Wheat Halwa

Makes: 20 - 25 pieces

Butter or ghee - 5 tbsp
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk -2 cups
Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp, roughly chopped

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, fry the wheat flour on low heat with the butter/ghee.
2. Keep stirring the mixture continuously to ensure no lumps. Continue frying till the mixture slightly browns the nuts crisp to golden brown.
3. In the meantime, bring the milk and sugar to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Mix in the hot mixture to the cooked flour, in small amounts, till the whole syrup gets absorbed. Swirl the mixture continuously and make sure there are no lumps in the halwa.
4. Take away from heat and let it sit covered for 10-15 minutes; the flour will absorb the mixture and cook in it in this time imbibing the creaminess of the milk and the melted sugar.
5. Remove the lid and swirl the halwa a little more. Serve the halwa with additional ghee if desired.

Tip:
1. Sprinkle a teaspoon of ground cinnamon over the halwa to give it a dash of spice
2. If you want to make the Turkish version, take out spoonfuls of halwa (after the resting time) and make into simple shapes. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Chickpea Flour and Cilantro Squares

Kothambir Vada

A traditional appetizer from Maharashtra, these are delicious served as cocktail party finger food. Equally good in a picnic hamper or at a pool party, they can be made ahead and warmed slightly in the microwave.

Serves: 4 to 6

Chickpea flour - 1 cup

Ginger root - 1 tbsp, peeled and minced

Green chillies, preferably serrano - 1 tbsp, minced

Salt - to taste

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Cilantro - 1 cup, leaves only, coarsely chopped

Oil - 3 1/2 tbsp, divided

Onion - 1/3 cup, chopped
Garlic - 1 tbsp, minced
Asafoetida - a pinch

1. Prepare an 8 inch square cake pan by spraying with vegetable spray
2. In a bowl, whisk together chickpea flour ginger, chillies, salt and turmeric with water as required. The prepared batter must be thicker than cake batter.
3. Stir in the cilantro and set aside.
4. In a nonstick saucepan or deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden , 3 to 4 minutes. Add asafoetida and saute for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat. Whisk chickpea flour mixture and pour slowly into pan stirring vigorously.
6. Return saucepan to medium-low heat. Cook,stirring continuously and cleaning sides of pan as you go, until mixture comes together in a lump, 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Transfer to prepared pan and pat into smooth cake. Let cool completely. Cunt int 2-inch(5 cm) squares.
8. In a large nonstick skillet. heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Arrange half the squares in skillet and pan-fry until brown, for 2 minutes. Flip and brown other side. Transfer to a serving dish.
9. Repeat with squares and oil. Serve with chutney of your choice.

Tomato Bruschetta

One of the small gifts to surface during the popularity of fresh Italian cuisine is the popularization of crostini. Crostini is sliced, oiled, and baked French or Italian bread. The dish was originally created to use up stale bread. This version, topped with vine-ripened tomatoes , is perhaps the most popular.

Makes 4 to 6 slices

Garlic - 1 to 2 cloves, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil
French or Italian bread - 4 to 6 slices
Vine-ripe tomatoes - 2, chopped or sliced
Salt and Pepper

Balsamic vinegar - a splash

Fresh basil leaves

1. Add fresh garlic to olive oil and let sit for 10 minutes. Dip each slice of bread in the oil and garlic to coat lightly on both sides.

2. Bake at 400 degrees F for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.

3. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add splash of vinegar. Arrange tomatoes on top of toast. Top with basil leaves and serve.

Variation – sliced Buffalo mozzarella cheese can be added on top.

Winter Melon Halwa

Dumroot/Kashi Halwa/White Pumpkin Halwa

Serves: 6-8

Winter Melon - 4 cups, grated (without removing water)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Whole milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 1/2 cup or according to taste

Saffron - 1/4 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Cashews, Raisins - for garnishing

1. In a non-stick thick bottomed pan cook the grated winter melon till the water reduces and the melon is almost dry.

2. Now add 1 tbsp of ghee and saute or a few minutes and continue to cook while stirring frequently until the melon is completely cooked. In the meanwhile soak the saffron strands in a 1 tbsp of warm milk.

3. Add sugar to the melon, mix well and then add the saffron milk, and milk. Cook until the milk gets condensed and ghee separates from the mixture.
4. In the remaining ghee, fry the cashews and raisins separately until golden brown.
5. Add the cashews, raisins along with the ghee to the halwa and serve hot or warm.

Tomato, Scallion and Cilantro Salad

 Known as "cachumbar", this salad relish is most commonly served with Indian curries.There are many versions; this one will leave your mouth feeling cool and fresh after a spicy meal.

Serves: 4

Tomatoes - 3 ripe

Scallions - 2, chopped
Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Cilantro - 3 tbsp, chopped

Salt

1. Remove the though cores from the tomatoes with a small, sharp knife.
2. Halve the tomatoes, remove the seeds and dice the tomato flesh finely.
3. Combine the tomatoes with the scallions, sugar, chopped cilantro and salt. Serve the relish at room temperature.