Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/809226
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 APRIL 2017 34 Food RACHEL ZAMMIT CUTAJAR ANYONE who has ever lived abroad can appreciate just how wonderful Maltese bread is par- ticularly when it is still warm. Of course everyone should appreci- ate it but it's not until you have to live without it that you fully un- derstand how comforting Maltese bread really is. The only thing that can make bread even better is melted cheese. At Emanuel's Bakery they mix the two, using fresh bread dough to make pizzas. Fresh, warm and oozing with gooey cheese and lots of toppings, they are the perfect comfort food on a cold and windy day or the perfect cure for a hangover. Just outside Emanuel's Bak- ery in Qormi a crowd of people hurry back to their cars and turn their dashboards into make shift tables while they sink their teeth into the soothing comfort of the Gozo inspired pizzas, topped with sliced potato and sesame seeds. Qormi bread has a reputation for being the best on the island. And the Mangions at Emanuel's Bakery carry that beacon proudly. Matthew Mangion tells me about life at the bakery. The bakery was set up by Em- manuel Mangion over 60 years ago. In that time very little has changed, though his son, Edwin, and later his grandchildren, Mat- thew, Mark, Joseph and David, took over the running of the bak- ery. The secret, Matthew says, is sticking to tradition. The wood oven is the most important part of any bakery and the one at Ema- nuel's is made from a rare stone from Gozo that radiates the right amount of heat for a crispy loaf, with a feathery-soft inside. Insofar as ingredients go, there is little that goes into Maltese bread – water, flour, yeast, salt and of course, a portion of sour dough made from yesterday's batch. The traditional oven is still used as it was years ago when few peo- ple had their own ovens – for the Sunday roast. "People still bring their roast over to us in the morn- ing before they go to Sunday Mass to slow cook in our ovens for three or four hours." Just imagine the smells of bread and a vari- ety of roasting meats on a Sunday morning! Enough to make your mouth water! Although the 'hobza Maltija' is at the heart of the bakery, it is not the only thing on the menu. Over the last year, Matthew has devel- oped a following for his phenom- enal pizza ftiras. Like the ones from Gozo, these hunks of bread contain all sorts of toppings and have garnered a following from as far away as Mellieha. Pulled pork, barbeque chicken or the Italian style Parma ham and rucola are just some of the toppings available at Emanuel's. And of course, the real Gozo influence can be seen in the finely sliced potato that covers some of their pizzas. This isn't a restaurant as you know it. The pizzas come out of the oven and go straight into a box so you have to take them home to eat them. I challenge you to make it to your destination without tak- ing a bite or five out dinner before you make it! Resto of the week The Château de Sancerre portfolio is comprised of highly acclaimed wines from the Loire Valley in France. The winery was founded in 1919 by Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle, the creator of Grand Marnier liqueur, in tribute to the area where he was born. Pale gold, with silver highlights. Powerful aromatic intensity with citrus and floral notes. Rich and well balanced on the palate with fruity flavors of grapefruit and fresh grapes. Wonderful accompaniment to fish, seafood, white meat (chicken, veal) and goat cheese, particularly the "Crottin de Chavignol." Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Sancerre 2015 – Chateau de Sancerre Loire, France The warm comfort of bread and melted cheese Emanuel's Bakery Triq il-Mithna Qormi Tel: 21482239 Find them on Facebook: goo.gl/QvX5BU WINE OF THE WEEK