At Christmas time, the Italian traditions were strongly followed, especially those of Christmas Eve. As Italy turned often to fish as a substitute for meat, the preparation of fish became important. Meat was not an easy commodity to come by in the small towns of Italy, while the beautiful seas could be a bountiful source of food supply for its people.

Of course, she would also make those wonderful raviolis and of course home made pastas and mouth-watering pastries. This woman could take almost any food item and turn it into a feast. No one ever refused her dinner invitations willing.

We lost this lady in 1990, and since then her family has tried to follow her traditions closely, some of us more successfully than others, and always with love. She cooked with love and appreciation of food.

Christmas Eve continues to be an important feast for all of us, and the traditional "five" fishes are still served. We'd like to share some of these recipes with you on the World Wide Web. How this woman could take the lowly squid, or a shrimp and lobster, and turn them into a delectable meal!

LOBSTER MACARONI SAUCE

What you'll need:
• 2 or 3 medium-sized lobsters, about 1-1/2 lbs. each
• olive oil
• minced garlic
• fresh parsley
• sweet red peppers
• Tomato Sauce
• black pepper
• linguine or thin spaghetti

Start with 2 or 3 medium-sized lobsters, about 1-1/2 lbs. each. Keeping the rubber bands on their claws, turn them on their back on a chopping board, With courage, slice them down the back, but not through the tails. Hold the Lobster firmly at the claws with a kitchen towel, as the lobster will be very feisty. Check the tail for any veins you can see, remove these.

Break the lobsters into pieces, remove claws, tails, legs, and discard the head. At this point you can remove the rubber bands safely.

In a good size pot, preferably stainless steel, place some of olive oil, a few tablespoons of minced garlic- be generous with this, and some fresh parsley. Add some chopped sweet red peppers and let it all simmer slowly for about 5 minutes. The add in those lobster pieces, and let them get nicely redder, turning them on both sides while sautéing.

When everything looks well-sautéed, about 10 minutes, take a can of tomato paste and by spoonfuls add to the bottom of simmering pot and blend into the oil and juices, adding water as needed. Use about half a can if making only a few lobsters, but more if making several. A bit of black pepper can be added at this point to season or taste.

When all this has blended well, about 5 minutes, and stirring it from time to time with a large spoon, add in two large cans of Hunts Tomato Sauce, not plum tomatoes, but the cans that specifically say tomato sauce. This will comfortably cover 2 or 3 lobsters, but you may need more if making 4 or 5. (We use Hunts brand as it closely resembles the tomato sauce she used to make from her own garden tomatoes). A little water should be added to each can used, about a quarter of the can.

Take a sweet red pepper, slice into strips, and add to the sauce, along with some fresh parsley, and any other seasoning that you prefer. Let it all simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, adding more water if sauce seems to get too thick, which it shouldn't.

Never cook Italian sauces rapidly, let them simmer slowly. I do not add salt to this lobster sauce, but you may if you choose.

I serve this sauce with linguine or thin spaghetti. If you use two cans of tomato sauce, it should comfortably handle 2 or 3 lobsters, but if using 4 or 5 lobsters, you'll need another large can of sauce.

About 15 minutes before serving, she used to add in a battuto, something she added to any sauce she made. Take a cup or small bowl , pour in about three tablespoons of olive oil, mix in some chopped parsley and minced garlic, about a tablespoon of each. Mash these together until well-blended, and add to the sauce. This is not mandatory, only something she felt added to flavor.

Absolutely a wonderful recipe and the sauce reflects the lobster taste - different.

Cook the linguine or thin spaghetti, about 1 pound for 2 or 3 lobsters, 2 pounds for 4 or 5 lobsters or if having a larger crowd. Serve lobster pieces on a platter, after letting them sit on the linguine to drain some of the sauce. Be generous with the sauce, it should be plentiful.

Provide several lobster crackers and plenty of napkins. You can make this easily for two, 2 or 3 lobsters, and a pound of linguine - but expect your guest or partner to eat most of it.

Once you have made this, you'll make it often. It's different and great for guests. Buon Appetite from "Noni".

And Buon Natale and best wishes to the many DiScipio's now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also our fond wishes to those still living in Abruzzi, Italy.

The Cibotti Family