In 1966, India was besieged on another front, almost an year after the war with Pakistan: daunting food insecurity, worsened by the failure of monsoons. With food grain imports, mainly from the US, spiralling to 10 million tonne, India was forced into a ship-to-mouth existence.  India imported 18,000 tonne of wheat seed from Mexico, which turned self-sufficient in wheat production by the late ’50s by growing dwarf, high-yielding varieties of the grain. 2.5 lakh bags of 10 kg each were transported by road to Punjab and distributed before the Rabi season of 1967. Two Spanish varieties, Lermarojo and Sanavra-64, were sown across the state.

Market arrivals leapfrogged from three lakh tonne to 16 lakh tonne in April 1968 as farmers reaped a bumper crop of wheat. The schools were being shut down so that their buildings could be used to store the produce before distribution to food grain deficit states. The green revolution marked the deliverance from food imports and Punjab’s socio-economic transformation, from an impoverished state to the nation’s food basket.

With the import of IR-8, seeds imported from the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) that raised the paddy yield from one tonne per hectare to four tonne, by 1969, the revolution had extended to rice. Punjab became a state where the green revolution saw massive economic growth.

Agriculture still accounts for one-third of the state GDP and the state leads the world, producing about 10 tonne of wheat and paddy per hectare in a year. The tide turned in the mid-’80s with stagnant productivity, rising expenses and declining net incomes

 The water guzzling paddy, now grown on a whopping 66 lakh acres, has led to an ecological imbalance, with the ground water table falling by one metre annually in some of the most fertile zones of the state. Yet, the Punjab peasant is still imbued with a deep-rooted craving for reinventing farming. A new crop of enterprising farmers has scripted trailblazing success stories by making a break from traditional crops to low-volume and high-value crops.  By combining innovative farming practices with ingenious improvisation and hands-on marketing, farmers have been reaping rich profits and plaudits in the state’s backwaters where most farmers are in heavy debt due to the repeated failure of cotton crop

Sixteen months after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra and a week before another scheduled visit, a new set of dark figures on farmers’ suicides confronts us. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, farm suicides rose significantly in 2006 with 17,060 agriculturists killing themselves. Maharashtra, which happens to be the home state of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, tops the list with 4,453 farmer suicides in 2006. This is the worst figure recorded “in any year for any state” since the bureau first started keeping tabs on such suicides.

The previous worst 4,147 in 2004 - was also in Maharashtra. Other states that follow Maharashtra are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.  If these figures are shocking, it would be worthwhile to remember that these are just ‘reported’ figures of suicides that have been linked to agrarian distress.

Many cases go unreported because of the flawed counting process - more deaths mean that the State has to dole out more compensation. Another report published this week states that 11 more farmers have killed themselves in Vidarbha, taking the toll to 74 in January 2008 itself.

Other than these ‘hotspots’, incidents of farmers’ suicides and agrarian distress have come regularly from Punjab, the grain bowl of India, and the Bundelkhand region, which has been facing drought for the last four years. In Bundelkhand, the Janata Dal (United) alleges that as many as 203 farmers have committed suicide till November 2007.

The PM’s visit to Gondia, one of the affected districts in Vidarbha, next week is likely to be marked by a review of the economic package announced by him in 2006 to bail out debt-ridden farmers.

But no review will be enough, no new package will be adequate, unless and until it meets the demands of the affected and relief reaches on time. Most of the money that the PM had announced went towards paying for irrigation dues and waiver of interests. No direct relief reached the farmers. The farmers’ main wish - total waiver of debts - remained unfulfilled. That our rural credit system has failed is an old story. And, no entrepreneur - and the Indian farmer must be considered one -can survive without an adequate cash flow.

Along with credit, crop insurance needs to be extended from the block to the village level, so that in case of a crop failure, a village as a whole can absorb the shock. The collateral damage of agrarian distress is manifold. Each family sinking into the quagmire means later generations also facing a bleak future. Migrations and social tensions follow Even if this is tackled by the State apparatus, the question of the country’s food security cannot be wished away. Asked whether he would like to become a farmer, one of the children of a Punjab farmer protesting in Delhi said that he would not like to because it’s ‘risky‘. Truer words were never spoken. A scary thought for a nation that has to feed over a billion mouths.

India is one of the emerging developing economies demonstrating a healthy quarterly growth rate of over 8 per cent per annum in the recent past. Among the three sectors, agriculture and allied activities hold the key to a sustained growth journey in the coming years. Against this backdrop, the main thrust of the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) is “Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth”. The bottom line, however, has been aptly summed up by the Prime Minister that growth alone cannot be the sole goal of planning since global trends in food production and prices will exert escalating “pressure on both availability and prices of basic food items”.

The imminent position for agriculture in the faster and inclusive growth paradigm, against this backdrop, has three key elements: agricultural sector growth rate pegged ” around 4 per cent, farm product export growth at 10 per cent and, consequent to rapid urbanization, faster pace of change in the food consumption basket. A clear understanding of desirability and feasibility of the first two growth rates are important for their serious implications on the smallholder-driven commodity producing rural agriculture sector.

The test, however, lies in correctly identifying the sources of growth in the agricultural and allied production activities. The next step would be to design commensurate investment in production enhancing policy and physical planning. The inclusion concept, therefore, has ambitions for such ground realities associated with trust in the growth rate.

The 4 per cent growth rate in agriculture and allied sector activities is aptly disaggregated into demand and supply side interventions in the 11th Plan strategy. However, a simplistic view demonstrates that the production growth rate is determined by the growth rates in the crop area and the yield rates (productivity) in a fashion that biological and natural resources principles determine the boundaries.

When the crop production growth rate is given, its validity can be checked using area and yield information. In the event that an independent estimate of yield growth rate is not available, for given values of the crop area growth rate and the output growth rate, the yield growth rate attains determinable significance. Thus, the onus of attaining a 4 per cent growth rate in agriculture and allied production activity certainly falls on obtained or planned values of yield rates. .

The smallholder agriculture in the country has a comparative advantage centered on the farming community. This advantage is available to the state agencies as well as to all those associated with the agribusiness sector. The challenge, though, will rest with those who effectively translate smallholder-friendly knowhow into similar show-how. The state agencies certainly have a lead in this challenge posed by the approved 11^th Plan strategy.

The three primary issues with special reference to a state or region could be categorized as follows:

1.     Exploring the matrix of agriculture (crop husbandry), livestock and environment (including horticultural and non-timber forest produce);

2.     Changes in the rural economic environment and identification of various segments of farmers in a state/region who will be impacted.

The common thread has been that scientists are attempting to provide specific instances to reconnect science with farmers in the field on the one hand and agriculture department officials on the other. The criticality of budgetary flow of funds into the agriculture sector to specifically address knowledge deficiency in a sustainable manner has been underscored.

The primary production activities in the rural areas generally address a micro-level cost-risk-return trinity a la the three R’s of reform propounded by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen (viz. reach, range and reason). The limitation of the area growth rate during the 11^th Plan period is real with the exponential growth in the number of special economic zones (SEZs) for enhancing industrial activities. In the event that agricultural land will go out of cultivation for setting up SEZs, we are left with the productivity question.

This is a key element identified as the supply side constraint in the XI Plan approach. Another related yet critical component is the technological interventions. That technology is non-linear and lends itself to price and income substitutions typically in the smallholder-dominated agriculture once again have attained importance. There is an urgent need to devise a mechanism to get the agricultural scientist to pro-actively consider a region-specific optimization framework within the cost-risk-return trinity constraints of a specific region.

The quality and quantum of land and water are the dominant concerns for all the states. With the deepening of water table, the quality of water is bound to influence crop sequencing and output. Therefore, the diversification agenda for micro-level planning must factor the health of the soil and water quality into the main investment plan.

The great disconnect between the scientific fraternity and the farmers in the field will be addressed through extension activities, though agricultural extension has a meagre 4.7 per cent share in the total Central annual plan outlay for 2006-07. Besides, the proposition of attaining a 10 per growth rate in agro-product exports will raise the critical questions on quality and globally valid certification systems. The compliance cost burden in the smallholder farmer dominated system must be borne by public agencies to provide the required cost advantage.

Finally, environmental and net returns trade-offs need to be examined within the diversification discourse. Surely, it needs to be appreciated that the market price is not the sole or best objective “marker” for diversification. The key issue must be to incorporate corrections to environmental aberration in the crop area through policy instruments, particularly in agriculture. Clarity in such areas will greatly aid our efforts at reaching the 4 per cent growth target.

The warm mewa pulao is perfect to beat the winter chill. There are pulaos and pulaos. To begin with, there are the non-vegetarian pulaos that can be prepared with mutton or chicken or even fish and prawn. Then there are the vegetarian delicacies that go by many names - zeera, peas or navaratan (that translates as a mixed seasonal vegetable pilaf.) The most exotic and expensive, of course, is the gucchhi pulao prepared with aromatic dried morels from the Vale of Kashmir.

There are practitioners of the culinary craft who try to palm off vegetarian pulao as biryani substituting kathal for flesh, fowl or fish. To be honest, one has long been pining for something different.

Pulao yes, but the staple fare that has jaded the palate, certainly no. Spare us, the makhana-shakhana, khumbh and kabuli channa and please let us not confuse the tahri or khichdi with the pulao. There are also sweet pulaos like zarda and muzaffars, incorporating saffron and fruits. We were delighted when recently our good friend treated us to mewa pulao.Our other Kashmiri friends dispute that this is an authentic recipe but we are not complaining. The stuff is refreshingly different and tastes good. The warm pulao is perfect for this cold and chilli weather. Dried fruits and nuts, as everyone knows are tonic restoratives, just what the doctor prescribes for the shishir ritu. Ingredients:Basmati rice (soak in water for 30 minutes): 400 gm                           Raisins: 50 gm Cashew nuts: 50 gm                                                                              Almonds: 50 gm Sultanas: 50 gm                                                                                     Green cardamom: 4-6 Green cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp                                                         Lemon juice: 2 tbsp Ginger piece (juliennes): ½ inch                                                          Onions (fried & golden brown): 2 tsp Ghee/clarified butter:  2 tbsp                                                                Onion (chopped): 2 tbsp Garlic (paste, strain): ½ tsp                                                                  Ginger (paste, strain): ½ tsp Kewra jal: one tsp                                                                                A few strands of saffron Salt to taste Potli Masala:
Black cardamom: 4-5
Cloves: 3-4
Cinnamon sticks (1 inch long):  two
Bay leaves: twoMethod:1.     To make the Potli put both the ingredients in a mortar and pound with a pestle to break the spices, fold in a piece of muslin and secure with enough string for it to hang over the rim of the pan. 2.     Lightly fry the mewa in hot ghee.3.     Remove and drain.4.     Boil water in pan, add rice and cook till done nine tenths. 5.     Heat ghee in a pan.6.     Add onions and stir over medium heat until translucent, then add the garlic and ginger paste, stir until the moisture evaporates. 7.     Now add the fried mewa along with the liquor, bring to a boil, remove, add the half of lemon juice and cardamom powder. 8.     Stir and adjust the seasoning.9.     Now boil six cups of water in a pan, add green cardamom and salt, stir, add rice, bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, add the remaining lemon juice and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until nine-tenths cooked.10. Drain, and keep aside.11. Add the ginger juliennes, green chillies, coriander and saffron soaked in Kewra jal on the rice. 12. Spread the fried onions evenly, place a moist cloth on top, cover with lid and seal with dough. Now cook until steam starts seeping out of the dough. Remove and keep aside.13. Serve hot.

Spanish Chicken Casserole 

INGREDIENTS:

 900 gm diced, boneless chicken   
¼ cup olive oil                                     
2 medium onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed                             
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 ½ tbsp grated ginger 
 200 gm each, carrots and beans, chopped into chunks
2 cups, diced red and yellow peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp dry white wine (optional)
2 ½ tbsp cornflour

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Using half the oil; fry the chicken in one or two batchestill sealed but not fully cooked.
• Drain and transfer to an ovenproof casserole.
• Add more oil to the pan and sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
• Add ginger and stir for a few le minutes, followed by the carrots and beans.
• After tossing briefly, add the peppers and fry for a further 2 minutes.
• Remove the vegetables and place over the chicken pieces in the casserole.
• Pour 2 cups of water and the wine (if using), into the pan.
• Season lightly and thicken with cornflour, already

                                       RICH FRUIT CAKE

INGREDIENTS:
 
450 gm currants
175 gm each, raisins & sultanas
 50 gm each, glace-cherries & mixed peel
3/4 cup brandy
225 gm maida
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
 225 gm butter
 225 gm sugar
1 tsp vanilla
 4 eggs, beaten
50 gm chopped almonds
1 ½ -2 tbsp milk
Grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange

METHOD:

PEAS AND MACARONI

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. onion, minced
1 tbsp. Italian oil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 sm. can of tomato sauce
1/2 can of hot water
1 sm. can of green peas
1/2 lb. sm. shell macaroni

METHOD:

Place all ingredients in sauce pan EXCEPT for the peas and macaroni.
Use the ½ can of hot water to rinse out the tomato sauce can, and pour the mixture in with ingredients.
Bring to a boil. (Medium/High Heat). Simmer 10 minutes, and empty liquid from peas into sauce.
Simmer 5 minutes and add the peas. After peas have been added, simmer for 5 more minutes.

MACARONI:

• Boil water (4 quarts), add a palm full of salt to water.
• While boiling, add shell macaroni.
• Cook for about 14 minutes, taste for tenderness.
• Pour sauce over macaroni, save some for individual dishes.

TUNA FISH, PEAS, MACARONI AND CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. macaroni & cheese dinner (any brand)
1 can chunk light tuna, packed in water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. frozen green peas

METHOD:

• Prepare macaroni and cheese dinner according to package directions.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Add tuna and cream of mushroom soup.
• Stir. Add frozen peas.
• Continue to cook until peas are defrosted

PEAS AND MACARONI SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. macaroni
2 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. pimentos, diced
2 pkgs. peas, frozen
1 c. Hellmann’s mayonnaise

METHOD:

• Add macaroni to boiling salted water
• Cook until tender
• Drain and cool.
• Defrost peas (do not cook).
• Blend all ingredients together

Malwani Chicken

Ingredients:

Method to make Malwani chicken:

• First make paste of ginger, garlic and green chilly.
• Clean chicken and marinate with Malwani masala, turmeric powder, and grind paste.
• Keep aside for 30 min.
• Cut 2 onions in slices and 2 in fine pieces.
• Grate coconut.
• In a kadhai heat 1 tbsp oil and fry onion slices till brown.
• Then add grated coconut and fry it till dark brown.
• Add rice and dry coconut in it and mix well.
• Make paste in mixture with sufficient water.
• In a pan heat oil and fry the chicken till light brown.
• Cover the pan for 4-5 mins on low flame.
• Add little water.
• Allow to cook. Then add salt.
• Lastly pour grind coconut paste with garam masala powder.
• Malvani chicken is ready.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

SOYA THANDAI

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

1. Blanch and peel the almonds.
2. Soak all the ingredients (except sugar and rose water) in water for about four hours. Grind into a fine paste.
3. Add the paste to cold soya milk and strain through a muslin cloth. Discard the residue.
4. Add sugar and rose water to the strained soya milk. Chill the thandai and serve with ice.

Ten years back when Noida was still a poor cousin of New Delhi, the brother-sister duo both still in college at the time-set up a restaurant there, called Punjabi by Nature. Neither had any experience in the hospitality business but say they were foodies looking to fill the void of good Punjabi eating places in the NCR and, at the same time, start a venture of their own. Initially, they were helped by their father who runs a real estate business, but today, the two are on their own, clocking an annual turnover of Rs 25 crore and a growth rate of about 30 per cent. Yes, we are talking about Arjun and Pia Puri

Having tasted success in the capital-where they have four restaurants-the Puris now plan to expand nationally over the next two years.

When they started, Noida was a sleepy suburb. But with IT companies setting up shop in the area and the DND toll bridge allowing easy access, Noida’s Sector 18 market, the location of their first restaurant, became one of the most bustling areas of the township. The 180-cover restaurant became a success almost overnight. Chef Jeet Singh Thapa, who had worked previously at lTC’s famous Bukhara restaurant, was roped in to cook up innovative recipes. And innovative they were, starting with the vodka shots in golgappas, followed by beer as a chaser. The dishes that especially got tongues watering, and wagging were the raan-e-Punjab (leg of tandoori lamb), jhangi chaap (lamb chops with Indian spices), tandoori prawns, dahi ke kebab (made of hung curd), and the Lahori masala paneer-all of them served in traditional utensils.

They set out to do something different with traditional Indian cuisine, which is how the idea of serving golgappas spiked with flavoured vodka came up. The vodka mix, a closely guarded secret, is prepared in-house over a month and is available in five flavours-two pepper versions, aam panna, jal jeera and tamarind. Buoyed by the good response to this unusual offering, Punjabi by Nature has now added tequila golgappas to the menu as well.

In 2002, as business improved, the Puris decided to expand and set up a second outlet up in Delhi’s upmarket Vasant Vihar with 240 covers. In August 2006, they followed it up with a 180-cover eatery in Gurgaon. The latest outlet at Raja-Garden opened in December 2006, with 200 covers and an alfresco dining area. Interestingly, different designers were hired for each outlet so that no two would look similar. The Gurgaon outlet has clean-lined furniture, low lighting and modern art, while the Vas ant Vihar outlet displays portraits of Punjab’s old royals. The Noida restaurant attracts both families and corporates, while the Gurgaon branch is a favourite for corporate lunches. The Vasant Vihar and Raja Garden outlets are mostly frequented by families.

This is among the best options for entertaining friends outside a five star. The interiors are warm and inviting and the food, especially the meats and kebabs, are to die for. Their portions are generous. One portion can easily feed four persons. With the brand planning to expand to Bangalore and Hyderabad initially, and then to Chandigarh and Ludhiana in the next two years, more people will get to savour the flavours of the pind.

SPICY SAUCE IN CHANDIGARH

Every city has its favourite eat streets-those by-lanes that buzz in the evenings with hungry shoppers jostling around stalls dishing out sizzling hot samosas, burgers and tikkis or ice-creams, soups and chaats drowned in spicy sauce. Chandigarh is no exception; it too has its share of pitstops that dole out no-frills but delicious fare.

Meet Azeez, who is one of the biggest stars on Chandigarh’s eat street. The most famous golgappa seller in the city, Azeez says his day typically begins at six in the morning, when the day kisses the night. The whole day, he toils on the preparations for the spices and fillings that make his chaats the chat of the town and come evening, he’s ready at his stall in Sector 23. When the light starts going out, people start coming,” he laughs.

Azeez, who quaintly is also known as Michael, is a rather poetic being. Gesturing towards his abundant spread of golgappas, aloo and chana, he pronounces: “All these things come from the sunlight, the colours of the rainbow and the glory of nature.” Interrupt him to ask him about hygiene and he bristles. “Hygiene is of paramount importance to us. People will never visit us again if they fall ill after having our golgappas. Which is why we keep the ingredients covered and wash our hands before serving customers.”

Regular customer Natasha Sethi wouldn’t dream of having golgappas off a platter served by a waiter in a restaurant anyway. “No fancy restaurant can match the charm of a roadside vend. The real flavour of street food lies in the way it is served-on paper or leaf platters. Making and eating golgappas is an art. In any case, the water used to fill the golgappas is good for digestion,” she says.

Despite the incursion of spiffy retail chains, burgeoning fast food outlets and stringent court diktats, the popularity of street food remains unchallenged. People enjoy getting their hands dirty and watching the vendor prepare the snack-an experience that can’t be matched by the best air-conditioned restaurants where kitchens are strictly out of bounds.

That’s perhaps one of the reasons Mahendra Chopra, a New York-based watch designer, and his wife Yogita, are drawn to Punjab’s street food. Every time they are here, they stop by Ali’s roadside stall in Sector 21. “I don’t think anybody makes better burgers than him,” asserts Mahendra. Ali glows at the warm praise. “My burgers, served with cheese, potatoes and mint chatni are priced at just Rs 5,” he says. New customers invariably come in looking for a menu. Instead, they find a placard which reads “From Ali with Love.” Clearly, this is service with more than a smile.

A favourite with Mohali residents is Rohan’s chicken soup.
Every evening, Rohan can be seen stacking bowls for his loyalists at the corner of Phase 3-B2 and soon, people start pouring in. Though he hardly gets time to chat with his customers, Rohan says he knows each of them personally. Homemaker Harpreet Kaur is one client whose family comes here regularly.” You can’t get better soup at a five star restaurant,” she smiles.

Globe-trotting businessman Parminder Singh says street food represents well-established local culinary traditions and a tour of the local hawkers’ stalls is the quickest way of getting a feel of the local cuisine. Adds professor and historian Gurdev Singh: “Street food is influenced by local climate. A warm climate, like ours, makes culinary operations easier and produces more passers-by.” Whether that’s true or not, the fact is its earthy appeal, delicious taste and aroma, and the personal touch, put roadside eats streets ahead of other fare. People enjoy getting their hands dirty and watching the vendor prepare their snack-it’s an experience that can’t be matched by the spiffiest restaurant.

Gourd gets going

The torai is often a-victim of overpowering spices and is seldom appreciated for its original flavour. Doodhiya, nenua, ghee torai call it by any name, the poor gourd remains Cinderella untransformed by any fairy godmother’s magic touch. Immensely beneficial, it has a sweet taste if you don’t (unwisely, according to us) adulterate it with tomatoes, onions, Garam masala and what not.

The pilaf - presumably the root for pulav - is commonly acknowledged as a Central Asian contribution to global cuisine. Though references in Bhavprakashnighantu, an ancient ayurvedic text nail the lie. Palav was known to our ancestors as ‘rice cooked with meat and condiments’. The point is that even in times gone by the shakahari version was not found worth mentioning.

Times have changed and nowadays there are myriad avatar in this genre-peas; navaratan, jeera, gucchi and what not. All much to our regret mimic their meaty cousin. What the torai pulav attempts is to assert the ’superior’ simplicity of the dish. It is sufiana in temper, impressive in subtle play on the palate. Perhaps, a purist would frown upon the vegetarian pilaf but that does not detract from the sheer simplicity and pleasure of serving and having a well-made pilaf.

This torai pilaf is not only quick to make but ensures that the subtle flavour of the torai and delicate aroma of rice are preserved. Often accused of being bland, the torai is often a victim of overpowering spices and is seldom appreciated for its original flavour. This recipe however does justice to the gentle flavour of torai. We acknowledge our debt for introducing us to this beauty to friend from Allahabad.

            How to make TORAI PILAF
 

METHOD:

Peel the torai, wash and cut in small pieces. Pick and wash rice then soak for about half an hour. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. When it reaches smoking points put in first the bay leaf, then the royal cumin seeds and when these begin to pop up, add the other spices. After about thirty seconds put in the sliced onions and stir-fry briskly for a minute, then add garlic ginger paste.

Stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Now put in the torai and stir well. Drain the rice and add the torai in the pan. Stir with a gentle touch ensuring that the grains of the rice don’t break. Add salt, cover and cook on medium flame till done. Add no water. The rice should absorb all the water yielded by the torai. If the moisture is still there place the pan on a hot tawa to ‘dry’ the dish on the dum. If you like it hot, then sprinkle ½ tsp of Garam masala on top and garnish with a couple of green chillies.

Makes a superbly simple yet deeply satisfying dish meal when you don’t feel like exerting. Resist the temptation to spice the green pulav with pickle or chutney. Let the gourd revel in stellar splendour.

The Spinach Solutions

The Popeye Spinach. It is the chef’s best help when in need - always so easy to cook and fast. Makes a great combination with cream and butter, or with tomato. It also adds color to a buffet spread.

The only thing while cooking spinach is to watch out for a few points that many in India miss out:

1. Buy it fresh and cook it fresh.
2. Wash it in cold running water for at least 3-4 times to get the dirt out.
3. Boil it in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes only.
4. While boiling, do not cover the lid as then the spinach will tend to go black.
5. Drain and refresh immediately in cold water to retain the colour.
6. Never put it in water if it is not boiling. And don’t forget to put the salt in water.

If you follow this method, you will get the brightest of spinach you have ever cooked. In fact this method holds true for most green veggies.

Spinach has a large nutritional value, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. Apart from being a rich source of Iron and calcium it is a rich source of vitamins A, C, E, K, magnesium, and several vital antioxidants. Recently, opioid peptides called Rubiscolins have also been found in spinach. It is a source of folic acid, and this vitamin was first purified from spinach. To derive benefit from the folate in spinach, it is better to steam it than boil it. Boiling spinach for four minutes can halve the level of folate.

Cream of Spinach Soup
(Epinard a la Creme)

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups water
300 gms cooked spinach as told to you above, (for that you will need 750gms raw spinach)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk salt and pepper to taste
200gms of cream

Method:
In a medium saucepan, combine water and spinach. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, and cook for two minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in spinach mixture.
Close the heat and stir in the cream.

Spinach Baked Chicken
(Chicken Florentine)

Ingredients:
600 gms of boiled and chopped spinach (please see the steps above for boiling spinach) · 50 gm butter
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
Dash-dried basil
Dash-ground thyme
50 Gms flour
250 Gms cream
1kg cooked boneless chicken
250gms cream
3/4 cup chicken stock or the water in which chicken has been boiled
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated" Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
· Cook spinach as per instructions, drain well.
· In a pan, melt half butter; add minced garlic, basil, and thyme.
· Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.
· Add flour and blend well.
· Add the spinach; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
· Put spinach into the bottom of a lightly buttered casserole or baking dish.
· Cover with cooked chicken slices.
· Over medium low heat, melt remaining butter and blend in remaining flour, stirring until smooth.
· Gradually stir in 3/4 cup half-and half and 3/4 cup chicken broth;
· Continue cooking and stirring until thick.
· Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut sliced ham in strips.
· Add to sauce and pour over chicken.
· Cover all with grated Parmesan cheese.
· Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is lightly brown.

INDULGE!

Luxury, once considered the purview of a chosen few, is no longer that inaccessible. For the discerning, it is now well within reach; in fact, for the gourmet it is right there on the kitchen shelf beside the other stuff. Long confused with style, it is now clear that luxury is really in the detail.

You will find it in the fragrance of long-grained basmati rice for your biryani; in the flavour of Kashmiri saffron soaked in warm milk for your dum recipes and in the red rice from Kerala. You will taste it in Peking Duck and you will savour it in Scottish Salmon;
you will mask it with chives and boiled eggs when biting into Sevruga on Melba toast.
You will feel it (terribly) in your effort to add that perfect pungency to your French & Italian dishes, when you pay an eye-popping 30,000 in INR, for half a kilo of black truffle. I didn’t say luxury was cheap, just more accessible!

It’s back to the details. A perfect cup of morning tea cannot be the result of the leaves alone. A ceramic pot, chemical free water for boiling and the brewing method employed, all combine to give it the superlative touch. Similarly, luxurious evenings are not just about the guest list, or the catering. They are about subdued lighting, soft music, aromatic candles, gleaming cutlery, and fine bone china on spotless linen.

Luxury is to not in the labels of fancy wine bottles, it is in the soil and climate of the region of their origin. It is in the dedication and patience of generations who have toiled for ages to provide value, instead of expense. It is in the sweetness of dessert wines. It is in the peat on the heaths around the lochs and glens of Scotland.

Luxury is in pasta made from dough, hand-kneaded with spring waters. It is in the spices that flavour Awadhi kebabs, just as it is in the cuts of meat that go into their qormas. It is reflected in the traditional vessels employed for cooking of Chettinad delicacies, just as it is sealed with dough for a dum pukht experience.

Luxury can be seen shining bright in the elaborate recipes handed down from the Mughal period. Experiments with special garnishes for royalty led to the use of real silver and gold leaf (warq). These dishes were even placed in a special manner in order to glow more under the chandeliers! Two rather unique curries from the time, Kundan Qaliya and Chandan Qaliya were a handiwork of devoted chefs. The former was prepared with goat meat and ingredients that gave the gravy a golden hue. Gold leaf and pistachios _ wrapped in gold leaf added to the glitter. The latter is a poultry dish with a creamy consistency due to the presence of cashews and almonds. This one shimmered under a garnishing of silver leaf. In the end, luxury is simply an experience of the senses.

Luxury of a loaf

With the mushrooming of cafes, bakeries and confectioneries in the city, the customer is certainly spoilt for choice. For one, the product is far superior in quality, it is mostly healthy and, the rest is packaged so invitingly, I’d buy it anyways. Be that as it may, we finally have available a doughnut, light and airy enough to be dunked in a steaming mug of black coffee. What’s more, it is spongy enough to soak in the hot liquid without leaving traces akin to an oil spill in the mug.

Also, the variety of breads is mind boggling. No longer do you have to make do with the customary milk or caramelised brown bread, nor the special sandwich loaf from the neighbourhood bakery. No longer do you juggle the garlic baguette and the cheesy one for your ‘continental‘ evenings; you can now experiment with loaves garnished with olives and oregano. As for the ingredients, ‘you have a choice of breads prepared with atta, bran, soya, whole wheat, wholemeal, wholegrain; multi-grain, seeded… the list is endless.

As a result, the once lowly sandwich, has suddenly acquired a certain air about itself. Given that it is essentially made up of leftovers disguised as exotica, it is quite the fashionable option to be caught eating with your cappuccino. Toasted, grilled or otherwise; hot or cold; open or layered, the fillings are as many (oftentimes as desi) as the toppings being offered by pizza companies. Depending on where you are eating, these carb-laden delights are served with good, bad or sour coleslaw. Potato crisps, tomato ketchup and mustard (or is it?) make up the rear end, unfailingly.

Even as I fall victim to this food fashion, I am reminded of the ones my cousins, siblings and I created during our midnight feasts many summer vacations ago. Since this activity required utmost stealth, we could not rummage through the larder and had to make the most of easily available ammunition. Invariably, that comprised tough bread curling at the edges left out for feeding birds the following day!

The fillings consisted of unbelievable (sometimes unidentifiable) material. Still, they were our mainstay when hunger pangs struck the instant the domestic help retired for the night.

I’m not so sure how my insides would react to a banana, cheese and walnut sandwich today, or, apple and ginger on a layer of cream and sugar. While great pleasure was derived from biting hard into a chocolate slab on bread and butter, the real desperate attempt had to be the one with plain sugar between the same dry slices mentioned earlier.

It required artful manoeuvring to ensure the crystals stayed between the slices and not gather at our feet…

Shredded pineapple with cream, coffee essence with cream and sugar, molten marshmallows with lemon juice and sugar were some of the other flavours that our insides resolutely, and routinely, digested. One thing is certain, though. My childhood was made up of plenty of fruits, cream and sugar, but the bread, now that left a lot to be desired!

A Consommé & The Minestrone.

Come monsoons and a bowl of soup is one thing, other than piping cuppa tea, one can never say no to. In India soups have come a long way: from the doctor advising you to have soup to recuperate and mom putting all the bountiful ingredients, chosen with care, in a pot boiled for hours to the lamb knuckle soup that keeps you warm in winters.

 Nowadays, while some people prefer soup as a starter to meals, others, especially on a diet, take soups as a whole nourishing meal with no calories at all. Here are a few of my favourite soups.

Clear soup: the most famous and the basic of soups, clear soup has its origin in the delicate French cookery and is very nutritious and nourishing. Very delicately flavoured, it is called Consommé. It can be served with different kinds of garnishes and hence gets its different names.

A consommé should be crystal clear. The clarity comes from the albumen of the egg white and the coagulation of the meat and clearing quality of the egg shell.

Basic recipe of a consommé:

• 200 gm minced lamb
• 1 litre stock or water (cold)
• 1 bay leaf,
•  1 clove
• 3-4 pepper corn
• 100gm mixed vegetables, finely chopped (onion, carrots, turnips, coriander left over, and ginger trimmings)
• 1 egg white with the egg shell crushed into it,
• Salt and white pepper powder to taste Method:

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together in cold water (or stock) in a thick bottom pan. Place on boil on high heat and bring to boil stirring only once. As soon as it comes to boil stir slightly once and reduce heat to gentle. Cook for an hour on very low heat without stirring. Strain carefully using a muslin cloth in a clean pot. Serve in a warm soup tureen after correcting seasoning.

The next soup I am going to talk about is the world-famous soup form Italy called Minestrone. This is tomato based garlic flavoured soup with pasta and vegetables and cheese.

Minestrone Ingredients:

• 300gm mixed vegetable (onion, carrots, turnips, cabbage) cut in small dices
• 50gm Butter
• 25gm French beans cut diagonally into diamond shape,
• 1 litre Stock, with 1 clove of crushed garlic, salt,
• 1 clove,
• 1 bay leaf,
• 3 peppers corns.
• Pinch of nutmeg ,
• 25gm Peas,
• 200gm Tomatoes (de-skinned, de-seeded and finely chopped),
• 25gm Spaghetti or any pasta,
• 20gm Grated cheese and chopped garlic mixed together to form small pea-shaped palettes

 Method:   .Cook vegetables without butter or and tomatoes on gentle heat for 10 minutes with stock. Add the butter, peas and beans and cook for 10 minutes. Add the spaghetti (1-inch length) and the tomatoes and simmer gently till the vegetables and the pasta are cooked. Remove the bay leaf and add the cheese and garlic. Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan cheese (optional).