Spagetti biz-zalza tal-Qarnit (Spaghetti with Octopus Sauce)

7:35 PM |

Spagetti biz-zalza tal-Qarnit (Spaghetti with Octopus Sauce) is a traditional Maltese recipe for a classic dish of spaghetti paste served with octopus and a tomato-based sauce with peas, onions, olives, red wine and herbs. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Maltese version of: Spaghetti with Octopus Sauce (Spagetti biz-zalza tal-Qarnit).

Spagetti biz-zalza tal-Qarnit
(Spaghetti with Octopus Sauce)

Ingredients:
1kg prepared octopus, sliced into even-sized pieces 225g onions, sliced 170g peas 225g tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped 115g black olives, pitted and sliced 250ml red wine 675g spaghetti 90g tomato purée 4 strips of lemon zest, finely shredded 1 tbsp mint, shredded 1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled 2 tsp thyme, chopped salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste olive oil

Method:
Add about 60ml oil and 60ml water to a pan. When hot stir in the octopus and fry for 5 minutes then stir in the tomato purée and the herbs. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the octopus (reserve the liquid) and set aside to keep warm. Add oil to a pan and use to fry the onions for 5 minutes then stir in the tomato, olives and lemon zest. Cook for 3 minutes then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer then add the octopus liquid and cook for 15 minutes. In the meantime, add the pasta to a pan of lightly-salted water and cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the pasta, combine with the sauce then arrange in a bowl, top with the octopus pieces and serve.

Read User's Comments0

Maltese Honey Bee- In-Nahla Maltija

4:44 AM |

The Maltese honeybee - Apis mellifera ruttneri

Apis mellifera ruttneri is the endemic honey bee of the Maltese islands. This species evolved when the Maltese islands where isolated from mainland Europe, after the Mediterranean sea closed the passage to Sicily. For many years it was the sole honeybee species in the Maltese islands till importation of queens happened in recent years when many queens and packaged bees where imported after 1992. This happened after the devastation left by the Varroa mite that was found in the islands that year. It is estimated that the about 4000 colonies where devastated by the varroa mite at that time. The sub species relates closely to the North African bee (A. m. intermissa) and although slightly lower, with the Sicilian bee (A. m. sicula). It's identification was done in 1997 by WS Sheppard, Marc Arias, A Grech and MD Meixner. It is named after Professor Friedeich Ruttner (1914 - 1998) to acknowledge his research in beekeeping. When tests where done at that time it was found that altough after all the importation that happened before the Maltese sub-spiecies was still identifiable and also dominant.

Charachteristics of the Maltese Honey Bee

The Maltese honey bee is small in size and of a dark colour. When compared to the North African bee and the Sicilian bee it has shorter legs and wings. The wings are also much narrower. From all the bee races it has the widest abdomen. It has long hair on it's abdomen. This bee is very adapted to the Maltese islands climate and enviornment. The queen will keep constant laying of eggs to the climate variations. It is noted that before summer and winter the queen drops in the number of eggs laid and stores extra honey in the brood chamber instead, than again starts laying abundantly exactly before spring time and autumn. Altough it has a tendancy of being very defensive and sometimes aggresive it can be bred to a more docile honey bee. It is also a very productive bee as it is obsereved working in strong windy days and during hot weather. During summer time when tempretures can get over 40 °C the bee tends to work early in the morning and in the afternoon till sunset while taking a short break during mid day. It always stores enough honey for winter and sometimes there will be no need to supplement the colonies with bee candy or sugar syrup in winter. This type of bee has a tendancy to swarm and when continuasly disturbed it will abscond the hive. It also makes alot of queen cells and a colony sometimes have more than one swarm. The Maltese bee is sometimes aggressive during bad weather and defends the hive very well against other pests. Sometimes wasp nests are seen near the hives in a few metres distance away without offering any problems to the bees. From my observations it cleans the hive very well and removes any foreign material promptly.

oney is a sweet food made by some species insects using nectar from flowers. The honey produces by honey bees is the most common, as this insect makes a good surplus of honey which is harvested by the beekeeper to be consumed later as food. The taste of honey comes from the types of flowers the bees visit during their forage time. This also gives different properties for honey.

The bees collect nectar form flowers and store it in their honeycomb cells. After this the bees add enzymes to the nectar and dry it from water. When honey is ready , they cap each cell with a piece of wax (like a kind of lid). The beekeeper encourages the overproduction of honey so it can be harvested without endangering the bee colony. When he takes the frames containing honey the beekeeper removes the wax cappings by an uncapping fork ofr an uncapping knife. After all caps are removed he puts the frames in the honey extractor and honey is taken out of the frames. The honey that gathers at the bottom of the extractor is than filtered and after left to settle in the settling tank is than bottled.

In religion Christians and Jews compare something beutiful and abundant with honey, St. John the Baptist lived in the desert on a diet of wild honey that he took from feral bee colonies and locusts. The Jewish symbol for the new year (Rosh Hashanah) is honey and apples, while the Muslims in the koran have a Surah named 'an-Nahl', meaning "of the bee" where the writer says that God created the bee to make honey which mankind can use to heal body ailments. It also have symbolisims in Hinduisim where it is one of the five elisirs and Buddhism as Buddha was offered honey by a monkey during his retreat. Even in ancient religions, the Egyptians and Incas offered honey to their gods.

Maltese types of Honey

The first type of honey we harvest here is the spring multiflora honey. This type of honey is gathered from many types of flowers that arepresent in spring time. It contains different kinds of pollen and nectar. In areas where clover is still grown the honey bees work alot on it's flower. Also when orange trees are present the bees work on it's blossoms. This type of honey is collected during May if the beekeeper is going to harvest wild thyme honey. Some people find it good against allergy and hay fever, when they take it regularly as this type contains different kinds of pollen and the body will get used to them slowly and don't react to them, resulting in less allergies. This type of honey has the tendency to solidify in few months (sometimes even less).

Honey bee collecting nectar from Wild Thyme flowers

The second harvest is of the wild thyme honey. At the end of May the Wild Thyme (Thymus Capitatus) shrub opens it's flowers. This type of plant grows on the garrigue in the north of Malta and on the island of Commino. It has little purple flowers with a very strong aromatic scent. The nectar collected from them by the bees make a very delicious honey. This season starts exactly in the last week of May and ends between the last of June and the first week of July.

After this season in the last weeks of August the bees start to work on the Eucalyptus flowers. This results in the build up the colony after it is slowed down by the summer temperatures. If no heavy rains occur in September the bees continue to gather from the Eucalyptus flowers during the month. These flowers are very sensitive to rain and humidity as they are like a fluffy ball. This type of honey is sometimes rare or very abundant as it depends on many factors, like temperatures, weather and strength of the hive. After the flowers of this tree abate in October the carob trees start to flower. The hives which now are strong enough and if the weather permits the bees to forage, another type of honey is taken. This autumn multifloral honey consists mainly from nectar collected from eucalyptus trees, carob and the flowers that one finds in the beginning of autumn. This honey tastes mainly of carob, and is used especially for sore throats, and by people who smoke.

It is important to note here that these types of honey after some time they solidify. The honey is still siutable to be used. It can be eaten solid or put the jar is put in warm water and the honey liquifies again.

Roman Beehives In Malta

Bread ovens, BBQ area, rock-cut tombs? No, Roman beehives in Malta

Almost every guide book on the Malta makes reference to the Islands’ name as deriving from the Greek word for honey – meli – or land of honey, melitos, or even their later Roman name ‘Melita’, also meaning honey. It’s just as likely the name came from the Phoenician Semitic verb form malata, meaning ‘one takes refuge.’ All these etmyological threads are possible, but the idea of the Maltese Islands as isles of honey is a connection that we love. Certainly, guide book prose always says Malta is honey coloured, from its warm, yellow limestone and sun. The Maltese word for honey by the way is Ghasel.

But it took a walk in fantastically warm weather, high up on the ridge near St Agatha’s Tower (Red Fort) beyond Mellieha, to drive home the millennia-old link between Malta and honey. The garrigue landscape up there is covered in wild thyme; the hardy weathered variety that survives downpours, gales and drought. These bushes rarely get trodden under foot so grow into bushy mounds. Rub them and savour a heady scent that is to die for, and many a lamb has.

Roman Beehives
Now, bees loves thyme when it flowers deep purple-blue in early summer (end May to early July). So it stands to reason that where there’s an abundance of thyme, beekeepers follow. I’d heard about some Roman beehives near Mellieha, but wasn’t at all sure where they were or what on earth they’d look like. They turned out to be a stone’s throw from the road that runs the length of the ridge, but they are easy to miss.

Thanks to a helpful walking guide of the area I’d picked up for €2.50 from Din l-Art Helwa (Malta’s National Trust) which runs the tower, I did an hour-long, circular route passing by the beehives. They lie nestled in a sheltered spot at the mouth of a cave just below the ridge top. If you didn’t know they were an early form of hive, you’d mistake them for bread ovens or perhaps a dovecote of some sort. Sadly, it did look like some people had used the spot as a kind of BBQ area. But in essence, this cave apiary is how it would have looked in Roman times, when Malta’s golden nectar was highly prized. It’s likely that clay pipes with one end closed, but for some small holes, were placed in the alcoves. The door cut in the side allows access to the back of the hollows for comb collecting. Clay pipes hives were in use until relatively recent times in Malta.

Malta’s honey zones
Mellieha is renown even today as a main honey producing zone, and early in the walk, you pass around 40 modern hives. Other zones include most of Gozo, the isle of Comino, and Fawwara, just below Dingli Cliffs in the West. Today, there are only around five, full-time beekeepers on the Islands who manage an income from this ancient livelihood.

Beekeeping here today
But, things are changing, and several, like Nicholas Zammit in Fawwara, are very enterprising, bottling around 500 kilo a year, in nice packaging, and with new lines, such as honey and pistacchios. Honey hand creams and beeswax products like ornamental candles are now regular sidelines too. Nicholas travels widely to beekeeping industry seminars and fairs, in the UK and Italy, for information on how to broaden his scope here. He dreams of an eco-tourism centre near his small-holding to introduce people to Malta’s heritage in honey, as well as a small museum with ancient tools and details of those Roman hives.

Honey types
There are around 20 kinds of honey in Malta attributed to various plants and trees including clover, eucalyptus, orange blossom, carob and thyme of course. If you buy fresh extracted honey and direct from a beekeeper, you’ll know which flowers dominate its taste. Spring is for clover and wayside flower honey; end May to early July is thyme season; and early autumn is for carob honey with its dark colour and distinct aroma.

Where to buy
Some places for starters:
Airport deli shops (but try to buy direct from keepers)
Jubilee Foods
Nicholas Zammit, Fawwara, tel: 21 465750 / 9946 7712
Any local grocer, but it might not be the best
Road side stalls – watch out for honey for sale signs!

Useful Links

For a short background on beekeeping in Malta and those clay pipes, see beesfordevelopment.org

References:

Sheppard W.S., Arias M.C., Grech A., Meixner M.D. (1997) 'Apis mellifera ruttneri, a new honey bee subspecies from Malta', Apidologie 28, 287–293.

In-Naħla - April 2009, Ħarġa numru 7 , Artiklu: 'L-importanza tal-Konservazzjoni tan-Naħal Lokali' miktub minn Melvin Magri

Read User's Comments0

Blue Rock Thrush- ( Il-Merill)

3:16 AM |

The Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) is a species of chat. This thrush-like Old World flycatcher was formerly placed in the family Turdidae.
This species breeds in southern Europe and northwest Africa, and from central Asia to northern China and Malaysia.
The European, north African and southeast Asian birds are mainly resident, apart from altitudinal movements. Other Asian populations are more migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, India and southeast Asia. This bird is a very uncommon visitor to northern and western Europe.
Blue Rock Thrush breeds in open mountainous areas, usually higher than the breeding zone of the related Common Rock Thrush. It nests in rock cavities and walls, and usually lays 3-5 eggs. An omnivore, the Blue Rock Thrush eats a wide variety of insects and small reptiles in addition to berries and seeds.
This is a starling-sized bird, 21–23 cm in length with a long slim bill. The summer male is unmistakable, with all blue-grey plumage apart from its darker wings. Females and immatures are much less striking, with dark brown upperparts, and paler brown scaly underparts. Both sexes lack the reddish outer tail feathers of Rock Thrush.
The male Blue Rock Thrush sings a clear, melodious call that is similar to, but louder than the call of the Rock Thrush.

The Blue Rock Thrush is Malta's national bird and is shown on the Lm 1 coins that was part of the previous currency of the country.

The male is striking blue, while the female is brown. The Blue Rock Thrush likes remote spots on cliffs, and nests in cracks and crevices on cliffsides, sometimes in quarries, in old fortifications and other remote uninhabited buildings. This bird stays with us all year round and you often hear its musical call echoing around cliffs. The Blue Rock Thrush is Malta’s national bird. In the past, this bird’s eggs were popular with collectors, and Blue Rock Thrushes were becoming rare because their nests were being robbed. To protect it from extinction, legislators made the Blue Rock Thrush the national bird of Malta, and it became illegal to hunt the bird or disturb its nest.

Read User's Comments0

Cheirolophus crassifolius, the Maltese Centaury, Maltese Rock-centaury or Widnet il-Baħar

3:07 AM |

Cheirolophus crassifolius, the Maltese Centaury, Maltese Rock-centaury or Widnet il-Baħar, is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. It is endemic to Malta, where it has been the national plant of Malta since 1973. Its natural habitats are cliffs and coastal valleys . It is threatened by habitat loss.
It is scarce but widespread in the wild on the western cliffs of Malta, rare on the southern cliffs of Gozo, but frequent as a cultivated species in roundabouts. It is quite common in the limits of Wied Babu in the south east of Malta.

It was first described by Stefano Zerafa, around 1830, as the only species of the monotypic genus Palaeocyanus. However, around the year 2000, it was transferred to Cheirolophus, in the light of genetic studies done in that year. The name Cheirolophus means red head, while crassifolius mean thick leaves. The leaves are succulent and spoon shaped. The variety serratifolia (serrated leaves) is very rare, and only known from Gozo. This species is cultivated due to its national importance. The remaining species of the genus Cheirolophus are Canary Island endemics.

Read User's Comments0

Smooth Sow-Thistle

2:26 AM |

Tfief Komuni - ritratt ta' Stephen Gatt

Annwali. Weraq artab, lixx u generalment maqtugh f'pizzi kbar. Iwarrad l-izjed fix-xitwa u r-rebbiegha. Jikber kullimkien f'ambjenti mimsusa. Komuni hafna.

Sonchus oleraceus (Smooth sow-thistle)

Smooth Sow-Thistle - photo by Stephen Gatt

This annual plant has got soft smooth leaves with a serrated edge. Generally flowers in winter and spring. Grows wherever there is a disturbed habitat. Very common.

Sonchus oleraceus (Tfief komuni)

Read User's Comments0

Air Malta- The Air Line Of The Maltese Islands

8:06 PM |

History

A short history of Air Malta

Air Malta was set up by a Resolution of Malta's House of Representatives on 21st March 1973 and was registered as a limited liability company on 30th March 1973. The previous day, the Prime Minister as Minister for Civil Aviation had granted the company an Air Service Licence valid for ten years with effect from 1st April 1973. The licence was granted subject to the condition that the substantial ownership and effective control of the airline would, at all times, be held and exercised by the Government of Malta and/or by citizens of Malta and/or by companies incorporated under the laws of Malta and controlled by citizens of Malta.

In the words of its charter, Air Malta's primary aim is to establish, maintain, develop and operate air transport services to and from Malta which, by the carriage of passengers, freight and mail, serve the national interest. Air Malta carries out these services under the regulation of the Maltese Department of Civil Aviation that has issued Air Malta a EU-OPS 1 Air Operator’s Certificate signifying that its operations’ safety level is similar to other European airlines that are regulated under the same standard of operation.

Air Malta started flying operations with two wet-leased Boeing 720Bs from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on 1st April 1974 with scheduled services to London, Birmingham, Manchester, Rome, Frankfurt, Paris and Tripoli. Its schedule now serves around 35 destinations in Europe and North Africa and operates with a fleet of Airbus A320s and Airbus A319s.

A major milestone for Air Malta was reached on 30th March 1982. After several months of intensive evaluation of various aircraft types from different manufacturers, the Maltese national flag-carrier signed an agreement with Boeing Commercial Airplane Group for the purchase of three B737-200 Advanced aircraft. Their delivery in March 1983 coincided with the airline's tenth anniversary celebrations. These first-ever brand-new aircraft soon became the backbone of Air Malta's fleet.

Air Malta is a firm believer in the importance of the fullest possible utilisation of aircraft. Within six months after taking delivery of its first three B737 aircraft, the Maltese flag-carrier established a world record with the highest utilisation for all operators of the aircraft type: 14.9 hours per aircraft per day in September 1983. In its very first year of A320 service the airline achieved some of the highest utilisation figures of the type worldwide.

In August 1986 Air Malta purchased two more B737-200As which were delivered in July 1987. The purchase was financed through a US$40-million credit facility from a consortium of ten international banks. This was the first-ever international financing for a Maltese borrower, and it was a source of considerable satisfaction to Air Malta that the loan, mandated to Chase Investment Bank, was oversubscribed in syndication.

Early in 1987 Air Malta signed two other agreements: one for delivery of an Airbus A320-200 airliner, delivered in August 1990, and another for the sixth B737-200A, delivered in March 1988. Also in 1987 Air Malta sold two B720Bs, leaving just one in the fleet. In March 1989 the airline exercised its option for a second A320-200, delivered in March 1992. The following month it ordered three new Boeing 737 aircraft (eventually deciding on the 300 series) for delivery in March, April and May 1993. The last remaining B720B was withdrawn from the fleet late in 1989.

In October 1992 Air Malta wet-leased a British Aerospace Advanced Turboprop aircraft in order to increase the frequency of services to neighbouring destinations. It started by stepping up services to Catania, keeping Palermo on, as a year-round destination and starting operations to Tunis and Monastir. The ATP lease lasted 18 months.

In January 1994 Air Malta ordered four RJ70 Avroliners from Avro International Aerospace, for delivery between September 1994 and March 1995. The package deal included the replacement of four Air Malta Boeing 737-200A aircraft. The RJ 70’s enabled Air Malta to increase the frequency routes for the benefit of the business community.

In Spring of 1994 Air Malta leased a wide body Airbus A310 aircraft. The A310 was used on high density routes to Germany, London and the long-haul route of Dubai where its increased cargo carrying capacity which proved invaluable to the Maltese industry.

Air Malta was actively involved in the planning of the new air terminal at Malta International Airport, which was officially inaugurated on 8th February 1992.

Early in 1993 Air Malta took a fresh look at its cargo operation and decided to give it increased importance in its strategies, with a view to airfreight achieving a greater percentage of the airline's turnover. It set up CargoSystems to provide services ranging from third-party handling through warehousing, marketing, on-board courier services and, eventually, a dedicated scheduled freighter operation: a totally new concept for the airline.

For its revamped cargo operations the airline acquired the old Luqa air passenger terminal, which had become vacant following the move of all passenger-related handling activities to the new Malta International Airport terminal. The building underwent a complete internal refurbishing so that it could meet modern air-cargo requirements. The Air Malta CargoSystems and Transhipment Centre was officially inaugurated on 19th January 1994.

Almost since its setting up, the airline has sought to diversify its activities with a view to diversify its operations. The Air Malta Group incorporated a number of subsidiaries that reflect the parent company's operation. Amongst the organisations owned by Air Malta is Holiday Malta a tour-operating subsidiary based in London. It is the largest Malta

specialist tour operator in the UK and Ireland and, as Air Malta Holidays in Scandinavia, Germany, Russia, Sicily and Greece, the company mounts a comprehensive year-round programme of inclusive holidays to Malta, Gozo, Comino and Sicily. Holiday Malta is also a leading incentive and group travel organiser.

In September 1995 Air Malta announced the setting up of its own captive insurance company, Shield Insurance Company (Guernsey) Ltd. The company operates out of Guernsey and was set up primarily to insure Air Malta's peripheral aviation insurance policies. At the same time the company also set up Osprey Insurance Brokers Ltd which catered primarily for the Group’s insurance requirements but also handles a number of 3rd party non-related accounts. Osprey handles all classes of business with it’s most specific area of specialisation being Aviation Insurance. The combination of Osprey and Shield has proved to be an effective risk management tool for the company.

Air Malta was awarded the JAR-145 Approval Certificate on 13th November 1997 by the French Director General of Civil Aviation after the European Joint Aviation Authorities delegated the French civil aviation authority to audit the airline's engineering facilities and procedures. Subsequently the Malta Department of Civil Aviation qualified as a full member of the Joint Aviation Authorities. Supervision of aircraft maintenance was taken over by the Maltese Authority and following a second pre-qualification audit, the Malta Department of Civil Aviation awarded the JAR-145 Approval Certificate to Air Malta on 20th August 2001. This approval reflects the internationally-recognised maintenance standards of Air Malta's aircraft.

In December 1997 Malta's House of Representatives unanimously approved a change in Air Malta's memorandum and articles of association. Air Malta was registered as Air Malta p.l.c. and the authorised share capital was increased from 11.65 million Euros to 81.55 million Euros.

In June 2002 Air Malta and Lufthansa Technik AG set-up a new joint venture by which, in January 2003, Lufthansa Technik Malta started performing engineering C-Checks on the complete range of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family aircraft for Lufthansa German Airlines, Air Malta and third parties. In 2009 LH Technic moved to a modern larger state of the art facility at Malta International Airport, giving the company the capability to service larger aircraft like the airbus A340-600 and even the largest passenger aircraft in service today, the airbus A380.

A month later Air Malta concluded a multi-million dollar agreement which involved International Lease Finance Corporation, Airbus Industrie and CFM International for the renewal of its fleet over a four-and-a-half-year period. Two major elements of the deal involved the sale and lease back from ILFC, a major American aircraft lessor, of Air Malta’s own two A320-200s and three B737-300s, and the lease of twelve new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family for a term of twelve years each. The new aircraft will be powered by CFM engines.

The first new Airbus A320 with registration 9H-AEF joined Air Malta’s fleet on 7th January 2004. The 168-seater aircraft, named ‘Valletta’, operated its first flight, KM146, to Manchester on the 8th January. The second new aircraft, an Airbus A319, with registration 9H-AEG and named ‘Mdina’ joined Air Malta’s fleet on the 4th of February 2004. This was the first time that Air Malta started operating a Maltese registered Airbus A319 in its fleet.

Since Malta joined the European Union in May 2004, new opportunities arose for Air Malta. The airline immediately took the initiative and started operating intra-European flights between Catania and London’s Gatwick airport. Air Malta also capitalised on these new opportunities by setting up bases in the UK and started to operate charter flights from the UK to a number of holiday destinations in Europe.

In July 2004 Air Malta announced that it has been awarded the ISO 9001-2000 certification by Moody International Certification Ltd for its airside ground handling services. Air Malta is the primary ground handling service provider at Malta International Airport and provides a wide range of services including passenger handling, loading of baggage and freight as well as cleaning of aircraft.

Over the last years Air Malta, like the rest of the global airline industry, has been facing difficulties as a result of erosion in average revenues, depressed passenger growth trends, escalation of operating costs and a depletion of its cash reserves. These factors, coupled with increasingly fierce competition and dynamic changes in the structure of the industry, have led Air Malta’s shareholders to request the Company to develop plans to cushion these effects and to provide a sound financial basis to turn around the Company. These included the reduction of expenditure and improvement of revenue streams. Such measures should mitigate the negative factors and provide for the long-term survival of the Company.

In May 2004, Air Malta reached a wide-ranging ‘Rescue Plan’ Agreement with the four Unions representing the airline’s employees. The milestone agreement showed the mutual intention and willingness of all the Parties to cooperate in order to solve the difficult financial position of the Company and to provide the basis to ensure that the airline can continue to play a major role in the Maltese economy. The three-year agreement paved the way for a restructuring exercise without the airline engaging itself in forced redundancies. Air Malta and the Unions also agreed to a far reaching cost-cutting exercise, the setting up of a Works Council, a moratorium on wages for the duration of the agreement and changes in restrictive work practices amongst other things.

The 2004 restructuring and the rescue plan were fundamental and a step in the right direction but were not enough. In 2010 the Maltese government requested the European Commission to authorise a loan facility worth €52 million for Air Malta in line with EU state aid rules. The Commission approved the measure temporarily, until it can take a position on the restructuring plan that was submitted by the airline. The plan is currently being studied by the Commission.

Air Malta has started implementing its restructuring in parallel with talks with the European Commission. The ambitious plan spearheaded by Chief Executive, Peter Davies includes a reduction in the airline’s workforce and targets cost reductions of €30 million and increased revenues of the same amount.

Air Malta’s Board of Directors is headed by Chairman, Mr Louis Farrugia. Its members include Alison Attard, Andrew Calascione, Alan Caruana, Adrian Coppini, Mark Micallef Eynaud, Roderick Chalmers and Helga Ellul.

Studies have shown that the airline today generates around 25% of the total expenditure by tourists and accounts for around 7% of the Gross National Product. Starting from humble beginnings with 53,500 passengers transported in the first year of operation, Air Malta now carries 2 million passengers every year and has transported around 40 million passengers to and from Malta since its first flight. Air Malta has brought to Malta 63% of the 55 million passengers that have travelled to/from Malta by air since 1973.

There is a strong positive correlation throughout all these years between the amount of air passengers brought over by Air Malta and the overall air passengers to Malta. Air Malta was instrumental in opening up and connecting Malta to the rest of the world and vice versa, in the process diversifying and opening up new tourism markets to and from Malta. The airline remains the main operator offering the most extensive choice of air services to get to Malta.

AirMalta Updates links:

http://www.airmalta.com/information/about/news-overview/news-detail/Three-New-Airlines-Choose-Air-Malta-as-their-Preferred-Ground-Handling-Partner

http://www.airmalta.com/information/about/news-overview/news-detail/Air-Malta-to-Open-New-Route-to-Algiers

Commercial Videos

http://youtu.be/1DdT--if6XI

http://youtu.be/lS4zNOD927c

http://youtu.be/qNq0hT1VkTc

AirMalta Web Site

www.airmalta.com

Have A Nice Trip

Read User's Comments0

Plants in Safi Green House

1:36 PM |

Long Green Beans

Carob Plants Cultivation

Anise Seeds

Marjoram Plant

Rosemary Plant

Read User's Comments0

Carob Trees Project - Getting Malta Greener

9:49 PM |

Eco Project On The Go

2013

Save The Carob Trees

Updates

Coming

Soon

Send Us Via Comments

what you think , how

we could protect our

Carob Trees.

You will support our project when you add like on Facebook or Google, or leaving a comment on our

blogg.

Read User's Comments0

Ricotta or Irkotta

12:58 PM |

Ricotta or Irkotta

Italian ricotta and Maltese irkotta - are they the same?

Smooth and creamy ricotta is a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes

Foodies will notice a difference between Italian ricotta and the Maltese made irkotta, and this boils down to the cooking methods.

The manufacturing process of the Maltese irkotta involves the cooking of milk, rather than of milk whey, with the addition of calcium chloride (a type of salt) to form a curd.

Italian ricotta, on the other hand, is actually a by-product of cheese making, using the milk whey left over from cheese production. Though most of the milk protein is removed when cheese is made - mainly casein - some remains in the whey - mostly albumin. The whey is left to become more acidic for 12 to 24 hours and is then heated to near boiling. The combination of the cheese acid and the high temperatures form a fine curd, which, once cooled, is sieved through a fine cloth. The creamy curds are white and sweet in taste, though are highly perishable and must be consumed immediately.

Ricotta, whether the original Italian version or the Maltese irkotta, is used in a number of savoury dishes including ravioli, lasagne or simply spread on bread with a drizzle of olive oil for a light snack as it contains significantly less fat than other cheeses at just 13%. The same as mascarpone, ricotta is a vital ingredient in many Italian desserts such as cheesecake, cannoli and cassatella siciliana.

In addition to its fresh, soft form, ricotta is also sold in three preparations which ensure a longer shelf life: salted, baked and smoked.

The pressed, salted, dried and aged variety of the cheese is known as ricotta salata, milky-white and firm, used for grating or shaving. Ricotta salata is sold in wheels, decorated by a delicate basket-weave pattern.

Ricotta infornata is produced by placing a large lump of soft ricotta in the oven until it develops a brown, lightly charred crust, sometimes even until it becomes sandy brown all the way through. Ricotta infornata is popular primarily in Sardinia and Sicily, and is sometimes called ricotta al forno.

Ricotta affumicata is similar to ricotta infornata. It is produced by placing a lump of soft ricotta in a smoker until it develops a grey crust and acquires a charred wood scent, usually of oak or chestnut wood, although, in Friuli, beech wood is used, with the addition of juniper and herbs.

Ricotta scanta is produced by the process of letting the ricotta go sour in a controlled manner, for about a week, then stirring it every 2-3 days, salting occasionally and allowing the liquid to flow away. After about 100 days, the ricotta has the consistency of cream cheese, with a distinct, pungent, piquant aroma, much like blue cheese but much richer. Ricotta scanta, also called ricotta forte, tastes as it smells, extremely aromatic and piquant, with a definite bitter note. Tasted with the tip of the tongue, it has a "hot" sensation. or can be enjoyed as a tasty snack simply spread on bread.

Ricotta recipes

A soft Italian curd cheese made from whey, which is drained and then lightly ‘cooked’. It is light and creamy with a slightly grainy texture and delicate flavour. It's quite low in fat, making it a good substitute for mascarpone. Ricotta can be used on its own or in sweet and savoury dishes. It’s used in many Italian dishes, especially as a stuffing for ravioli or in pastries

Gnocchi di spinaci e ricotta

A classic of Italian cooking, spinach and ricotta gnocchi bear scant resemblance to the better-known potato gnocchi. Lighter and prettier and easier to make, they have a fabulous flavour and pretensions to healthiness, what with all that spinach.

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

500g/1lb 2oz frozen spinach, thawed, or 650g/1lb 7oz fresh spinach, cooked until wilting
250g/9oz ricotta cheese
100g/3½oz parmesan, or similar vegetarian hard cheese, freshly grated
150g/5oz plain flour, plus extra for flouring
2 free-range eggs
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
1 bouquet garni (3 generous sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 big sprigs fresh parsley, tied together with string)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

freshly grated parmesan, or similar vegetarian hard cheese

Preparation method

For the gnocchi, place the thawed frozen spinach or cooked fresh spinach into a sieve to drain. Squeeze out as much water as possible, then weigh the spinach - you should have 250g/9oz of spinach after all the water has been squeezed out. Chop it up finely.
Place the ricotta into a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the spinach, parmesan, flour, eggs and plenty of nutmeg. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well with your hands, making sure it is evenly blended. Cover and leave in the fridge for an hour or more before moving on to the next step.
For the sauce, heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and carrot slowly until tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, caster sugar and the bouquet garni, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir. Leave to simmer gently for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from catching on the bottom, even adding a splash of water if necessary. Remove from the heat, remove the bouquet garni and allow to cool slightly.
Place the tomato mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth, then set aside.
Dredge a large plate with plenty of flour. Take dessertspoons of the chilled ricotta mixture, roll into neat balls, then roll in the flour. Place on a floured tray and set aside until needed.
Shortly before you intend to eat the gnocchi, bring a wide, shallow pan of water to the boil, then turn the heat down to a more gentle simmer. Carefully add your gnocchi to the pan, taking care not to overcrowd, and poach for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, gently reheat the tomato sauce.
When the gnocchi are cooked, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place onto warmed plates, or into one large shallow serving dish, and pour over the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan