Walking into Gesther restaurant in Xaghra is like walking into your favourite aunt's kitchen - it's familiar, welcoming and honest. Hence, if you're looking for an authentic local meal in Gozo then Gesther is the place to go. The two sisters who serve traditional Gozitan dishes such as bragioli, aljotta and fenek run this tiny, retro kitchenette.

I first experienced Gesther in the late 70's as a seven-year-old girl and I'm proud to say that nothing has changed. The food, atmosphere and service are just as I remembered, both warm and inviting. The décor is quite basic in a retro kind of way, but don't let that put you off as you will be missing out on some of the most authentic, home styled cooking the island of Gozo has to offer.


The meals on the menu are family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Giusa was kind enough to give me the recipe to her famous Alijotta soup, which is a garlicky fish soup made with fresh tomatoes, marjoram, basil, mint and a touch of lemon juice. Aljotta is enjoyed all year round in Malta and is often made with seasonal fish such as White bream, John Dory, Amberjack, Dentex and Bass.

You can either make a fish stock with the abovementioned fish (or something similar) and then strain the liquid through a fine sieve or you can add the fish to the soup towards the end of the cooking process. When I asked Guisa if she used fish stock to make her aljotta she said 'sometimes I do and sometimes I don't'.  So the recipe below is her 'sometimes I don't' version.

Gesther's Aljotta Soup

Recipe source: Gesther Restaurant, 8th September Avenue, Xaghra, Gozo

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

8-10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 large tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded and chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 litres of cold water

50g of long grain rice, boiled & strained

600 - 800g fresh, cleaned, deboned small white fish, roughly chopped

A couple of sprigs of fresh basil, mint and marjoram, roughly torn

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Lemon wedges, to serve





Method

1. In a large saucepan gently sauté the chopped onion and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil until the onion becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and fresh herbs and season to taste. Add the water and allow to gently simmer.

2.  Add the fish to the saucepan about ten minutes before you are ready to serve the soup and then add the cooked rice to the soup once the fish has cooked through.

3. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top with a little more fresh mint. Serve with lemon wedges.