WATCH: Qarabagħli Mimli Jew Fenek Moqli? We Try Out Some Traditional Maltese Recipes With Tasty Results
Maltese cuisine is something that we are extremely proud of as a nation. And with good reason. From tasty snacks between meals to full blown traditional roasts, we do it all.
The Agriculture Directorate in the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change wants to celebrate our food and heritage, so they’re putting together an official database called ‘The National Register of Traditional Agro food products of Malta“.
It’s basically a food Bible that details the ideal way to prepare meals using traditional Maltese agricultural food products. They’re collecting recipes from the public in the search for best traditional recipes.
So if you think you’ve got a great recipe for a traditional Maltese dish, submit it here.
We took a crack at two well-loved Maltese recipes, and let’s just say we were very well-fed that day.
1. Qarabagħli mimli a.k.a stuffed marrows
Cheesy, garlic-y stuffed marrows oven-roasted to perfection. If that doesn’t sound divine to you, you clearly haven’t tried our stuffed marrows.
Marrows (also known as zucchini) are grown both in local greenhouses and open fields and come in two varieties; long and round.
We used round marrows for this recipe since they’re easier to stuff.
Marrows that are grown in greenhouses are usually planted in the months of October and November, and have a growing period of between seven to eight months. These are harvested throughout the whole growing period where the most mature crop is harvested.
And now for the recipe…
Start by cutting the tops of the marrows off and scoop out the flesh, then set them aside as you prepare the filling. Drop one egg, some ricotta, ġbejna, garlic and parsley in a bowl and mix until you get a smooth filling.
Once the filling is complete, slice a couple of tomatoes into centimetre-thick rounds and use them to line the bottom of a tray. Place the hollow marrows on top of the tomato rounds and stuff them with the ricotta filling.
Bake for 45 minutes and enjoy!
2. Fenek moqli a.k.a fried rabbit
Fried rabbit is probably as Maltese as it gets, second only to a good old ħobż biż-żejt. And it’s actually really easy to prepare.
Start off by finely chopping Maltese garlic and onions, and keep them ready on the side. Pour a bit of olive oil in a frying pan and bring to heat. Place your rabbit pieces in the pan and fry until cooked properly.
Remove rabbit, then sauté the onions and garlic. Add the rabbit back into the pan, and pour in a glass of white wine. Season with salt and pepper, place a few bay leaves in the pan, and leave to simmer on low heat.
Plate and enjoy!
Have you got a traditional recipe that deserves to go down in Maltese history? Be sure to submit it to form a part of The National Register of Traditional Agro food products.