SAVOURY SPAGHETTI

 Ingredients:

Oil - 2 tbsp

onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Curry powder - 1-2 tbsp

Peanut butter - 3 tbsp

Tomato paste - 2 tbsp

Chicken stock or broth - 1 1/4th cups

Small strip of lemon rind

Salt and pepper

Spaghetti - 350 gms

Method:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and fry until soft.
• Stir in the curry powder, peanut butter, tomato paste, stock, lemon rind and salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until just tender.
• Drain well and return to the saucepan.
• Remove the lemon rind from the sauce and pour over the spaghetti.
• Toss well, then serve hot.

SHRIMP AND EGG SOUP

 Ingredients:

Shrimps - 1 cup (chopped)

Eggs - 2 (slightly beaten with a pinch of salt)

Bone stock - 1 litre

Soy sauce - 1 tsp

Spring onions - 2 (finely sliced)

MSG - 1/4 tsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Boil together all the ingredients except eggs in a saucepan for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add a little water if necessary.
• Pour the egg mixture over the soup and stir very gently so that the egg forms into strings.
• Serve with chilli sauce.

DILL SAUCE

 Ingredients:

Watercress - 4 stems

Green onion - 1 (diced)

Fresh dill sprigs - 3

Garlic cloves - 2 (smashed and chopped)

Chives - 1 tbsp (chopped)

Mayonnaise - 250 ml

Port wine - 3 tbsp

Sour cream - 75 ml

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper

Tabasco sauce- few drops

Dash paprika

Method:

• Place watercress, onion, dill, garlic and chives in food processor; blend one minute.
• Add remaining ingredients and continue blending 30 seconds or until smooth.
• Correct seasoning and serve with grilled fish.

FRIED OYSTERS

 Ingredients:

Shucked oysters - 500 ml

Seasoned flour - 1 cup

Eggs -2 (beaten)

Light cream - 50 ml

Crushed soda crackers - 500 ml

Peanut oil - 75 ml

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

Method:

• Dredge oysters in flour.
• Mix eggs with cream; dip oysters in liquid. Coat with cracker crumbs.
• Heat oil in deep skillet. When hot, add half of oysters and cook 4 minutes over high heat. Turn oysters over once.
• Using slotted spoon remove cooked oysters and drain on paper towels.
• Add remaining oysters to hot oil and repeat.
• Serve with lemon juice and if desired with tartare sauce as well.

TOMATO RAITA

 Ingredients:

Curd - 1 cup

Tomatoes - 2 (big)

Green chillies - 2

Fresh coconut - 1 tsp (grated)

Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp (chopped)

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

• Finely chop tomatoes. Grind green chillies, coconut and few mustard seeds to make fine paste by adding little water.
• Beat the curd with salt.
• add ground paste and mix well.
• Heat the oil in pan; add mustard and allow it to crackle.
• Then add tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes. Let it cool.
• Add tomatoes to the curd and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

BANANAS FOSTER

 Ingredients:

Bananas -4

Butter - 40 gms

Rum - 50 ml

Brown sugar - 100 gms

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Method:

• Peel and cut the bananas lengthwise, into four strips.
• Dust with brown sugar and saute in a saucepan with the melted butter.
• When golden brown, pour in the rum and flambe.
• Serve them by putting four slices of banana in each plate, pour some rum on top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

ITALIAN BEAN SOUP

Ingredients:

Olive oil - 2 tsp

Leek - 1 (washed and chopped)

Garlic clove - 1 (peeled and crushed)

Dried oregano - 2 tsp

Green beans - 75 gms (trimmed and cut into bite size pieces)

Cannellini beans - 400 gms can (drained and rinsed) 

Small pasta shapes - 75 gms

Vegetable stock - 1 litre

Cherry tomatoes - 8

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Freshly shredded basil - 3 tbsp

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the leek, garlic and oregano and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the green beans and the cannellini beans. Add pasta and vegetable stock.
• Bring the stock mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked to 'al dente'. Stir occasionally.
• In a heavy based frying pan, dry fry the tomatoes over a high heat until they soften and the skins begin to blacken.
• Gently crush the tomatoes in the pan with the back of a spoon and add to the soup.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the shredded basil and serve immediately.