The best allergy prevention is to use nature to assist in treating our ailments. We all have toxins in our body regardless of how healthy we are.
Spring is the time to flush out toxins by eating a lot of greens that are in season. Most of the fruit and vegetables harvested this month help to cleanse our digestive system. March brings us fresh produce associated with the end of the cold weather and the vegetable markets and shops are abundant with peas and broad beans, asparagus and artichokes.
Local strawberries are at their peak with the approach of Strawberry Feast in the village of Mġarr.
I used various recipes to make kwareżimal this month, and I particularly liked a batch with fine oat bran added to the ground almonds to create more volume.
The result was a soft and moist dough with a great texture.
Old Fashioned Strawberry and Almond Tart
You will need:
For the sweet pastry:
125g flour
125g fine stone ground oat bran
100g butter
5g baking powder
80g sugar
70g water
Few drops vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1 tbsp mixed citrus zest
A 23cm tart dish
For almond layer:
200g ground almonds
150g sugar or stevia
3 eggs
Zest of half a lemon and half an orange
Few drops vanilla extract
Pinch cinnamon powder
Pinch cloves
For the old fashioned custard topping:
380ml evaporated milk
500g water
200g sugar or stevia
½ tbsp grated citrus zest
Separately, 100g cornflour mixed in 150g water
And as many strawberries as you wish to decorate the top
For the sweet pastry: Sift flour and baking powder. Add the fine oat bran. Rub in butter until mixture is like fine breadcrumbs.
Add vanilla, mixed citrus zest, ground cinnamon and cloves and mix in well.
Dissolve the sugar with the cold water. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid in the middle. Use your hands to bring together and form a dough. Wrap in cling film and place in fridge for at least half an hour.
Grease the tart dish and lightly dust it with flour. Roll out the pastry and line the bottom of the dish with the pastry. Dock the pastry with a fork and place the dish in fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Bake the pastry case blind for about 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C.
For almond layer: Combine all the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and mix them into the dry ingredients with a metal spoon. Spread the almond mixture on the bottom of the tart dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 180°C. Leave to cool slightly for a few minutes. Then press the almond layer down gently with a metal spoon and allow to cool completely before adding the custard mix.
For the old fashioned custard topping: Gently heat the first four ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the cornflour and stir on low heat until it reaches a gentle boil. Remove from heat immediately and carry on stirring. Pour the custard on top of the almond filling in the tart and allow it to slightly cool down for five minutes. Then decorate with strawberries before it cools down completely so that they set in the tart. Place in the fridge for an hour, dust with icing sugar or glaze with warm honey or apricot jam before serving.
Fresh Pea and Broad Bean Soup
You will need:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 handfuls of fresh mint leaves
2 handfuls of fresh parsley leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
1 bay leaf
1 all natural vegetable stock cube dissolved in 500ml water
300g fresh broad beans
200g fresh peas
50g fine stone ground oat bran
125ml cashew milk
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 poached egg per person cooked in water and 1 tbsp of apple organic vinegar
Extra olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Peel the fresh peas and broad beans and keep aside.
Roughly chop the onion and sauté in some olive oil on low heat to soften it and bring out the sweetness.
Place in a bowl on kitchen towel and keep aside.
Place the water and stock cube and bring to boil. Add the cooked onion.
Bring to boil over low heat and cook for five minutes, then add the oats. Lower the temperature. Stir constantly and cook for 10 minutes.
Add half the broad beans, half the peas, and a quarter of the fresh mint leaves, parsley and other fresh herbs.
Cook for five minutes on moderate heat. Season with salt and white pepper, add the dried mint and cook for another two minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to slightly cool down.
Add half of the remaining herbs and use a hand blender to blend to a smooth puree. Add half of the remaining broad beans and peas and reheat.
Place a poached egg in each soup bowl.
Pour over the hot soup and scatter some more broad beans and peas on top.
Garnish with the remainder of the fresh herbs and serve immediately.
This is a lactose free, diabetic-friendly recipe.
For a gluten free recipe use oats that have been packaged in a gluten-free environment.
Kwareżimal with Ground Oatmeal
You will need:
500g ground almonds
500g fine oatmeal
250g sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 orange
A few drops vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange flower water
¼ tsp mixed spice or cinnamon
4 eggs
100g whole roasted almonds
To decorate: 75ml warm honey and 300g roasted finely chopped almonds
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Use an electric mixer with a paddle beater to combine all the ingredients together, leaving the almonds whole. Place the mixture on a clean surface and use your hands to bring the dough together. Do not over-knead. Weigh out individual portions of 100g per kwareżimal biscuit. Make cylindrical shapes and place them on an ovenproof dish covered with baking paper.
Flatten out slightly and use a knife to make diagonal indents in the kwareżimal. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes. Brush with warm honey while still hot and sprinkle some finely chopped roasted almonds.
This is a gluten-free and lactose-free recipe.
Lea’s new book Good Food Everyday is available in most book shops in Malta and Gozo. You can watch Lea cook on Smash TV everyday and follow her blog www.goodfoodeveryday.wordpress.com. More of her recipes are available on www.timesofmalta.com.