Valletta: Golden Stone and Rabbit Pasta
Within Europe, Malta is a tiny and relatively unknown country. It is made of a set of islands located between Sicily and the African Continent. We went there as part of our Mediterranean island trip in the fall of 2014.
image from Google maps
Malta has a long history of being colonised by many different cultures, due to its strategic value as a naval base. Most famously, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor gave the islands to the Knights Hospitaller in 1530 in exchange for the delivery of a Maltese falcon each year. (Yes, that is the basis for the statue in the movie called Maltese Falcon.) The British took Malta from Napoleon's armies and held it through the Second World War until 1964.
the Valletta skyline
We started in Valletta, a hilly city on a peninsula, made of golden stone. The old town is made of of tiny streets and narrow alleys, opening up into large squares.
terraced street up from the harbour
We also spent some time over on the island of Gozo, where Calypso's cave from the Odyssey is reputed to be located. The cathedral at the top of the hill is worth visiting and we bought gorgeous hand made lace there, still being made by local lacemakers.
clear sea water from the side of the ferry to Gozo
madonna and child in the Basilica
Our visit accidentally coincided with the 50-year anniversary of the Maltese independence (from the British). From the roof of our hotel in Valletta we could see the projections of singers singing songs of celebration.
the projections at night on the fort
same fort during the day
Rabbit has always been a popular meat in Malta. Originally, it was made most often into a pie, but serving it with pasta is on every traditional restaurant menu all over the islands.
This dish (Spagetti tal-Fenek) is part of a long time tradition called the fenkata. These celebrations date back to the time of the knights of St. John, also known as the knights of Malta, although back then, rabbit pies were the traditional way of eating rabbit and took place on the eve of the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul on June 29th. Families would gather, cook rabbit, drink and make merry as they danced the night away in what could be described as something akin to a midsummer folk feast. The traditional way of serving rabbit is to serve sauce with spaghetti as a first course and then to have the rabbit with remaining sauce and fries or roasted potatoes as a second course.
This recipe, like many Maltese recipes, includes mixed spice. While I was in Valetta, I went to buy mixed spice at spice vendor that has been there in the old town since mid 20th century, George Zammit. Mixed spice is a British blend of sweet spices. Cinnamon is the dominant flavour, along with nutmeg and allspice. It may also contain cloves, ginger, and historically cayenne pepper. While it is usually used in England with desserts, the Maltese use it in savoury dishes like this one.
Mixed spice is very similar to pumpkin pie spice in the United States and to a Dutch spice mix called koekkruiden or speculaaskruiden, which is used to make spice cookies called speculaas. Koekkruiden contains cardamom and ginger.
the spice vendor
Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 rabbit cut up in pieces (substitute 8 chicken thighs if there is no rabbit available)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 onions
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 cube of chicken bouillon
- 6 ounces of tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 package dried pasta like spaghetti, linguini, or fettuccine
Directions:
- Mix the flour with mixed spice, salt, and pepper. Dust the rabbit pieces in the seasoned flour.
- Fry a few pieces at a time in the hot olive oil until they are golden brown. Put the browned rabbit to the side.
- Chop the onions and the garlic.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until golden.
- Return the rabbit to the pan along with the wine, bouillon, tomato paste, bay leaves, vinegar, and sugar.
- Simmer, covered until the rabbit is tender and falling off the bone, for approximately 1 hour.
- Boil salted water to cook the pasta. Add the pasta and cook 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and serve with the sauce.
linguine with rabbit pasta and a green salad
