September 2016. 

This month has a special significance for us. Due to various mitigating circumstances and conditions, we decided to start Hosting. I made contact with a couple of local English Teaching Schools and we soon got to know that we needed a permit from the Malta Tourism Authority. After a verifying process and subsequent inspection, we were cleared and a license was issued.

Our first students were from Italy, Sicily, Germany, France and Poland. Although they were quite young, they were very well behaved and so once they left, we were very anxious and eager to meet the next Students. These were from the same countries, more or less. We did have a slight problem with one of the students who insisted on continuously extending the curfew, but this was soon solved by calling the school. They quickly took some disciplinary action with the student. Then there was Anastasia. When she arrived, she seemed very uncommunicative. She stayed with us for a whole month and during this time we saw a transformation in her. Not only did she open up, but we also became so attached to her and her simple yet honest character. Dorka was a thirteen year old from Hungary. Her command of the English language was non existent, We found it hard to communicate with her because if we asked her a simple question, she would try to  guess the correct answer between yes or no. She would try one of the two and observe the reaction on our faces.If her answer initiated puzzled looks, she would hazard the other.

During August, we had a week without any students and then Nadya came. She swept into our house like a much needed summer breeze, with her boisterous nature, positive attitude and significant presence. We immediately took a liking to her and she to us. Susana quickly took her under her wing and mothered her as much as a newly self-appointed mother could. Since it was a Saturday and she had just arrived, she was not yet included in the School Activities Programme, so Susana invited he to a BBQ at her friends’ house. This turned out to be a huge success, with Nadya quickly making friends and adapting to our relatively hot summer quite effortlessly. The next day, we were expecting another student and we were both anxious as well as apprehensive as to whom this person might be, whether she would fit in, whether she would be able to speak English. We need not have worried. Jennifer was tailor made to fit in with Nadya and share the room. She could speak the same languages as Nadya apart from English and she had the same positive can do attitude. These two girls turned out to be so special to us. Not only did we instantly treat them as family, but they also considered us as such. We were blessed and very fortunate to have them with us. We sprung at every opportunity to spend time together, whether having breakfast, dinner, time at the beach, with friends or simply to ask  about how our respective days went. Nadya was the sporty, outgoing, energetic type while Jenny was the intellectual, multitalented, down to earth lady-in-the-making.

During the same time, Darina and Pash were also our guests. While we made every effort to respect their privacy, we managed to find time and opportunity for quite a few stimulating conversations about various subjects. Sharing ideas is hardly ever a negative thing, and when persons from different backgrounds, countries, cultures indulge in pleasant yet engaging parlance, the feeling of mutual enrichment is practically guaranteed. The fact that this Russian couple were quiet, well-educated and well-travelled went a long way in enabling us to cover quite a few diverse topics such as work, travel, literature, sports, exploring the Maltese Islands, Lampuki and Pastizzi, to name just a few. Needless to say, they also became like family to us, and we did treat them as such. We are very happy and consider ourselves very lucky that our paths have temporarily crossed, and we shall continue to cherish the memory of their short sojourn with us for a very long time ahead. 

TIPS ON HOW TO ADD TASTE TO YOUR FOOD

What is taste?

Taste is a signal which is sent to the brain by the taste buds. If food has the right balance or meets certain criteria, it will send signals which are pleasing to the brain, and that enhances our eating experience.

Taste is subjective.

When we order food in a restaurant, or we are presented with food at home, we have a set of expectations connected to the food we have ordered or are presented with. This expectation is based on our previous experience of tasting the same food, and also on the ingredients to which we have been exposed so far. To give an example, if one orders a stir fry and the chef decides to add fresh ginger and citrus peel in it, someone who has never tasted fresh ginger will recognized the citrus peel but not the ginger. This can have different effects depending on the person who is eating it.

Some people are quite adventurous when it comes to food, and are always on the lookout for new tastes and combinations, while others are more conservative, and tend to stick to the tastes which they are accustomed to, or to those tastes which they used to eat at home. This is why it is advisable to introduce as many different tastes as possible to children.

Below are a few flavour enhancing tips which can be used either separately or in a combination.

 It is a scientifically proven fact that Browning food ( it is called the Maillard Reaction) enhances flavour not only in meat, but also in vegetables. It is necessary to DRY meats and veg destined for browning in fat because moisture interferes with the process Before you make a stock with fish bones, meat bones or vegetables trimmings, always brown them in some fat, either in a pan or in the oven, before adding on the liquid.

Sugar is an acquired taste, and our brain will recognize its presence in food even if the quantity is minute. If added to food and sauces in modest amounts, it will make the consumption of food more pleasurable. Those of us who cannot or will not add refined or brown sugar can use natural fruits which will obtain a similar result.

Salt is also an acquired taste, so for those of us who are used to it, food which is lacking in salt is labeled as “tasteless”. Since it is advisable to limit the amount of ‘added’ salt to foods, one can instead add on more herbs, spices to bring out the flavour. Certain herbs which are highly aromatic and hardy can be added early on during cooking, while the delicately flavoured ones need to be added at the end, or used as a garnish.

A couple of things to remember are that reducing a sauce or stock (by letting it boil for some time ) will make it more salty, so if you taste it early on make an allowance for that.  When tasting pasta sauces just before you add on the pasta, the sauce should have a strong taste because once we add the pasta, the strength will diminish. 

When we brown meat or veggies in the pan and we have those residues stuck to the pan, these are deglazed by adding liquid ( wine, stock or hot water ) and that can be sieved or filtered and added to the sauce or gravy.

Marinating meat cuts will not only make them more tender , but they will also help for them to cook quicker and have more flavour. A dry rub of herbs and spices can have a similar effect, although to a lesser degree. When marinating meats or fish, ensure that you have an acidic ingredient like citrus, tomato, vinegar, wine because these help to break down the enzymes and make your food cook faster.

 

On some occasions when I cook dry carbs like rice or couscous, I make sure to add them to the sweated onion with all the spices which will have cooked for a few minutes. A dry food will absorb the first liquid it touches, so the carbs will absorb all the flavours before we add on additional liquid.

Long slow cooking of meats in stews allows the meat to become more tender and concentrates the liquid, so we may want to add the veggies half way through the cooking process unless we want all the veggies to disintegrate and disappear within the sauce.

Words by Eric Bugeja.

If you are interested to attend one of my courses, scroll down and see my older posts for more information. 

SAFELY COOL COOKED FOODS

If cooked, hot food  is not  to be  eaten immediately it needs to be  cooled as quickly as possible; because some  food poisoning  bacteria  can  survive  cooking  and  begin  to grow if food is left at  room  temperature for more  than  a couple of hours.  These  bacteria can  produce toxins  when  they  grow,  which  are  heat  resistant,  and  will cause  illness  if eaten even  if the  food is thoroughly reheated.

To cool  large  pans  of soup,  stews  and  sauces quickly  you  should  follow  these simple steps:

•    Place the  pan in a clean & disinfected sink containing a few inches of cold water  and/or ice (make  sure  the  water  does  not splash into the  contents of the pan.

•    Leave the  pan to cool for about  20 minutes, by which time the  contents should be cool enough to portion,  (if the  cold water  becomes warm it can be drained away and carefully replaced with fresh  cold water, ice cubes  can also be added to the water).  Stirring the contents during this time will help to remove  some  of the residual heat.

•    Decant  the  contents of the  pan into small clean storage containers, (e.g., food grade  plastic) and cover loosely with a lid, foil or cling film.

•    Seal Container and label with date  and contents description before  refrigirating or freezing – the  containers should be cool enough to freeze  within 2 hours  of cooking.

•    For shepherd pies, lasagne or similar dishes you should avoid using large containers, which are slow to cool.  Individual portions will cool more rapidly.

Another way of cooling cooked stews, creams, rice etc is to transfer them to a shallow tray or dish as soon as they are cooked, put them on a trivet or cooling grill and put an electric fan to them so that they will cool down even quicker.