Italian Tomato Sauce

This is a very good recipe to use on spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli and other pasta.
You can use fresh tomatoes or tomato paste.

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COFFEE JELLO

1/2 cup cold coffee

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (I used Knox) 

3 1/2 cups hot coffee (Freshly brewed coffee would be perfect) 

Sugar to taste (I used 1/3 cup) 

Let the gelatin soften in 1/2 cup cold coffee for 3 minutes then mix into the hot coffee.
Stir until all the gelatin is dissolved.
Sweeten to taste.
Place the gelatin mixture into a dish and chill.
When quite cold and almost jellied, beat up until it becomes a light foam.
Pour into mold and place in the fridge.
Serve with whipped cream.


Tip: A metal dish chills faster than a glass or plastic one.

The coffee jello is almost jellied

Beating the coffee jello. It changes to a lighter color.

Pouring the beaten jello into a glass dish

The coffee jello has set

RISOTTO WITH LOBSTER

(Risotto coi gamberi)


You can use either lobster or crab meat. Lobster is, however, considered more tasty.


The lobster should be about half the weight of the rice employed. A little more than a pound of rice and half this weight of lobster should be enough for six people.

• Chop fine a stalk of celery, a sprig of parsley, one carrot, half an onion and a clove of garlic.
•  Brown the vegetables in olive oil. When browned, add the lobster and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir and turn over the lobster several times and when it has become red, pour over as much hot water as is necessary to cook the rice.
• After the water boils for a while, remove the lobster leaving the saucepan on the fire.
• Put half of the lobster aside, and grind the rest.
• Rub the ground meat through the sieve and put it back on the fire.
• In another saucepan melt some butter and put into it little by little the rice that has been washed and dried.
• Stir and add the broth from the first saucepan.
• When the rice is almost cooked add the lobster that you have put aside, or rather its meat extracted from the shells, take from the fire and pour over it the ground lobster and add some grated cheese.

ONION TORTILLA OR OMELETTE

• 1 lb. yellow onions
• 1-1/2 oz. butter or oil
• 3 eggs 
• salt and pepper

Slice the onions. Melt the butter in a frying pan, and fry the onions for 10 or 15 minutes. Beat the eggs, add them to the onions, season with salt and pepper. Fry the tortilla a light brown on both sides.

This is Monique, my dear cat.

CARROTS

Carrots are one of the most favorite vegetables around the world. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B1 and B6 and they are also rich in biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium.

When buying carrots choose those that are:

• firm
• bright red-orange color
• without big cracks or serious green or violet tops
• without side roots

The most nutrients are concentrated just under the skin so try not to peel them off. To clean carrots, simply use a hard brush. 

Have you tried Carrot Marmalade? I haven't. I found this recipe in a very old cook book and I will try it soon.

CARROT MARMALADE

• 1 lb. carrots
• 1½ lbs. sugar
• 2 lemons
• ½ cup chopped nuts

Clean and scrape carrots, cook until soft, then mash. Add sugar, juice of 2 lemons and the grated rind of 1 lemon. Cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chopped nuts, pour into hot, sterile jars and seal.

Fish and Chips

We are having Fish and Chips tonight. This is the recipe I am using:

FISH AND CHIPS

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups beer very cold, in fact, ice cold

1 egg

1 tablespoon oil

French fry potatoes, frozen

Oil for deep frying

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fish fillets (any firm white fish will do)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup flour

Separate the egg. Sift 1 cup of flour into a large bowl, add 3/4 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the beer, egg yolk and 1 tablespoon oil. Beat until smooth, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F bake the potatoes until lightly browned, then turn once, bake a few more minutes until browned and transfer to a paper towel-lined pan in the oven to keep them warm.

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Whip the egg white and gently fold it into the prepared batter with a spatula. Place 1 cup flour into a plate. Dip the fillets into the flour, coat them on all sides and shake off the excess flour. Set aside on a plate.

Dip the floured fish fillets into the batter and then gently drop into the hot oil, one by one. Fry just a few fillets at a time. When they are browned on all sides remove them from the oil and hold in the preheated oven while you fry the remaining fillets.

Serve the fish and chips with a salad.

• VERY IMPORTANT: The batter should be VERY cold.

Very crispy and delicious