Recipes

GETTING READY 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degree. 2. Prepare a greased baking sheet. MAKING 3. In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground clove and salt. 4. In a stand mixer bowl combine softened butter and packed brown sugar. 5. Cream well and add the molasses and egg mix everything. 6. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until all ell incorporated. 7....

We're coming to the end of the time in between -- that point in the year when spring has begun stretching into summer, but fresh fruits have yet to show up. After a winter spent gorging on apples, they've quickly lost their appeal. The apples we're buying have become inconsistent, and we're tiring of carrying them to work, or snacking on them at night. We thank you for your service, apples, but you're dismissed.  But it's too soon for strawberries -- hopefully, that may change this week -- and we're months away from the delicious stone fruits of August.  Rhubarb, however, is here. Frankly, it's a fruit* for which we have no great affections. Its raw bitterness can be difficult to handle. To counteract that, most recipes that include rhubarb tend to go overboard on the sugar, and the result is a too-sweet dessert that doesn't really taste like fresh fruit at all. Nonetheless, we find rhubarb a welcome sight in spring. Tall and red and green, rhubarb is the first fruit soldier to the spring front.  But still, what to do with it? Poach it and eat it as dessert? Use a tiny bit raw or briefly simmered in a salad with a sweet vinaigrette?  Make a rhubarb compote or jam? Maybe, once the strawberries have come in.  Martha offers a nice suggestion this month, albeit one that requires ample amounts of sugar and, if you're into it, booze.  This is a Rhubarb Fizz.    This is a two-part recipe, one for a Rhubarb Syrup that can be used in cocktails or desserts, and a second for the drink itself, the Rhubarb Fizz.  The syrup isn't so much a syrup as a slightly chunky concoction (think the consistency of gazpacho, or a very pulpy orange juice). On its own, it's delicious by the spoonful. It would be spectacular on top of ice cream. Martha also suggests simply putting it in a glass and pouring prosecco on top, a recommendation that we heartily second.  The cocktail combines the syrup with lemon juice, sparkling wine and gin. We love the cocktail as is, but also think that this is a great opportunity to riff on the recipe, combining the syrup with things you love to drink. The syrup not only works just with bubbles, but you could sub vodka for gin, or leave out the bubbles completely. It will be forgiving. This Rhubarb Fizz isn't quite enough to satisfy our craving for ripe, spring fruit. But it'll dull the pain nicely until the strawberries are ripe.    * We think of it as a fruit in our household, but rhubarb is technically a vegetable, although that's been a subject of debate for decades.     Rhubarb FizzMartha Stewart Living (May 2013)Subscribe to Martha Stewart Living  (This photo: John Kernick for Martha Stewart Living) For a nonalcoholic version, combine four ounces rhubarb syrup with two ounces chilled seltzer. Makes 6 drinks  Ingredients 8 ounces gin9 ounces Rhubarb Syrup (recipe below)1/2 cup fresh lemon juiceIce, for serving12 ounces chilled sparkling wine, such as Prosecco6 thinly sliced lemon rounds, for garnish Directions Combine gin, syrup, and lemon juice in a pitcher and stir to combine. Divide among ice-filled glasses and top off each with 2 ounces wine. Stir gently and garnish with lemon rounds. Serve immediately.   Rhubarb SyrupMartha Stewart Living (May 2013)Subscribe to Martha Stewart Living This syrup, used in Rhubarb Fizz, is also delicious in lemonade or straight Prosecco, folded into whipped cream, or over ice cream. Prep time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 30 minutesYield: Makes 2 1/4 cups  Ingredients 1 cup sugar1 cup water1/2 vanilla bean, pod split and scraped6 ounces rhubarb, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups) Directions Combine sugar, water, vanilla pod and seeds, and rhubarb in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer until rhubarb is tender, about 3 minutes. Let cool completely. Remove vanilla pod before serving, if desired. Cook's Note Syrup (with vanilla pod) can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 week.

This is a recipe fpr a tasty Gravy. You can prepare this at home amd serve it with any Indian Bread. I love this wonderful recipe especially because t was the first few recipes that I learned when I started cooking!

MAKING 1 For Kofta, In a pan, boil the potatoes with 1 tsp salt till they become tender. 2 Drain well and cool. 3 Carefully peel and grate them. 4 Add ground spices, cuminseeds, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger and salt and mix well. 5 Make round flat balls. 6 Fill the malai or cream in the center of each. 7 Make round balls. 8 In a bowl, prepare batter by mixing...

These muffins are brimming with the tropical tastes of ginger, allspice, and pineapple! There are quite a few ingredients but they are not difficult to make and totally worth the effort!

MAKING 1 In a pan, heat the ghee. 2 Add in the onion and fry until light brown. 3 Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. 4 In the remaining fat, add in the ladysfingers , and fry until light brown. 5 Mix in turmeric, salt, pepper, amchoor, fried onions and ground spices and stir for a few minutes. SERVING 6 Serve hot with chapatis

MAKING 1 In a bowl, sift the besan. 2 Add in water gradually until a thick dropping consistency is formed. 3 Mix in salt, chilli powder and onion slices. 4 In a frying pan, heat the ghee. 5 Put spoonsfuls of this mixture into it. 6 Fry until golden brown. 7 Drain well on paper towels and keep aside. 8 In a bowl, beat the curd. 9 Stir in besan with a wooden spoon. 10 ...

GETTING READY 1 In a bowl, soak the chana dal overnight. 2 Drain well. 3 In a grinder jar, add the soaked dal and grind. MAKING 4 In a separate bowl, combine the ground chana dal with all the other ingredients. 5 In a deep frying pan, heat the ghee. 6 Drop the prepared mixture with a teaspoon in the heated fat and fry the pakoras until brown. 7 Drain well on paper towels....

Yummy Walnut Chocolate Cake. I gifted this cake to a friend for her wedding anniversary and she hasn't stopped bugging me for the recipe ever since. Try this wonderful Walnut Chocolate Cake for yourself.

Wash the spinach thoroughly. Slice the onion and fry in butter for a few minutes. Add the spinach and water and cook on low fire for 30 to 40 minutes. Pass through a sieve and add the arrowroot blended to a smooth paste with milk. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, season to taste. Serve hot with croutons and cream mixed lightly in it.