Gourmet dishes made easy

FOOD is the ideal way to link cultures. We are no longer content with dal-chawal, wanting to try out different cuisines or so- called "gourmet" foods. But I find that most people shy away from trying them out in their kitchens.

What we call gourmet dishes are cooked by busy Italians, Spaniards and Thais every day. To you and me, they are exotic and glamorous, but to the person cooking them they are just like tonight's dal-chawal.

Let us start with one of the most maligned, but wonderful, courses - soup. Anyone who calls it dull or ordinary is mistaken. It has a comforting, almost magical, quality. It brings together subtle flavours from vegetables and herbs to make a meal or to start one. The soup discussed here is a creamy concoction, has flavour and is nutritious.

The Chillies Rellenos bake is Mexican in origin. It combines chillies, eggs and cheese to make a spicy souffle that is easy to make but looks and tastes like you have been slaving over a stove for hours. You can substitute capsicum for the bhaji chillies if you want a milder flavour. The salsa goes well with the souffle to get your tastebuds tingling.

The chocolate tart is rich in both taste and looks. It is delicious when accompanied by ice-cream or a spoonful of fresh cream.

Mushroom - potato soup

Ingredients:

Butter 6 tbsps Mushrooms (sliced) one packet Onion (chopped) 1 cup Vegetable stock 6 cups Potatoes (peeled and cut in thin slices) 2 cups Celery (chopped) 1/4 cup Spring onion (chopped) 1/4 cup Fresh parsley (chopped) 2 tbsp Salt and pepper to taste Cream 1/2 cup Fresh dill (chopped) 1 tbsp

Method:

Melt four tbsps butter. Add the mushrooms and onions. Fry till slightly limp. Add the potatoes and fry till partially done. Add the stock and salt and simmer till vegetables are done.

Fry the celery, spring onion and parsley in the remaining butter. Cook until celery is done. Take 1/2 cup of the mushroom stock and mix with the cream. Put this into the celery mixture and bring to a boil. Add this to the mushroom mixture. Mix thoroughly and taste the seasoning. Sprinkle soup with fresh dill and serve.

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Chillies Rellenos bake

Ingredients:

Bhaji chillies (roasted, skinned and deseeded) 8 to 10 Eggs 4 Milk 1/4 cup Flour 1/4 cup Salt and pepper to taste Cheese grated 1 cup

Method:

Mix together eggs, milk and flour. Season to taste. Grease an eight inch baking dish. Line with half the chilli. Sprinkle cheese on top. Keep layering till the cheese is finished. Put the egg mixture on top and bake in an oven heated to 350' till top is brown and puffy. Serve hot with the salsa.

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Salsa sauce

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (skinned and chopped) 3-4 Green chillies (chopped) 1-2 Onion (chopped) 1/4 cup Cilantro 1 tbsp Vinegar 1 tbsp Sugar 1 tbsp Salt and chilli powder to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and keep at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

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Chocolate tart

Ingredients:

Pastry Flour 1-1/2 cups Dalda 1/2 cup Salt 1/4 tsp Cold water 4-6 tbsps

Method:

Mix flour, dalda and salt until crumb-like. Add water a little at a time till the dough holds together. Roll out and line a pie or tart tin with it. Bake blind in a hot oven until firm. It takes about 15 minutes to cool.

Filling:

Ingredients:

Dark chocolate 4 bars Eggs 2 Egg yolks 4 Sugar 3 tbsp Butter (cut into cubes) 3/4 cup

Method:

Put the chocolate in a bowl. Half fill a pan with water and boil. Remove from fire and place chocolate bowl over the water, making sure it does not touch the water. Let the chocolate melt.

Put the eggs, yolks and the sugar over a pan of steaming water and mix until light and fluffy.

Stir butter into chocolate. Gently fold into egg mixture. Pour into pastry and bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool and chill. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

NANNU BEDI

laprincesse77@yahoo.co.uk

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