Questions for Cecil Pinto for his plug: Is your foreign friend Kornelia of Kornelia's Kitchen, a charity registered to accept donations in Goa? Is there any accounting of, and taxes paid on the donations earned? Or is this not reportable income? I. Nunes
--- On Fri, 12/18/09, Cecil Pinto <cecilpi...@gmail.com> wrote: "Kornelia has kept the Site and Newsletter free but if you have gained anything useful from the site you can hit the Donate button as - every contribution helps developing new recipes and researching ingredients." My friend Kornelia Santoro, a German ex-journalist, lives with her Italian husband in Sangolda. A frequent visitor to Goa since many years, and now a permanent resident, Kornelia is also an excellent 'slow food' cook. For fifteen years Kornelia experimented with what she calls 'tropicalised European fare' till she got every ingredient, method and recipe just right. The fruits of her research and experiments are now available at her website http://www.mediterraneancooking.in In addition to the Introduction it features sections like: - Nutritional Values - Freezing Food - Oven Temperatures - Measuring Ingredients - Kitchen Design - Weightloss Without Diet And of course detailed recipes for: - Appetizers - Entrees - Pasta - Beef - Chicken - Seafood - Side dishes - Sweets You can also sign up for a Newsletter that keeps you updated. Kornelia has kept the Site and Newsletter free but if you have gained anything useful from the site you can hit the Donate button as - every contribution helps developing new recipes and researching ingredients. Do check out Kornelia's Kitchen and forward this mail to people in your address book who might be interested. Cheers! Cecil ---------- Excerpts from the site Introduction ------- Mediterranean cuisine rightfully enjoys the reputation of providing an equally healthy and delicious diet. The dishes not only taste great, they also further weight loss and staying in shape. However Mediterranean cooking can be a challenge in tropical countries like India. Many ingredients are not available or the quality differs from Western standard. The collection of recipes on this website represents my 15 years of experience with Mediterranean cooking in India. Throughout the website I introduce you to my world of cooking and staying slim. One part is devoted to weight loss without diet: I strongly believe by eating the right food you can avoid counting calories and enjoy culinary pleasures without remorse. The challenge of international cooking Cooking European style poses a certain challenge in India as many of the ingredients are not available here. Although I use as much as possible local products, it is necessary to buy some imported goods as well. Generally I believe shipping food thousands of miles around the globe does a lot of damage to our environment. For example I don’t see a reason why I should buy butter from New Zealand, when India is producing perfectly acceptable butter. On the other hand, you cannot cook Italian dishes without olive oil or Parmiggiano. Another challenge is the quality of the meat which differs markedly from European products, especially when it comes to beef and pork. Shopping for food in India is a lot more difficult than in other countries. Supermarkets are still rare and quality control is left to the consumer. It is wise to always check the manufacturing date of the product. Time and again I had to throw food away because I had forgotten my glasses and could not read the manufacturing date while shopping. I also rely strongly on my sense of smell when buying fresh produce and particularly meat. Watching the buffaloes in the paddy fields Although I had always enjoyed traveling, I had never dreamed about living in such an exotic country like India. After having worked a decade as a journalist for a German newspaper I had taken a two year sabbatical. While driving with an Enfield Bullet motorbike through India I had met my husband in Goa. We got married in Milano, Italy and decided to settle here and start a family. Over the years we have built a beautiful house with a lovely view of green rice fields, palm and mango trees. From our terrace we can watch the farmers and their water buffaloes, cultivating the earth. Many people who visit us think we lead a wonderful life, far away from the pressures of a traditional career. Indeed, we very much enjoy our lifestyle, especially the Indian climate with sunshine almost all year round. Our taste buds though cannot deny their European origin. And while we appreciate an Indian meal, we prefer on a daily basis the dishes of the Italian and occasionally Greek kitchen, mingled with some other regional influences. I strongly believe we are what we eat. Home cooked meals full of healthy ingredients help us to avoid a lot of chemical additives contained in commercial and restaurant fare. They also keep us slim and trim without any diet. None of us, my husband, myself or our son, have weight problems - and we eat, what we like. Slow down for the sake of the earth In this time of fast living and high speed internet connections I believe we must take time out from the pace of our busy lives, slow down and enjoy nutritious slow food. The movement of slow food – as opposed to fast food from restaurant-chains – evolved in Italy. The organization was formed in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant close to the Spanish Steps in Rome. Slow Food, comprising 83 000 members in over 122 countries, spreads awareness about the devastating effects of large-scale, commercial food production. According to their philosophy, slow food is good, clean and fair food. The members of the organization claim food should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or the health of people. They believe further home cooked meals should be the focus of the social life of families. The joy of cooking and how to keep it One of the most important tasks of a homemaker is providing a healthy diet for the family. My energy and the love for my family flows into the dishes I am cooking and I believe this makes a big difference. I love cooking but when you have to do it daily it can turn into an annoying task. There are some happy natures around who truly enjoy giving up everything to serve their families. Unfortunately though, I don’t belong to them. I’d rather enjoy using my brain cells for the purpose of writing. I take pleasure in painting and working out in the gym and I love to spend hours on my sofa reading books. To avoid getting bored out of my wits by domestic duties, I try to cook only when I am in the mood and manage the other days with the help of my freezer. If scientists are right freezing doesn’t damage the nutritional value of the food. I can assure you, it doesn’t damage the taste. No fancy ingredients required Frequently I read European recipes in Indian magazines and newspapers which are simply not possible to prepare if you don’t live in Mumbai or Delhi. Or I watch cooking shows on television – one of my favorite cooks is Nigella Lawson. This leaves me many times salivating in the frustrating knowledge that I cannot get the necessary ingredients here. After hearing my constant complaints, my husband suggested I write my own cook book which I now present online: I assure you, you can prepare any recipe almost anywhere in India – or other exotic places in the world. There are no fancy ingredients required in my dishes. I strictly use what I can buy in Goa – an attitude which fits nicely into the slow food movement mentioned before. Free monthly newsletter I hope you’ll be inspired by this book and will enjoy many of the dishes suggested here. Even if you are not confident about cooking yourself – the recipes are so easy, it will be difficult to fail. Sign up for our free monthly newsletter which shares my ongoing food-experiences and fresh information about ingredients. Remember, food is energy and your mood during cooking greatly influences the results. Meals cooked with love and in high spirits taste a lot better than anything else. Cook with love - always - your family will appreciate it! Kornelia Santoro Goa, December 17th, 2009 http://www.mediterraneancooking.in =======