Making Maltese Rabbit Pie

Malta is a group of islands in the Mediterranean between Sicily and

North Africa that it has been influenced by a variety of cultures including the Roman, Moors, French, and British. While in Malta during October 2016 John and I stayed at the luxurious Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa (www.corinthia.com/en/hotels/palace-hotel-and-spa).

The hotel was once the luxury villa of the founder of Corinthia Hotels and many of the villa’s architect remains. It is located near the Presidential Palace and the botanical gardens in a quiet gentrified area of the capital. 

Rabbit Pit is considered one of Malta’s national dishes. Rabbits were most likely brought to the island by the Romans or

Phoenicians from the Iberian Peninsula. One of the items on the hotel’s menu was Maltese-style Rabbit and Mushroom Pie which, Stefan Hogan, the Executive Head Chef, agreed to let me watch him make. Rabbit is not a common food in New York State but there is a meat market near us that sells rabbit and a wide variety of unique meats.  I think any meat could be used if rabbit wasn’t available. The pie was very savory. 

  

  

Maltese Style Rabbit & Mushroom Pie (Torta Tal-fenek)

Olive oil as needed 

3 lbs rabbits ready to cook 

2 celery sticks, cut into cubes

2 carrots, cut into cubes

1 leek, sliced

6 garlic cloves

Bay leaf

Sprig of rosemary

1 cup red wine

4 cups chicken stock

8 shallots 

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup peas

2 Pie crusts  

Flour for dusting

Egg wash for brushing & glazing (one egg blended with 1 to 3 tsp milk and a dash of salt.)

Put oil in pan. Add rabbit pieces. Fry until golden brown, transfer to an oven dish.  In a separate pan put some oil; sauté half the celery, half the carrots and the leeks with two garlic cloves until lightly brown, Add to the oven dish with the rabbit. In the oven dish add the bay leaf and the rosemary. Deglaze the rabbit pan with the red wine, add to the oven dish. Cover with the chicken stock. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours. Remove from the oven. Cool. Remove the rabbit pieces from the stock and pick the meat off the bone – try and leave the meat in large chunks. Strain the liquid and reduce by half.

In a clean pan heat add some oil and lightly brown the remaining garlic, celery, shallots and carrots, drain off excess oil, and add to the rabbit meat. Sauté the mushrooms in a little oil until golden brown and add to the rabbit mixture; add the peas. Allow to cool completely. Lightly brush a circular baking dish with oil and dust with flour. Line the baking dish with the rolled-out pastry leaving half an inch of the pastry hanging over the sides, fill with the rabbit mixture. Fold the overhanging dough over mixture then cover with the remaining dough. Seal edges of dough. Brush

liberally with the egg wash. Prick the pastry with a fork. Bake in an oven at 400 degrees for the first 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to cook for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven. Allow it to cool before taking it out of the pan. Let it rest 15 minutes before cutting.

Pan seared octopus Maltese style

Malta is one of Europe’s best kept secrets.  The Malta archipelago

of islands is located in the Mediterranean south of Sicily which means it is blessed with a Mediterranean climate - think no snow.  There are many wonderful places to visit; in fact, Malta has three UNESCO World Heritage sites including the City of Valletta, the Megalithic Temples, and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.  Several other sites are on the UNESCO Tentative List awaiting inclusion. Impressive for an island that is 17 miles by 9 miles.  

We toured many places in Valletta, the capital city, including St. John’s Co-Cathedral with golden carved pillars and fabulous paintings on the vaulted ceiling. In the Oratory is Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist” painting; the only one he signed. I was especially impressed with Casa Rocca Piccola, a unique 1850 house/museum where the friendly owners are still in residence. They have an extensive bomb shelter where the family sought safety during WW II.  I didn’t know that Malta was the most bombed place during WW II.  

One day we scheduled a ‘hotel day’  -  reading around the pool,

enjoying the spa and learning how to make a traditional Maltese recipe. Ramla’s Executive Head Chef Christian Borg showed us how to make Qarnit Moqli. Chef Borg said Maltese cooking is simple, colorful, and tasty.   He explained further that many countries invaded Malta over

the years so many recipes are a mix of Italian and Arabic cuisine.  Qarnit Mogli is usually served as a starter but we found it was enough for a lunch.  John, the seafood –lover, declared it excellent.  I am not a lover of seafood but of course I tried it.  The flavor was wonderful. I knew it would be from the aroma when it was cooking; however, I found the octopus a little too chewy to my liking. 

Qarnit Moqli

2 whole medium-sized octopuses

1 medium fresh chili, diced (depends on how hot you want it)

1 lemon

1tbsp black pepper corns

6 bay leaves

10 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 small red onion, diced

2 – 4 springs of fresh mint 

2 – 4 springs of fresh basil 

10 cherry tomatoes cut in half

1tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, diced

½ cup white wine

1tbsp capers 

1tbsp pitted black olives, roughly chopped

Freshly ground pepper as desired

Extra virgin olive oil as desired 

Crusty white loaf (Hobz tal-malthi) or bread bowls

Boil the octopus together with half the chili, half the lemon, black pepper corns, bay leaves, and half of the garlic. Let it boil gently until the octopus is nice and tender (approximately 40 minutes). When the octopus is ready separate the tentacles from the head and cut them in half. Remove the beak. Cut the head into three thick slices. In a frying pan add a dash of olive oil when warm  add the onions until it starts to become soft then add the with rest of the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and the rest of the chilies.  Add the octopus and white wine. Cook over medium heat until it is reduced by half. Add the capers (rinse these before adding to the pan) and the olives and let them cook slowly for about 5 minutes.  Finish with a squeeze of lemon, freshly ground black pepper, and more olive oil. Scoop out center of bread bowl and fill with octopus mixture. Garnish and serve.