All About Ricotta

Madam Malerba, chef of Malerba Antico teaches us how to prepare tuma fritte.

     Last week, Christopher and I traveled with a group of other Americans to a turismo rurale farm to see the production of ricotta cheese. We got to see every step of the process, from the sheep that produce the milk to the kitchen where Madame Malerba (wife of owner, Philippe Malerba) taught us to prepare an appetizer, tuma fritte, and sweetened, fruited ricotta to fill cannoli. After the demonstration, and once the cheese we saw made was ready, we sat down to an incredible lunch that featured ricotta and other cheeses prepared at Malerba Antico. This was a real treat because recently Malerba Antico was awarded national recognition for their ricotta. Christopher and I came hope with a container of fresh ricotta that we used for the next few days with melon, pistachio and honey for breakfast, spread on toast for lunch and accompanying pasta and meat sauce for dinner.

 

 A cheese maker stirs the vat of sheep milk and rennet. First, tuma cheese is removed from the vat and placed in a wicker basket. The remaining mixture becomes ricotta.

As the cheese forms, the cheese maker offers Christopher a pony ride. Whether it be sweet treats or opportunities to explore or play, the Sicilians have not hesitated to pay special attention to the children in our party.

 Sheep feeding and resting in the barn. They are accompanied by several goat friends that help keep them heading in the right direction when they travel in a herd. The shepherds of the Malerba sheep like to walk them long distances because it helps the quality of milk production.

Christopher visits with a two-day old lamb. "It's so cute!" he proclaimed.

Mdina: Malta's Silent City

      
      By and far, our favorite experience on Malta was our trip to the walled, medieval city of Mdina. Mdina was the former capital of the island, and is now known as The Silent City because less than three hundred residents reside behind its walls. Automobiles are banned past the main gates (over an empty moat), so the only ways to tour the city are by foot or horse carriage. We opted for the horse carriage and Maltese guide, and it was truly rewarding because nothing compared to the atmosphere of the horse's hoofbeats echoing down the narrow stone corridors as we peered ahead to discover what was around each turn. 
      After our tour was over, we passed back across the stone bridge to wander the streets a little bit longer and have lunch at a cafe located in the former Carmelite priory. Christopher was treated to a milkshake, and we shared a pasta with Maltese sausage and a Maltese crusted pizza with chicken and mushrooms. We stopped at a few shops, and then it was time to head back to the 21st century and descend the hill into modern Malta.

 The streets were very narrow and winding. Many times our carriage driver had to ring a bell to let others know that we were coming. 

 Most of Mdina's former palaces are now private homes. Is this one for sale? I'm ready to move in!

 One of the bell towers of the Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul. It was built in the traditional location where the Apostle Paul met Publius after his ship wrecked on Malta.

Our horse leads the way through another winding corridor in Mdina. Many of the buildings featured iron streetlamps with amber glass like the one ahead.

The Knights of St. John

Exterior of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, current home of Malta's Parliament.

      The Knights of St. John, or Knights Hospitaller, were one of the most famous Christian orders of knights in the Middle Ages. Founded in the early 11th century, the order was charged with providing care for religious pilgrims to the Holy Land. In 1530, as part of an agreement with Charles V of Spain, the Knights were given Malta in exchange for the yearly gift of one of its native falcons (later a plot point in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon which I read during the weekend). In return, the Knights had a permanent location from which they could administer aid  to Holy Land travelers as well as launching naval actions against the Ottomans and Barbary pirates. 

      During their almost three-hundred-year residency on Malta, the Knights built and fortified the capital city of Valletta and filled its palace and cathedral with the best art, tapestries and cultural treasures that their accumulated fortunes could provide. The wealth amassed by the Knights came under scrutiny and it was argued that they became corrupted from their original cause and were living idly in decadence. The power of the Knights and their support by European leaders weakened until 1798 when Malta was seized by Napoleon. 

Armoury Corridor - The walls are lined with armor, the portraits of former Grand Masters and murals of naval battles. The marble floor features coats of arms of the noble families of the Knights of St. John.

 

 Christopher was excited to be where real knights lived and see their armor. We had been reading several books featuring knights in preparation for our visit. He might have been slightly disappointed that we didn't encounter any dragons.

 St. John Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

 The interior of the co-cathedral was covered floor to ceiling in gilt, murals and marble.

 Altar of the Co-Cathedral. Note the Maltese Crosses on the railing in the lower left of the photo.

"I'm Three": An Interview with Christopher

   
     The birthday boy was slightly reluctant to sit down for an interview. "I need to concentrate on my truck first," he told me with a determined look in his blue eyes. "I need you to hold this scoop" he said as he placed a toy shovel in my hands. Hopeful for some insight I persisted. "If I help you work, can I ask you some questions?" He was firm. "No. Soon. I need to finish this job first."

     After a few minutes, he sat down on the carpet and was ready to take my questions. He looked relaxed in his firetruck pajamas as he toyed with a blue plastic drill set.

How old are you? Three.
What makes you happy? Trucks.
What is your favorite animal? Bees.
What is your favorite food? Cake.
What is your favorite TV show? Mighty Machines.
What is your favorite toy? Crane truck with bucket.
What do you like to do? Play garbage trucks, fire trucks and cars.
What is your favorite color? Green.
What is your favorite song? The Garbage Truck Comes (an original and ever evolving composition).
Who is your best friend? Nicholas.
What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? (taps interviewer's nose) Take care of her. 
What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Have fun. Play dinosaurs and dragons.
Where is your favorite place to go? Playground.
What is your favorite book? Dinotrux
What do you want to do when you grow up? Be tall and drive a little car.

Malta Bene

    
       The expression "molto bene" means "very good" in Italian, and that is exactly how we would describe our weekend on the island of Malta, located south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. Welcome visitors to the island have been taken with the inhabitants' hospitality for millennia. The Apostle Paul, when shipwrecked on the island, found "the native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all" (Acts 28:2). Malta was also the home of Calypso, another famed hostess that kept Odysseus luxuriously fed and sheltered in Homer's Odyssey. Unwelcome visitors have been faced with strong walls of defense from successive ruling powerhouses from the ancient Romans to the medieval Knights of St. John to the British from whom they gained their independence in 1964.
         The colorful history of Malta gave us plenty to explore during our visit, but we also made some time to relax, have some fun and sample the famous Maltese food and hospitality. In the next couple of days, I will be highlighting our favorite experiences. For now, I hope you enjoy some pictures of our weekend. Have a great Labor Day!

At a Valletta cafe, Christopher and Matt toast to a successful ferry ride and start to our vacation in Malta. Christopher's highlights include his first time at the beach, drinking a milkshake in a medieval Carmelite priory and regaling the dinner waitstaff with tale of his windy ride on the top of a double decker Malta bus.

 The view of St. Julian's Bay from our balcony at the InterContinental Malta.

St. Paul's Bay is named because according to tradition, this is where Paul was shipwrecked on his way to Rome. He preached on Malta for a time in the city of Melita (now Rabat) and is honored with several churches and a cathedral on the island.

During World War II, a German bomb pierced the Rotunda of Mosta during evening mass. Miraculously, the bomb did not explode, saving the lives of almost 300 parishoners. Malta has the unfortunate distinction of being the most bombed country during the war.