Sunday Market

 For us as a family ,a holiday does not really start until we visit the local food market. We visited Marsaxlokk  a Sunday market a few hours away from our hotel. It was totally worth it. It is a large market that lies on the edge of the harbour a stunning location

     I kid you not these boats are real. Beautifully coloured boats bobbing about. Isn't it stunning? It feels like a painting doesn't it? these boats are called luzzi . standing on the harbour with my camera I felt as if I had fallen into a box of  rainbow  coloured wool.

It is a fish /seafood foodie lovers heaven.

 It is quite a long market filled with lots of food and of course the usual tourist souvenir sellers. I am ashamed to say I forgot to take pictures of all the beautiful crochet lace in the market, can you believe it I forgot to take  picture of crochet stalls. At least nine sellers filling with the most stunning Maltese lace.

                          Swordfish is extremely popular here, I adore it.

 

 

 

 This image fills me with delight, this is how I like my vegetables, misshapen, imperfect full of juicy goodness . I could not get enough of these on holiday. Why do we in the UK shun what others around the world know is the best fruit? I think this is why when I am home I prefer farmers markets. I buy for taste not what looks good .

I made this gorgeous crostini today in honour of the delightful  ones we devoured on holiday. It is simply good bread  toasted by that I mean none of that white sliced stuff. Don't get me wrong ~I think a white slice has its place , a bacon sandwich would not be a bacon sandwich without it.

 

Chopped tomatoes, a handful of capers, (malta has lots of capers,) chopped onion, basil, lemon juice , chopped green olives .Ġbejniet  is a Maltese cheese . It is a round small cheese made from goats milk or sheep's milk.I didn't have any so I substituted goats cheese instead.

Mix all these ingredients in a bowl .Season with black pepper and salt .I rubbed the bread with a clove of raw garlic and drizzled some olive oil. It is delicious. I didn't have any so I substituted goats cheese instead

Incidentally if you fancy having a go at making the cheese I found this recipe

 

I found this poem on this fabulous blog .It sums up perfectly how I feel about Malta

 

 

A Reluctant Love Poem

Mhux Veru

( pronounced moosh veruu) : an un-truth in Maltese

I do not 

miss you

Your dusty roads....

Your stretching fig tree arms over ancient rubble walls....

Your wild purple poppies and artichoke fields

Your open windowed gallerias

Your one eyed observing stray cats 

Your chariot like carts, held by weathered old hands, along the quiet back roads.

Your silent city on the hill, still wrapped in golden grandeur

Your old women on door stoops, catching the evening breezes

Your bright colored luzzi gently rocking in the Marsaskala bay

Your Imqaret, still hot in the hand smelling of dates and cloves

Your gbejna, peppered and fresh from the goat farm

Your Hobz biz Zejt, to eat by the sea

Miss you

I do