Tradtional Maltese Easter Figolli

Figolli are a traditional Easter dessert made from a biscuit pastry with an almond filling. Typically they are decorated with icing or chocolate. Most figolli are given a shape, in the past this used to be an Easter related shape however nowadays shapes vary from fish, baskets, heart shapes and many others. In my family we also had Garlfield's face as a standard shape! We used to bake these every year with my mum when young and nowadays even though I don't prepare them on a yearly basis anymore I still use the same recipe that we used back then.

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• 800 grams plain flour
• 1.5 packets margarine (roomboter)
• 2 eggs
• 250 grams sugar
• 1 lemon juice and peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Filling:

• 400 grams pure almonds
• 400 grams sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond essence
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice (Specific ingredients vary from brand to brand but typical components are(1/4 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tbsp nutmeg, 1/4 tbsp allspice, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 tsp mace, 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
• 1 orange juice and peel

Design

• 2 big milk/dark chocolate
• A couple of easter eggs

Icing Design

• 225-250 grams sieved icing sugar
• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Method:

General Directions:

1. Prepare pastry and leave for 2 hours or overnight;
2. Mix filling ingredients together;
3. Prepare figolli design;
4. Cook at 180 degrees;
5. Once cool, melt chocolate and cover pastry;
6. Once dried add icing design.

Preparing the pastry:

1. Mix the margarine and sugar until the mixture turns whitish in colour;
2. Add the flour, eggs, lemon juice, lemon peal and vanilla essence;
3. Continue mixing until the pastry is of the right consistency. If the pastry is still sticky add some more flour. If the pastry is very dry add a teaspoon of water;
4. Leave to rest.

Preparing the filling:

1. Crush the almonds into powder consistency;
2. Mix all ingredients together.

Icing directions:

1. Beat the egg white;
2. Add lemon juice and icing sugar bit by bit;
3. It should now be smooth and shiny;
4. Make sure the icing is not very wet and can keep a given shape;
5. Add more icing sugar if icing is very wet.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius;
2. Roll the pastry to around 3 mm consistency;
3. Cut into desired shape. This will be the base of the figolla;
4. Cut more pastry in the same identical shape. If possible cut it 5 mm bigger than the base;
5. Place a 1 cm layer of filling on top of the base;
6. Keep the filling around 1 cm away from all borders;
7. Wet the border of the base with water;
8. Cover the base and filling with the top pastry layer;
9. Press the top and bottom pastries together at the borders;
10. Place in oven and cook until the pastry has a bit of colour;



11. Melt chocolate;
12. Cover the shaped figolla with the melted chocolate;





13. Let dry completely;
14. Once dry decorate with the icing sugar.

Stuffed Olives

Stuffed olives are a staple party treat I prepare. It's very common to stuff olives in Malta using this methods. In the Netherlands and also in Germany, olives are usually stuffed with a whole garlic or pimento.

For this recipe you need big, green meaty olives. If the olives are too small it's harder to stuff them.

Ingredients
  

• Chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 Garlic clove minced
• Salt & pepper
• Canned tuna
• A slice of white bread (only the soft central part)
• 1 chili pepper chopped (optional)

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together with a mixer until smooth
2. Stuff all olives with the mixture
3. Serve!

Any extra mixture can be used to put on top of crackers, with some olive oil and served as an appetizer.

Recipe Origin:  Mama Formosa 

Stuffed Artichokes

Most people know about artichoke hearts, usually bought marinated in a tasty mix with olive oil. Artichoke hearts are just the tender center of the artichoke. Artichokes are actually the buds of a thistle plant that have not yet flowered.

In Malta it’s common to cook the whole artichoke and eat the soft part of the leaves.

Beware that the below recipe is not for everyone. Eating artichokes involves a lot of work for a tiny amount of ‘food’.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 artichokes
• Parsley finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• Half a can of tuna in oil
• Half a carrot cut into small pieces
• The soft part of a loaf bread slice
• Pepper & salt
• Vinegar
• Olive oil

Method

1. Start boiling a pan with water, some olive oil and vinegar. The pan should fit your artichokes. The water level should reach till the middle of the artichokes
2. Mix the parsley, garlic, tuna and carrot
3. Wet the bread and add to the mix
4. Season to taste
5. Mix the mixture well
6. Stuff around 2 tablespoons of mixture into each artichoke

7. Place the stuffed artichokes in the pan
8. Cook for around an hour, starting with high fire and lowering it later on.

9. After an hour the artichokes are ready to serve. Just sprinkle with oil, vinegar and salt for some seasoning.

I usually serve artichokes with a boiled egg, potatoes, some veggies and the left over tuna. A piece of loaf bread with tomato concentrate (‘kunserva’) matches perfectly to the tastes.

How to eat an artichoke!

1. Take the leaves off one by one. The edible part is lighter in colour and located at the base of the leaf
2. Scrape off the tender bits of the leaf by putting the leaf in your mouth, closing your teeth on it and pulling the leaf outwards. The eatable part will detach from the leaf easily.
3. Discard the rest of the leaf
4. Continue until you reach the smaller center of leaves.
5. Pull off the center leaves. A hairy area will be at the bottom of these leaves.
6. Remove the choke with your fork/knife.
7. Eat the heart of the artichoke!