Maltese Recipes: Tuna & Spinach Pie

I thought it would be fun to occasionally share  a local recipe. Whether this one is one hundred per cent local, or whether it is an adaptation of a recipe from nearby Sicily, I cannot tell you. What I can tell you is that the recipe below is my own version of the traditional one. It has become a family favourite and is even easy enough for this lazy cook.

Ingredients

• Short-crust pastry (enough to cover the top and bottom of a 9-inch pie-pan)
• 2 large cans  tuna(app. 160g each) , drained
• 500g - 700g spinach (fresh or frozen)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 100g olives
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method

1. Boil the spinach in boiling water until cooked. Drain water carefully. (I use a potato  masher to squeeze out as much water as possible).
2. Fry the diced onion in olive oil.
3. Add the herbs, olives, tuna, spinach and capers and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and mix well.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cover the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with pastry.
7. Pour in the tuna and spinach mixture.
8. Cover the top of the pie with another layer of pastry and scatter the sesame seeds.
9. Prick the top layer of pastry with a fork.
10. Bake in an oven at 200C for 30  minutes.

I am sorry that I have no pie pictures to share but we were in too much of a hurry to eat it.

It’s been raining and the weather has cooled down a bit (perfect weather for pies, in my opinion). Octobers have a tendency to be rather warm here but, in spite of everything, change is coming. What remains to be seen is whether the change will be slow or fast.  I find that I am spending a lot of time thinking and reminiscing and some of that is going to spill over  into my posts, both here and on Stories and Scribbles. You will also be noticing a few subtle changes, in content and in layout, on this blog as had promised a few weeks ago.

Speaking of rain … I have nearly always shared photos taken on sunny days. However, today I would like you to take a short walk with me through the rainy streets of my home-town. These narrow, winding streets and alleys form part of the old town core.

Hundreds of years ago (before 800AD) this area fell within the walls of Mdina. It is highly likely that  beneath the streets we walk on today are the remains of houses from that far-off time. The current buildings, although not as ancient, still date back to the late 1400s. This is especially true of the ground-floor level. Typically, upper levels were added at a later period.

Not all of these houses are in their original condition. But, thankfully, many have been preserved allowing us a glimpse into the way people lived so many years ago.

Location: Rabat