Here are two recipe suggestions for using nuts and the other ingredients traditionally associated with this month as they appeared in the november issue of first magazine.
In Malta, the month of november has been traditionally associated with certain dishes and items of food for centuries.
Although globalisation and the creeping influence of american culture has recently seen the marking of All Saints and All Souls Days being superseded by the commercial Halloween festivity, the Maltese bone-shaped pastry in a bone shape called Ghadam tal-Erwieh is still widely available in confectionaries at this time of year. The less-well remembered charitable traditions of Minestra tal-Erwieh (Souls’ Minestrone) and Hanzira tal-Erwieh (Souls’ Pork) are rarer.
Some schools and households however still encourage children to go around collecting together a Borza ta’ San Martin (St Martin’s Bag) around 11 November. The bag traditionally contains walnuts (gewz), hazelnuts (gellewz) and chestnuts (qastan) as well as dried fruit such as figs (tin), a special sweet dough bun and seasonal fruit such as oranges, tangerines and pomegranates.
In today’s eclectic culinary world, the nuts common in our children’s St Martin’s Bags are increasingly finding their way into mainstream dishes such as pasta and salads, making for a delicious combination. Here are two recipes that combine easily-available local nuts with that ubiquitous item of Malta’s autumn table (and international Halloween party), the healthy pumpkin; and with pasta and earthy gorgonzola cheese.
STUFFED PUMPKIN SURPRISE
Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour, 30 mins
Serves: 5
Ingredients
1 pumpkin – around 2.5 kilos weight
3 to 4 cups brown rice, cooked
2 cups crumbled dry whole wheat bread (or part corn bread or other bread)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup chopped celery and leaves
2 apples (tart and unpeeled), chopped
1 cup roasted chestnuts or a handful of cashew nuts, cut in half
Herbs: sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, and paprika to taste
1 to 2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, melted, or safflower oil
Soy sauce or salt to taste
Preparation
Cut off top of pumpkin to make a lid. Remove the seeds and scrape out any stringy pulp. Combine brown rice, bread, onion, celery, apples, chestnuts or cashews, and herbs in a large mixing bowl and mix well with hands.
Add stock and butter, and mix well, adding soy sauce and salt if desired. Stuffing should be moist but not wet. Pack loosely into pumpkin, replace lid, and bake on oiled cookie sheet for 1-1/2 hours or more at 325 degrees F (169 degrees C).
It is done when a fork pushes easily through the pumpkin. Transfer to a casserole dish and serve at the table, scooping out some of the tender pumpkin flesh with each serving of stuffing. If the pumpkin is organically grown, you may eat the skin too. If you have too much stuffing for your pumpkin, place the left overs in an oiled casserole, cover, and bake for an hour.
PENNE WITH WALNUTS, SPINACH AND GORGONZOLA
Preparation time: approx 15 mins
Cooking time: approx. 20 mins
Serves: 1
Ingredients
Salt
225g (8 oz.) fresh baby spinach leaves (10 lightly packed cups)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
350g (12 oz.) dried penne (3-1/2 cups)
3/4 cup heavy cream
60g (2.5 oz.) crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons thinly-sliced fresh chives
Preparation
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Put the spinach in a colander in the sink.
Toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven until dark golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes. This is a very important step as it deepens the nuts’ flavour. Set aside.
Cook the penne according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta in the colander over the spinach. Put the cream, gorgonzola, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the pasta and spinach, and 2 tbs each of the walnuts and chives.
Cook, stirring constantly, until some of the sauce is absorbed by the pasta (about 2 minutes). If necessary, add some of the cooking water to moisten the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbs of walnuts and 1 tbs chives, and serve. Serve with a simple green salad dressed with balsamic vinegarette.