Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1547435
35 and therefore needed a second. Her influence extended beyond the family table. She passed down recipes and preserving techniques that now feature in the book, including huspenina, a traditional dish handed from Mária to her daughter, Terézia, and then to Zara. The same philosophy guides the artisan foods produced at Country Comfort Farma. The range includes cured meats, sausages, jams, chutneys, honey, smoked paprika and cheese. Small batches are made using seasonal ingredients and skills learned from family members, including meat-curing techniques taught by Zara's father. Their guiding principle is straightforward: "What is not good for us is not good for our clients." For home cooks, Elle believes that the same respect for ingredients can begin with simple changes, such as making stock from bones, trying less familiar cuts of meat or finding new uses for leftovers. Bringing the farm home The farm's products have also found their way back to Malta, with outlets including Elia Café in Ħamrun, Vincent's Eco Estates in Żebbiegħ and The Farmers Deli in San Ġwann. For Elle, seeing food produced on her Slovak farm reach her home island brings the journey full circle. "It means a great deal. I left Malta to build this farm, and now the farm is coming home to Malta," she says. The products are shipped in insulated wool packaging to ensure they arrive as fresh as they left Bíňa. Maltese customers have embraced the range, with the deer sausage proving a bestseller. Yet it is the memories the food evokes that mean the most to Elle. Ultimately, Nourish & Heal from the Farm Kitchen is about more than preserving recipes. Through the dishes of her Maltese childhood and the Slovak traditions she has embraced, Elle celebrates the knowledge behind traditional cooking: how to work with seasonal ingredients, make food go further and pass family memories from one generation to the next. By documenting both the recipes and their nutritional context, she hopes to encourage readers to appreciate the value of traditional ingredients and cooking methods, while keeping their own family food traditions alive. "I hope readers cook these recipes and then add their own family dishes in the margins," she says. "Our grandparents' food fed families through hard times, with nothing wasted. at wisdom deserves to be passed on, not forgotten." Fried Rabbit in the Tradition of Four Generations From Nourish & Heal from the Farm Kitchen by Elle Bonello Azzopardi Serves 4 to 6 INGREDIENTS 1 whole rabbit, jointed into 2 hind legs, 2 forelegs, the saddle and rib sections Rabbit's head, heart and liver, kept separate Rabbit's blood, if available Pork lard 1 piece of pork rind 1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and unpeeled 3 large onions 10 garlic cloves, peeled 1 glass of red or white wine 10 ripe tomatoes 3 bay leaves 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp curry powder 3 medium potatoes per person, quartered Fresh or frozen peas METHOD 1. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat a generous amount of pork lard with the pork rind in a large, heavy-based pan. Add the rabbit pieces and unpeeled garlic cloves. Fry over a medium-low heat for 2–3 hours, turning occasionally, until golden and tender. 2. In a separate heavy- based pot, heat more lard and cook the onions for 20–30 minutes until deeply browned and caramelised. Add the peeled garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. 3. Pour in the wine and let it reduce for 2 minutes. If using the rabbit's blood, stir it in now. 4. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, curry powder and mixed spice. Simmer uncovered for about 1 hour, until the sauce thickens. 5. Add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, then add the peas and cook for another 10 minutes. 6. Add the rib sections, head and heart, and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes, until cooked through and tender. Remove the bay leaves. 7. Arrange the fried rabbit on a plate. Spoon the sauce, potatoes and peas generously over and around the rabbit, and serve hot.