FEELING PUCKISH

Chef Patron from Fat Louie’s and New York Best Bistro Nick Diacono prepares some hearty wintery dishes some of which have deep Maltese roots. Such as The Maltese Black Hen ​which is an ancient breed thought to exist since 6th century BC.

The breed came about in 1934 thanks to the Maltese Department of Agriculture which undertook a procedure to select and standardise the breed, which they obtained using indigenous chickens that were completely black. Some chickens could produce more than 200 eggs per year. In 1938 the breed’s prolific nature was recognised and documented by the Commonwealth Bureau of Animal Breeding and Genetics, who declared that its fertility was superior to that of imported chickens.  

Most ingredients are available from Park Towers Supermarkets. Photography by Chris Sant Fournier.

Ilsien bil-kappar

Tongue stew with capers

Serves 3/4

For the tongue:

·      1 tongue (circa 1kg)

·      1 tbsp peppercorns

·      2 bay leaves

·      1 onion

·      Handful of parsley stalks

·      2 carrots

Method

Cover well with water and boil until tender, takes about 2 hours. Strain and keep broth aside. Peel off skin whilst still hot and set aside.

For the stew:

·      Peeled tongue

·      Tongue broth

·      2 onions

·      50g butter

·      Handful chopped parsley

·      Pinch chopped mint

·      4 cloves garlic

·      1 tbsp capers

·      200ml white wine

·      Cracked pepper

·      Sea salt

·      Flour

Method:

Cut tongue into desired sized pieces and coat in flour. Pan fry on both sides in some olive oil and butter and remove from pot. In the same pot add the onion, garlic, capers and half the parsley. Cook for about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with white wine and cook down. Add the tongue and just cover with broth. Leave to cook on a low heat for about 30 mins. Adjust seasoning. Finish with fresh parsley and mint.

Denver Steak

Snail with mushroom sauce and triple cooked fries

Serves 4

For the steak:

·      1 kg Denver cut chuck steak

·      Sea salt

·      Crushed black pepper

Method:

Trim chuck into 4 steaks and leave on a wire rack overnight in fridge. Cook in a very hot cast iron pan as preferred, just not beyond medium as the cut comes from a hard-working muscle.

For the sauce:

·      500g snails

·      500g mushrooms

·      200ml red wine

·      1 tbsp tomato paste

·      Sea salt

·      Crushed black pepper

·      Olive oil

·      1 onion

·      1 carrot

·      1 celery stick

·      2 cloves garlic

·      2 bay leaves

·      2 sprigs thyme

·      Handful parsley stalks

Method:

Wash and rinse the snails well. Set aside. Add roughly chopped veg to a large pot and cook with olive oil and herbs. Add snails and mix well. Fill with water and cook until snails release from shell easily, takes about 20 minutes. De shell and set side. Cook onion and garlic in some olive oil and butter, add thyme and tomato paste. Add sliced mushrooms, and cook further. Add red wine and reduce. Add snails and mix well. Add chicken stock and reduce again. Finish off with butter.

For the fries:

·      1kg potato

·      Sea salt

·      Peanut oil

Method:

Scrub potatoes with a new sponge under cold running water. Cut into 20 x 20 chunky fries. Leave in a bowl under running cold water for abut 5 minutes to remove excess starch. Wipe fries well using paper towels. Bring a pot water to the boil, with some salt. Cook fries in water until just cooked, you notice when surface becomes rough looking and not flat. Leave on wire rack and refrigerate until completely cold. Fry in peanut oil at 150 Celsius until very slightly browned. Refrigerate again until needed. Fry high heat until crispy. Season and serve.

Roasted Black Maltese Hen

Serves 4

You will need:

·      1kg potatoes

·      1 whole black chicken

·      50 g butter

·      2 sprigs thyme

·      200g baby carrots

·      1 lemon

·      200g asparagus

·      2 medium onions

·      4 cloves garlic

·      Sea salt

·      cracked black pepper

Method

Mix seasoning with butter and thyme, rub this mixture into chicken, making sure to rub inside too and leave in fridge overnight. Get chicken out of fridge and leave to reach room temp. Wash potatoes well, slice and leave in water. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius Stuff the chicken with whole baby carrots, one lemon and asparagus. Lay sliced onions at bottom of roasting tray, with potatoes on top. Place chicken on potatoes and roast until you reach an internal temp of 75, takes about 1 hour, depends on size of chicken. Remove from oven and wrap in foil to rest.

Skate with chips and capers

Serves 3-4

You will need:

·      1kg skate wings

·      2 tbsp capers

·      Handful chopped parsley

·      200g butter

·      Sea salt

·      Cracked black pepper

·      100ml chicken stock

·      Handful good quality frozen fries

·      2 lemons

·      Flour

Method:

Trim sake wings into neat manageable pieces. Season well and coat in flour shaking off any excess. Fry in some olive oil and butter until brown over a medium heat making sure not to burn butter. Wings cook quite fast once cooked remove from pan, add parsley capers, juice of 1 lemon and more butter and cook for a couple of minutes. Add chicken stock and emulsify until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Serve with sauce on top and with a side of fries. Finish with more fresh parsley.