Malta

Energy-efficient cooking
The long-standing scarcity of firewood in Malta has, over centuries, led to very economical cooking methods there. Most dishes are cooked slowly in a clay pot, on a small stone stove known as a 'kenur'.
One speciality is the snack 'pastizzi', which probably originate from Turkey. These are little puff pastry rolls filled with ricotta, meat or even peas, and eaten hot. The favourite everyday dish of many locals is 'timpana'.

Timpana (macaroni pie)
Ingredients (Serves 6-8):
1 medium aubergine
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt
water
2 medium onions
100 g streaky bacon
200 g chicken livers
30 g butter (plus extra for the baking dish)
400 g mixed mince
2 tbsp tomato purée
¼ litre meat stock
1 small jar passata (400 g)
freshly milled pepper
400-450 g puff pastry (frozen)
flour for rolling out
500 g durum wheat semolina macaroni (or penne)
4 eggs
100 g freshly grated Parmesan

Method:

• Cut the aubergine into small cubes and briefly submerge in a mixture of vinegar, salt and cold water. Peel the onions and cut into small cubes.
• Likewise, cut the bacon and the chicken livers into small cubes.
  
• Heat the butter, add the diced onion and bacon, and sauté over a medium heat until the onion is transparent. Drain the diced aubergine and add to the pan to sauté briefly. Add the mince and fry with the other ingredients for 3 minutes, crumbling while cooking. Mix in the diced liver and fry for a further 3 minutes.
  
• Whisk the tomato purée in the meat stock, stir into the meat mixture with the passata, bring to the boil, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, then leave to cool.
  
• Leave the puff pastry sheets to thaw on a floured surface.
  
• Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until al dente, drain and leave to cool.
  
• Preheat the oven to 200ºC. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with 4-5 tablespoons of water. Put 5-6 tablespoons of this in a container and set aside. Add the Parmesan cheese to the eggs in the bowl and mix. Gently fold in first the pasta, then the meat sauce.
  
• Grease a large baking dish (about 32 x 26 cm). On a floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the puff pastry large enough to line the baking dish up to the edges. After lining, fill with the pasta/meat mixture.
  
• Roll out the remaining pastry to the size of the baking dish and place on top of the filling. Brush the edges with some of the egg set aside earlier and press together firmly, then brush the top with the rest of the egg, and pierce several times with a fork. Bake the pie on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hour. Cut into quarters to serve.