Olive oil ½ cup

Garlic cloves 2-3 (crushed)

Tomatoes (chopped) 3 cups

Orange rind (grated) 2 tsp

Fresh mint 1 tbsp

(chopped)

Method: To prepare the pie base: cool vermicelli in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and stir in 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Combine eggs, nutmeg powder, cheese, salt and pepper and add cooked vermicelli. Stir so that the egg mixture coats the pasta evently. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a pie dish and press the pasta evenly over the bottom and sides to form a shallow rim. Cover the rim with aluminium foil and bake until set. Do not remove the foil.

Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic and add tomatoes. Cook over low heat for five minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add orange rind. Simmer until tomatoes are pulpy and thick. Remove from heat and stir in mint and sugar, let it cool. Stir in the cheese and spoon it into the pasta base. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool and serve.

Fettuccine 450 gm

Chicken livers 300 gm

(cleaned and cut in half)

Button mushrooms 1½ cup

Beans 1 cup

Sherry vinegar 1 tbsp

Chicken stock ½ cup

Oil 2 tbsp

Walnuts (chopped) 5-6

Butter 2 tbsp

Salt and white pepper

Method: Blanch beans for a minute in boiling water, remove and run under cold water. Drain and keep aside. Cook fettuccine in boiling water till tender. Drain and keep aside. Heat oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed pan and add livers. Saute till browned and tender (do not overcook as it loses its juiciness) Add mushrooms and stir. Add vinegar and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add seasoning to taste. Pour in the chicken stock and quickly reduce by half. Add beans and fettuccine. Decorate with chopped walnuts and serve hot.

Mayonnaise 1/1/3 cup

Conchiglie 450 gm

(preferably homemade)

Mint 50 gm

Lemon Juice 1/½ tsp

Sole ½ kg

Red radishes 2

Green pepper ½

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta shells in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and run under cold water and drain again. Put in a large bowl and add 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise and stir to prevent sticking wash and clean mint leaves and make a fine paste in mixer. Add this green paste and lemon juice to the remaining mayonnaise and mix well.

Cook fish and cut into bite-size pieces. Slice radishes and green pepper.

Add cooked fish pieces, radishes and green pepper to pasta and add salt and pepper. Stir in the mint mayonnaise and toss gently coat evenly. Cover and chill before serving. Add more mayonnaise if the mixture is a little dry.

Eggplant (diced) 225 gm

Penne 200 g

Potatoes (sliced) 200 gm

Oil ½ cup

Onion 1

Tomatoes 4-5

Cheese grated 1 cup

Parsley (chopped) 3 tfsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle salt on diced eggplant and leave to drain over the sink in a strainer. Boil penne in salted water till tender. Drain and place in a shallow ovenproof dish.

Boil potato slices until just cooked. Drain and saute these in oil till brown. Add these to cooked penne.

With a little more oil, saute thinly-sliced onions for five minutes. Add eggplant and cook till it is tender and golden. Chop tomatoes and cook in a pan, breaking them with a spoon. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until these have reduced and most of the liquid has dried. Add one third of the cheese to these. Searon with salt and pepper and add to cooked pasta along with eggplant and potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Preheat oven to 150 C and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.