuffed olives (zebbug mimli), homemade cheeses (gbejniet) that are fresh (friski), dried (moxxi) or peppered (tal-bzar), savoury crackers (galletti), two types of broad bean-based dips (bigilla) and Maltese bread topped with tomatoes, basil, capers, olives and peppered cheese (hobz biz-zejt) are all thoughtfully assembled for guests to nibble on.

“I made the fresh cheese, and my beautiful mother Agnes made the dried and peppered cheese. The special

RISEN CHRIST (L-IRXOXT)

In many of Malta’s towns and villages, the Easter festivities include a traditional ‘run’ following the Easter Sunday morning procession. As part of the Easter celebrations, a group of parishioners run through the streets together holding a statue of the Risen Christ.

It’s a highlight for everyone in the town. Some people follow the runners, while others throw colourful confetti from their balconies onto the festive demonstration to egg them on.

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Joe and Agnes farm a few rabbits exactly for this purpose – to share the quality meat with family on special occasions such as this one.

cheese moulds (called qwieleb) are from Malta and the process to make the dried and peppered cheese can take up to three weeks depending on the weather, so it can be very time consuming,” she says, smiling at her mum who is helping Maryann’s father, Joe, take a seat on the couch.

Maryann’s sister, Pauline, turns up the music and starts to hum. Maryann beams as she recognises the song. “It’s il-Bajja tal-Mellieha,” she explains to her children, Thomas and Rachel, both nibbling on figolli prematurely. “It’s about the village of Mellieha where my family comes from and the beautiful bay down from the village,” Maryann explains and then begins to hum, moving her hips to the beat as she makes her way to the oven to check on the stuffat tal-fenek (rabbit stew).

As she opens the oven door everyone turns as a fragrant waft of the spiced stew fills the room. Joe smiles watching the reactions. Joe

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and Agnes farm a few rabbits exactly for this purpose – to share the quality meat with family on special occasions such as this one. Today, three of their rabbits have been prepared to share among 20 or so family members.

Traditionally, the sauce from the stew is served with spaghetti as an entrée and then the rabbit stew is served as the main meal.

Everyone starts to take their place at the table as Bartholomew tops up glasses with red wine, Cisk Lager and Kinnie (“Cisk is our national Maltese beer and Kinnie is our national Maltese soft drink,” he explains).

“Evviva! Evviva!” he exclaims and the family join in on the Maltese ‘cheers’ as they clink beer and wine glasses. The kids join in with their Kinnie-filled glasses and family members begin to take turns with short speeches thanking each other and God for the gift of family, the food and the opportunity to celebrate Easter together again.

THE MENU Bread with oil (hobz biz-zejt) ~ Maltese rabbit stew (stuffat tal-fenek) ~ Almond cake (torta tal-lewz) ~ Easter biscuits (figolli) ~ Date slice (mqaret)

A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

Opposite page clockwise: Maryann also serves a trifle; broad bean dips with savoury crackers; Maryann’s parents Joe and Agnes.

This page: Rabbit stew (recipe page 54); Joe enjoying the stew; Agnes with her granddaughter, Dominique, and son Jimmy.

These days it’s not unusual to modernise some of the traditional Maltese recipes. In the classic Maltese bread pudding (pudina tal-hobz), stale Maltese bread (hobz) is typically used. Maryann uses sourdough, which is similar in flavour to Maltese bread, but now a variety of breads can be used, even hot cross buns. While Maryann adds sweet sherry to her pudding, brandy or vermouth are also commonly used.

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“Evviva! Evviva!” he exclaims and the family join in on the Maltese ‘cheers’ as they clink beer and wine glasses.

The kids join in with their Kinnie-filled glasses and family members begin to take turns with short speeches...

ALMOND CAKE TORTA TAL-LEWŻ Serves 8 • Prep 15 mins, plus 2½ hrs chilling • Cooking 45 mins 250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour 150g cold unsalted butter, chopped 1 lemon, zested 1 egg, plus 1 extra beaten egg 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar 2 tbs demerara sugar Toasted flaked almonds, to decorate Filling 240g (2 cups) ground almonds 200g caster sugar 3 eggs, lightly beaten ½ lemon, zested, juiced 100g mixed peel 100g (½ cup) red glacé cherries, roughly chopped 1 To make pastry, sift flour into a bowl and,

using your fingers, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the centre, add lemon zest, egg and caster sugar, and mix to form a very soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2 Meanwhile, to make filling, place ground almonds, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice in a bowl and mix well. Add mixed peel and cherries and mix to form a stiff paste.

3 To assemble, roll out three-quarters of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 5mm-thick and use to line a lightly greased 24cm tart tin with removable base (this pastry is very soft, so if it cracks, re-roll the whole piece again). Trim off excess and reserve. Chill pastry case for 30 minutes. Roll out reserved pastry on a floured surface and cut into 8 x 2cm x 24cm strips. Place on a tray and chill for 30 minutes.

4 Preheat oven to 180C. Remove pastry case from fridge and press filling firmly into case.

Place half the pastry strips vertically over filling, then remaining strips horizontally over the top to form a lattice pattern, trimming to fit. Brush with extra beaten egg and scatter with demerara sugar. Place on a flat baking tray and bake for 45 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked through. Scatter with toasted flaked almonds, and serve warm.

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FIGOLLI

Maltese almond cake. Clockwise from right: Easter lunch is served; Maryann’s cousin Pauline offers an “Evviva, Evviva!” (Cheers!); the beautifully decorated figolli.

These traditional Easter sweets are filled with a marzipan paste while their exterior pastry shells are moulded into Easter festival shapes such as fish, lambs, rabbits, doves and butterflies. They are then covered with colourful sweet icing and decorated with icing patterns and chocolate Easter eggs. Customarily, these Easter treats are given out to friends and family on Easter Sunday. Although it’s now possible to get commercially produced figolli in Sydney, some Maltese families still prefer to make and give their own colourful creations. Maryann takes much pride in baking and decorating her figolli every Easter.

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BREAD WITH OIL HOBŻ BIŻ-ŻEJT

and stock and bring to a simmer. Add rabbit with pan juices. Add extra wine or stock to cover rabbit, if necessary. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1½ hours or until rabbit is nearly tender. Add potato and cook, uncovered, for a further 40 minutes or until tender.

Add peas and season. Cool.

3 Transfer rabbit to a bowl and shred meat into thick pieces. Return meat to pan and bring to a simmer to warm through.

4 Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain. Fold pasta through sauce and scatter with parmesan, to serve.

Serves 6 • Prep 10 mins • Cooking 10 mins Vegetable oil, to shallow-fry ½ sourdough loaf, sliced 70g (¼ cup) tomato pesto ½ red onion, finely chopped 50g (¼ cup) salted capers, rinsed, drained ½ cup basil leaves 75g (½ cup) pitted black olives, sliced 200g fresh ricotta, crumbled 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil 1 Heat 1cm oil in a large, deep frying pan

over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add bread slices and cook, turning once, for 4 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Remove using a slotted spoon, drain and cool on paper towel.

2 Spread bread slices with pesto. Top with onion, caper, basil, olive and ricotta, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

EASTER BISCUITS FIGOLLI Makes 8 • Prep 1 hr 20 mins, plus overnight chilling and 2 hrs setting • Cooking 20 mins 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour 180g cold unsalted butter, chopped 200g caster sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp lemon zest Royal icing, sugar pearls and Easter eggs, to decorate

MALTESE RABBIT STEW STUFFAT TAL-FENEK

Date slice (Mqaret)

These diamond-shaped datefilled deep-fried treats are a popular Maltese snack often found in sweet stalls and served on special occasions. recipe opposite

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185ml (¾ cup) olive oil 2 x 800g rabbits, cut into 6 pieces (see Cooking Notes or ask your butcher to do this for you) 3 onions, finely chopped 8 garlic cloves, chopped 70g (¼ cup) tomato paste 1 cinnamon quill 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp nutmeg 2 bay leaves 500ml (2 cups) red wine 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock 3 waxy potatoes (such as desiree), peeled, cut into 2cm pieces 120g (1 cup) frozen peas 500g spaghetti Grated parmesan, to serve 1 Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over

medium heat. Season rabbit. Working in 2 batches, cook rabbit for 3 minutes each side or until golden, then transfer to a large bowl.

2 Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until softened. Add tomato paste, spices and bay leaves, stir for 1 minute, then add wine

WORDS TATYANA LEONOV PHOTOGRAPHY ALAN BENSON (LOCATION) & BRETT STEVENS (FOOD) RECIPES MARYANN CAMILLERI FOOD PREPARATION PHOEBE WOOD STYLING JUSTINE POOLE

Serves 6 • Prep 10 mins • Cooking 2½ hrs

Almond filling 110g almond meal 80g (½ cup) pure icing sugar, sifted 110g (½ cup) caster sugar ¼ tsp almond extract 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 Place flour in a bowl and, using your fingers, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sugar, eggs and zest and mix to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 3mm thick. Using a 9cm round (or any shape you choose) biscuit cutter, cut out 16 shapes.

Place on 2 lined trays. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

2 Meanwhile, to make filling, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Preheat oven to 180C. Spread a heaped tablespoon of filling over half the pastry shapes leaving a 5mm border.

3 Brush border with water and place remaining shapes over filling to enclose, pressing edges to seal. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool.

4 Place figolli on a baking rack set over a tray and decorate with icing, pearls and Easter eggs. Set aside for 2 hours or until icing is set.

DATE SLICE MQARET Makes 28 • Prep 25 mins, plus 2 hrs chilling • Cooking 15 mins 500g (3⅓ cups) plain flour 2 tbs cold unsalted butter, chopped 1 tbs caster sugar 1 tbs anisette liqueur* 1 tbs orange-blossom water* Vegetable oil, to deep-fry Icing sugar, to serve Filling 500g pitted dates 1 tbs anisette liqueur* 1 tbs orange-blossom water* 1 orange, zested 1 tsp mixed spice 1 Place flour in a bowl and, using your fingers, rub in butter until incorporated. Add sugar, liqueur, orange-blossom water and 250ml (1 cup) iced water, and mix until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth; do not overwork. Shape into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2 Place dates, liqueur, orange-blossom water, orange zest and mixed spice in a saucepan over low heat and cover dates with water.

Bring to a simmer, then increase heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes or until dates are falling apart. Drain excess liquid, transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth. Cool.

3 Roll out one-quarter of the pastry to a 35cm x 15cm thin strip. Cover remaining dough with a slightly damp tea towel. Spread one quarter of filling lengthwise over half the pastry, leaving a 5mm border down the edge.

Wet edge of pastry and fold over to enclose filling, then press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

4 Cut pastries on an angle into 4cm-wide pieces. Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan onethird full with oil and heat over medium heat to 180C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Working in batches, fry pastries, turning halfway, for 6 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Cool slightly and dust with icing sugar, to serve. * Anisette liqueur is from select bottle shops. * Orange-blossom water is available from specialist and Middle Eastern food shops.

Top to bottom: the family tucks into the feast; festive cookies (biskuttini tarraħal); Alexia enjoys an Easter treat.

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