Lobster bisque

Getting Christmas dinner ready doesn’t need to be stressful. Cooking consultant Mary Ann Amodeo is here with an easy and elegant starter that anyone can make.

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Recipes:

Mary Ann’s Lobster Bisque

Ingredients:

• -1 lobster tail
• -1 onion, chopped
• -1 carrot, chopped
• -1 stalk celery, chopped
• -1/4 cup brandy
• -1 cup white wine
• -a few sprigs of parsley
• -1 sprig thyme
• -2 fresh bay leaves
• -1 tablespoon tomato paste
• -1 tomato chopped
• -4 cups of fish stock
• -2 tablespoons cornstarch
• -1/2 cup heavy cream
• -sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• -fresh oregano leaves
• -sweet paprika

Directions:

1. Remove meat from lobster tail, chop, cover and put in fridge , keep the shell.
2. Heat butter in pan, cook onion, celery, carrot on low for 20 minutes.
3. Heat brandy in a small pan and then pour over the vegetables. Add white wine and shell. Bring to boil and stir for a few minutes.
4. Add parsley, thyme, bay leaves, tomato paste and fish stock, reduce heat and simmer without lid for 45 minutes.
5. Strain mixture through a sieve into a clean pot, blend the cream and cornstarch and then add. Stir until thickened.
6. Add lobster meat; cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle oregano leaves and paprika on top and serve. May be prepared a day ahead and reheated gently. ENJOY!

Mary Ann’s Rolled Veal Roast

Get the butcher to cut you a piece of veal from the leg suitable for stuffing. Lay the meat out flat, and pound a bit if necessary.

In a bowl, mix the following:

• -2 cloves chopped garlic
• -handful of chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
• -1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano cheese
• -1 cup bread crumbs sea salt /fresh ground pepper
• -approx 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Spread on the roast, roll it up like a jelly roll and tie with string with a mixture of flour salt, pepper and a bit of cayenne pepper. Roll the roast in this and then brown in a skillet; then place the roast in a casserole and pop in the oven at 400