Boil it until it's dead. This was the generally accepted abridged version of any Irish recipe book. Nice and simple, just like the cooking. Those of you of a Celtic persuasion will nod sagely in remembrance of times long gone. Potatoes; boil them, vegetables; boil them, ham; boil it. And the list goes on; stews, puddings, dumplings, broths, jams, even tea and coffee. There was no optimum water temperature for tea or coffee, we just boiled it. It was so simple that even someone like me could do it. Boil the water, throw in the food and give it a few hours.
I recall going to school as a child, early in the morning and my mother had already started making the dinner. Admittedly, at that time, housework was drudgery of monumental proportions. The only labour saving device in our house was the mangle and the washboard. For everything else...... well there were no electric sockets, so it was all done the hard way. Mothers worked hard in those days. So, by the time evening rolled round and the dinner was poured out, it was well and truly dead. Mothers worked as hard in Malta, it was no easier here. But was the food boiled to death?
Of course therein lie the reasons for the rather unimaginative Irish menu. Being out in the cold and wet north-east corner of Europe we needed to keep warm. Stodgy, high calorie food served piping hot was just the job. Porridge in the morning, meat and veg in the evening; boiled of course, and eaten wearing your jacket. And while here in Malta there was a rich and diverse mixture of cultures to influence the food, we had ....um.... well, just us.
Ahh, the good old days! Thank God they're gone. Nowadays there is a huge variety of menus in Ireland from all over the world, and available everywhere. This is due in the main to two things; the influx of a myriad of cultures and the invention and spread of the wonderful central heating. For those of you unfamiliar with central heating, think of it as the opposite of air conditioning. It allows the body to keep warm from the outside rather than from the inside, so piping hot stodgy food is no longer necessary. The Irish can at last eat light Mediterranean food. This is great for me as I love Italian food. Unfortunately it is often cooked and presented Irish style. In other words, the coffee is poor, the pasta soggy and the pizza thick and heavy.
Here, the Italian food is also cooked local style. And while Maltese style is so much lighter and nicer than Irish, it's still not the real thing.
A few days ago I was having lunch with Drs Schirmo and Porcheddu in my favourite Pizzeria; Lo Spuntino, near the university. The pizza was so thin, crisp and delicious that I waxed lyrical on the joys of real Italian food.
"What is your favourite Italian food?" inquired Salvatore through a very satisfying mouthful of pizza. Hmmm, now there's a thought.
Early last year I drove to Malta in the company of my son. We took the scenic route, meandering through France, ambling across the majestic Alps and pitching up in Genoa to take the ferry to Palermo. We couldn"t miss the magnificent Aquarium, so we stayed the night and found ourselves in a little trattoria near the docks. It was early and empty so we took out the laptop to view photos from the mountains. The owner spotted this and asked us if we could do a job on a computer he had borrowed. We went to his office and my son downloaded something or other to stream a live football match; one of the Milan teams was playing an important European tie. The owner was so thrilled to be seeing the match that he promised us a special primo course. He produced an extremely simple pasta, cooked beautifully, with a peculiar green sauce and served with the most delicate bread. It was divine!
"That would"ve been a Genovese pesto" explained Anna, "and their local focaccia. Genoa is known for many local dishes and their pesto and focaccia are the most famous." Really? Where do I get some in Malta? I must have some!
"There"s a very nice Genovese restaurant in St Julians" continued Salvatore, "it"s called Profumo di..." When are they open, what's their phone number?
"Calm down" laughed Anna, "you don't have to go there now. If you come to the Italian Cultural Institute next week, you can meet them and sample their food." You mean?
"Yes" she answered, "Armando and Corrado Casagrande from Profumo di..... will be coming to present the November Magic Box."
Profumo di.... is that friendliest kind of restaurant, a family run trattoria specializing in the finest Genovese food. It is run by the Casagrande family, comprising mum and dad Armando and Ida, along with their son Corrado and his wife Maria. Apart from Maria, who is from Malaga, they are all from Liguria and have many years experience in preparing and serving the specialities of their region. Profumo di..... will be known to many of you as they have been a very popular establishment for more than six years. Their best known dishes are their gnocchi al pesto genovese, with the greenest pesto you've ever seen, and of course their homemade Genovese focaccia.
Armando and Corrado will present the traditional food and recipes of the region and, who knows, we might even learn how to prepare them. Previous Magic Box Tuesdays have shown that when the subject is Italian food, a captivated audience participates fully and the open session is normally very difficult to stop.
This month it should not be so difficult, as afterwards we will be having a little glass of wine and are promised a few treats from Liguria. The Casagrande family is very welcoming and friendly and we should have a grand informal chat afterwards. Who knows, we may be able to wrestle a few pesto secrets from them.
So you know what to do now, I remind you every month. Get the diary out, open for this week and fill it in: Tuesday 11 November, 6.30pm, Italian Cultural Institute, St George's Square, Valletta. As I've said the subject is Italian food, so the space will be at a premium; come early if you want a seat.
Unfortunately my son is back in Ireland, so if they want their computer fixed to watch a match.

Louis Michael