se

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& s

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Co

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for h

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‘seasonal and sustainable – Cooking for healthy living’ draws upon karen mugliett’s

experience as a home economist and her holistic philosophy to sustainable living centred

round the home.

the core of the book is the four seasonal chapters where a healthy and sustainable cuisine

is adapted around the common vegetables, fruit and fish available in each season. a variety

of original and simple starters, economical and tasty main courses, healthy and low calorie

desserts make up the book. the different recipes include guidelines on how they can be

modified to make them healthier or more varied. most recipes are accompanied by cultural,

sustainable and health tips

the book includes a first chapter intended to instill the proper attitudes to home cooking,

attitudes such as better budgeting, shopping wisely, meal planning, sustainable cooking.

these are followed by other indispensable information and basic recipes which are

considered as fundamental to a wide range of dishes.

the book contains around 120 practical, economical and healthy recipes all tried out

(and photographed by karen’s husband Jesmond). all recipes have been carefully planned

to include healthy and fresh ingredients, contain low amounts of calories, sugars and fat

whilst at the same time retaining taste and flavour. Followers of the mediterranean cuisine,

vegetarians and those who are looking for original and healthy ways of food preparation

should find this book an indispensable companion in their kitchen.

Photography by Jesmond Mugliett

seasonal &sustainable

Cooking for healthy livingk

ar

en

mu

gl

iet

t

karen mugliett

ISBN 978-99909-3-159-4

‘Responsible living starts today is the motto I used in a website I launched earlier

on this year, www.culinariaandwellness.com. My objective is to foster a healthy

community, conscious of its responsibility towards sustainability and enjoying

a better quality of life.’ – Karen Mugliett

SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE 131130 SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE

Winterintro

Winter produce

Winter Starters

Broccoli and orange stir fry

Broccoli au gratin

Traditional broth with gnocchi filled with ricotta, spinach and parsley

Gnocchi filled with ricotta and tomatoes

rice with chicken liver, almonds and raisins

Lasagna with chicken mince, ricotta and spinach

Tomato, spinach and chickpea soup

Winter Main Courses

Laħam fuq il-fwar (steamed meat)

Cooking a lucerto

Carving the lucerto

Beef tonnato

rabbit stew and spaghetti served with rabbit sauce

pork fillet with nuts, spinach and cheeselets

rabbit pie

Broth with stuffed flank (falda mimlija)

Salmon a l’orange

Traditional pumpkin pie

Salmon quiche

Vegetarian Main Courses

Stuffed red and yellow peppers

Onion tart

vegetarian lasagna

Winter Desserts

Lemon poppy seed loaf

Bread pudding

Dried fig dessert

Almond and date tart

Sweet ricotta pie

Christmas pudding

poached pears in port or wine

ChApTEr fIvEWinter

SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE 159

Winter dESSErTS

Ingredients

• 400g piece of a stale

Maltese bread

• 400ml skimmed milk

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 3 tbsp cocoa

• 100g sugar (which can be

reduced to taste)

• 1 apple, chopped

• 1 tbsp almonds, chopped

• 400g dried mixed fruit

(sultanas and raisins)

• Grated rind of ½ lemon

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground cloves

• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Method

1. Soak the bread in the milk

and allow to soak overnight in

the refrigerator.

2. Pre-heat an oven to 170°C

and grease a rectangular dish

and line the bottom with

silicon-coated baking paper.

3. Add all the other

ingredients and mix well.

4. Pour the mixture into the

dish and bake in the oven for

35 to 45 minutes.

5. Test with a skewer which

should come out clean if the

pudding is done.

6. When ready, cool the

pudding for 5 minutes in the

baking dish and then turn out

onto a cooling wire after

passing a round-ended knife

all around the sides.

7. Serve warm or cold.

158 SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour, sifted

• 2 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 50ml sunflower oil

• 150g sugar

• 2 medium-sized eggs,

beaten

• Grated zest of 1 lemon

• 40ml lemon juice

• 3 tbsp poppy seeds

For the syrup

• Zest of ½ lemon, pared and

sliced thinly

• 60ml lemon juice

• 40ml orange juice

• 50g sugar

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.

Grease and line a 450g loaf tin

with silicon coated baking

paper.

2. Mix the oil, sugar, eggs and

lemon zest and lemon juice in

a bowl until thoroughly

combined.

3. Sift the flour, baking

powder and salt in a mixing

bowl and then stir in the

poppy seeds.

4. Pour the egg mixture into

the dry ingredients and fold in.

5. Spoon into the greased loaf

tin and bake for 45 minutes

until golden brown on top.

Test with a skewer which

when inserted into the centre

should come out clean.

6. Cool the cake for 5 minutes

in the loaf tin before turning

out onto a cooling wire.

7. Make the syrup by slicing

the pared zest into fine strips,

place in a pan with the lemon

and orange juice and the

sugar, then boil together

rapidly until it is reduced by

half and is syrupy.

8. Pour the warm syrup over

the cake and allow to cool

before slicing.

Winter Desserts

Lemon PoPPy Seed Loaf

bread Pudding

HealtH tip:

Carob SyruP (ĠuLeP) Can be

uSed aS an aLternative to

ChoCoLate or CoCoa in a

reCiPe.

seasonal & sustainable 1716 seasonal & sustainable

Springintro

spring produce

Marrows (Zucchini and Courgettes)

spinach

Spring Starters

Cherry tomato and olive salad

Marrows with pine nuts and raisins salad

artichokes with parsley and garlic

tomatoes and parsley salad with a garlic dressing

Zucchini and parmesan salad with lemon vinaigrette

aubergine bake

spaghetti with calamari sauce

thick fish soup (aljotta magħquda)

Spring Main Courses

Marrows stuffed with mincemeat

Grilled marrows stuffed with tomatoes, cheeselets (ġbejniet) and prawns

Marrows stuffed with cheeselets (ġbejniet) and a touch of bacon

aubergines with a pasta bolognese baked in the oven

prawns in tomato purée and garlic

Calamari (squids) stuffed with ricotta and cheeselets

spinach and salmon roulade

Spring Vegetarian Main Courses

Marrows stuffed with ricotta and tomatoes

basic recipe for braised rice (risotto)

braised rice with ricotta and broad beans (ful)

Cherry tomato and ricotta pie

spinach pie

Spring Desserts

Cassata siciliana

tangy strawberry tart

light almond tart

tarte tatin

strawberries with honey and walnuts

Figolli

pasti di Mandorla

Chapter twoSpring

Ingredients

• 160g butter

• 75g plain flour

• 200ml milk

• 4 eggs, separated

• 1 kilo fresh spinach, boiled

beforehand

For the filling

• 400g salmon grilled, bones and

skin removed (if this is not

possible use 2 cans of salmon)

• 4 shallots, chopped

• 100g ricotta, mashed

• 1 tablespoon parsley

Method

1. line a 24cm x 34cm dish with

greaseproof or baking paper.

2. Drain the spinach well from any

liquid it may have.

3. light the oven to 200 degrees c.

4. melt the butter in a frying pan

and add the flour and stir for 1

minute.

5. Gradually add the milk and stir

well. Allow the mixture to boil and

thicken.

6. Separate the eggs and add the

egg yolks to the flour mixture

quickly.

7. Add the spinach to this mixture.

8. beat the egg whites to form soft

peaks and then fold in lightly with a

metal spoon to the spinach mixture.

9. Pour and spread the spinach

mixture lightly in the dish and bake

in the oven for around 12 minutes

until the mixture puffs up and is

golden brown.

10. remove from the oven and turn

onto a tea towel covered with a

piece of greaseproof paper or a

wire rack and greaseproof paper.

11. If sides are crusty it is best to

cut these off but if they are not,

leave them.

12. carefully remove the baking

paper on which the roulade was

baked and allow to cool.

13. roll the spinach roulade

carefully with the greaseproof

paper too as if you had a Swiss roll.

be careful to support it from all

around so that it won’t break. Put

aside.

14. make the filling by combining

all the ingredients and mixing

together in a sort of paste.

15. When ready, unroll the roulade

and spread the filling evenly all

over.

16. roll once more to get into a

rolled shaped once again.

SeASonAl & SuSTAInAble 35

spring mAIn courSeS

34 SeASonAl & SuSTAInAble

spring mAIn courSeS

Here I give my favourite recipe for a roulade, yet they can be filled with any

type of healthy filling e.g. a mushroom and onion mix or a ricotta and

tomato filling. The technique is similar to that of a Swiss roll but this time

the mixture to be rolled is a base of spinach, eggs, flour and milk. The recipe

can be made the day before or several hours before. A roulade is quite filling

and can be served as a main dish together with a nice raw vegetable and

fruit salad or can be one of the items in a buffet.

roulades

sPINaCH aNd salMoN roulade

Alternative fillings: 300g

ricotta, 4 shallots, 1 tomato

chopped finely, 1 tablespoon

chopped parsley.

Or: 300g mushrooms,

4 shallots, 1 tablespoon

chopped parsley,

1 tablespoon grated cheese.

There are obviously other

fillings one can use – let your

imagination run loose…

50 SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE 51

SummerIntro

Summer produce

Green peppers

Summer Starters

Green peppers stir fry

Green peppers with tomatoes

Tomatoes

Stuffed baked tomatoes

parma ham and melon with a honey and balsamic vinegar dressing

Salmon rolls with fish or crab meat filling

Figs with parma ham in a melon sauce

Baked vegetables

Zucchini and tomato salad with a garlic dressing

pasta with a basil and tomato sauce and fresh cheeselets (ġbejniet)

Spaghetti with fresh tuna, green peppers and basil

penne with sun dried tomatoes, parsley and olive oil

Mussel soup

Mediterranean salad

Summer main Courses

Stuffed green peppers

Chicken casserole with green peppers

Fish

Tuna with a fresh tomato and caper sauce

Stuffed gurbell al cartoccio

Dentici al cartoccio with an avocado dressing

Barbecue marinades and toppings

Octopus in beer stew

Summer Desserts

Figs

Low calorie cheesecake with figs

Basic ice-cream recipe – lemon and walnut variation

Fresh fig ice-cream

healthy desserts

healthy dessert with milk and fruit

Summer delight

Trifle with coffee flavoured savioardi biscuits and amaretti

Fruit and nut bowl

peach meringue

Drinks with fresh fruit and vegetables

Strawberry and banana smoothie

Carrot and ginger drink

ChApTEr ThrEESummer

SUMMER Desserts

Ingredients

this is a simple dessert made

with:

• skimmed milk custard

• a light yoghurt

• a nut layer (can be substituted

for fruit)

Method

1. Make the custard as you

normally would but use skimmed

milk. Use a nice colour. Here I

have used a pastel yellow and

opted for a light yoghurt which is

white to contrast the colour and

which it has a nice tangy lemony

flavour.

2. Use long wine glasses and put

layers of custard, then fruit (here,

I have stewed some apples) and

then followed by the yoghurt all

the way up.

3. at the top, finish off with the

custard and sprinkle a few nuts

and a drizzle of honey. you can be

creative too by choosing different

fruits to give vibrant summery

colours (e.g. strawberries) and a

chocolate coloured blancmange.

simple, yet delicious and healthy.

SUMMER Desserts

82 seasONal & sUstaINaBle seasONal & sUstaINaBle 83

HealtHy Desserts

Very often we go wrong when

it comes to desserts, especially

if one has a sweet tooth. Our

portion sizes are quite large and

calories are abundant in sweets.

so it is important to try to control

in different ways, avoiding the

less healthy options and

choosing ones which are more

sensible and which will give

some valuable nutrients such as

fruit or milk.

Here is a brief guide to

consider:

• you don’t have to have a

dessert after every meal or

each time you go out – very

often our weekends end up

being experiences where we

indulge in food and drink (and

in large portions) and this is

the cause for our expanding

waistlines.

• Desserts can be shared if

portions are large. It’s nice to

be able to taste a dessert but

it’s nicer on you, if you share it.

• Desserts can be healthy too –

healthy eating does not have

to mean deprivation – it’s all

about the choices you make…

one can opt for fresh fruit or a

healthy fruit salad.

• Home-made desserts can

also be healthy as the one

illustrated opposite. Children

can help in making it and one

can vary according to taste.

• some desserts can have more

calories in them then a full

meal and this is why we can

really go wrong when selecting

desserts.

• some desserts can have as

much as 600 to 1,000 calories

per slice whereas healthy

desserts can have just under

200 calories. restaurants could

help by providing the calorie

count of each dessert per

portion size.

• High fat/sugar desserts could

include sweet cheesecakes,

desserts with cream, fudge,

toffee, high amounts of

chocolate and condensed milk.

they will contain a lot of

calories.

• Modify your recipes to cut down

on the heavier ingredients and

use lighter ones instead. Cut

down on sugars, chocolate,

cream, candied peel, glace

cherries, full fat cheeses and

substitute with nuts, fruit

(fresh or dried), yoghurt

(frozen, Greek, plain, low fat),

skimmed milk custards, drizzle

of honey, fatless sponge cakes

(instead of creamed heavier

cakes) and ricotta (which can

even substitute ice-cream).

• alcohol is another cause for

unknowingly exceeding our

calorie limits. Going out does

not have to mean drinking

bottles of wine. this happens

especially when we are in a

group and it becomes the norm

to order bottle after bottle of

wine. the Mediterranean

foundation recommends 1

glass of wine and 2 glasses of

wine for females and males

respectively with meals.

• Finally, my message is eat

well, limit portion sizes, enjoy

different tastes of food,

moderate and live healthily,

so choose wisely.

HealtHy

Dessert

witH milk

anD fruit

SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE 9190 SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE

AutumnIntro

Autumn produce

Autumn Starters

pumpkin

Vegetarian pumpkin stir fry

roast pumpkin

Ajjoli

potato salad with curry and onions

Salmon and blue cheese layers

Marrow fritters (pulpetti tal-qarabagħli)

Mussels au gratin on toast

Cauliflower stew

Lentil soup

Broccoli soup

Braised rice (risotto) with squid and sun dried tomatoes

Curried pumpkin and carrot microbake

Autumn main Courses

Beef olive stew (braġioli)

Chicken and pumpkin stir fry

Lamb and lentil casserole (in a slow cooker)

Smoked turkey

rabbit in mustard sauce

Lamb stew in a pressure cooker

Lampuki al cartoccio

Vegetarian main Course

Quiche without pastry

Vegetarian ragout with home-made curd cheese, tofu and ricotta

Autumn Desserts

healthy desserts

Apple and almond tart

healthy date and oatmeal crumble with poached oranges

Almond Milanese cake

Lemon cheesecake without a biscuit base

Sinizza

pumpkin spice cake in a microwave

Savarin

Healthy Drinks

prune and yoghurt delight

Orange, apple and kiwi smoothie

ChApTEr fOUrAutumn

SEASOnAL & SuSTAinABLE 95

Autumn STArTErS

94 SEASOnAL & SuSTAinABLE

PumPkin

The pumpkin is a gourd-like

squash and is not a vegetable

but a fruit, even though it is

mostly used as a vegetable

in savoury dishes in malta.

Pumpkin is usually cheap to

buy and can be very versatile

even though most just use it

in soups. it is good to make

the most of pumpkins when

they are fresh and new.

Pumpkins can be stir-fried

or baked as in the following

recipes, can be used in

risottos or pies (as in the

recipe in this book for a

traditional pumpkin pie)

or can be used in cakes,

cheesecakes or bread. They

contain high amounts of

alpha- and beta- carotene

which turn to vitamin A once

in the body. The seeds of the

pumpkin contain potassium

and vitamin A.

Method

1. Slice the pumpkin by slicing it into segments or large

pieces and then cutting it into smaller pieces. Peel the

pumpkin in small parts as the outer peel is quite tough

and this is one easy way to do the job.

2. Chop and fry the garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for a

few seconds.

3. Add the green pepper and stir fry until half cooked.

4. Add the pumpkin, spring onions, celery, water, honey,

light soy sauce and the pepper.

5. Stir fry for a few minutes until the pumpkin is just about

tender.

6. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients

• 500g pumpkin

• 1 green pepper or any other

vegetable depending on the

season when making this dish

• 1 tbsp celery, chopped

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 spring onions, chopped

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• 2 tbsp water

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tbsp light Soy Sauce

• 2 tbsp honey

• Pepper

Autumn StarterS

vegetarian pumpkin stir fry

SuStainable tip: Where possible, use food at room

temperature to remove the chill and to use less

cooking energy When heating is required.