Hearty American Fare

1. Bread Spinach And Cheese Bake:

Ingredients:
8 bread slices (crusts removed)
2 tbsp butter
250g spinach (cooked, drained and chopped)
1 medium sized onion (chopped into pieces)
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp pepper
Salt to taste.

Method:
Mix half the cheese with milk. Butter both sides of bread slices. Place 4 slices on the bottom of a baking dish. Mix the spinach, onion, cheese and pour it over the bread slices. Cut and arrange the remaining bread over the spinach mixture. Add salt and pepper. Pour cheese and milk over ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Bake in a preheated oven for about 5 minutes. Serve with dinner rolls.

2.Spiced Stir-Fried Beets

Ingredients:
4 medium sized beets
3 pods of garlic
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp cloves powder
Salt to taste.
For Garnishing: 1 tbsp celery leaves (chopped).

Method:
Boil, peel and cut the beet into long pieces. Chop the garlic. Heat oil and saute the garlic for 1 minute. Mix in the beets, salt and pepper. Mix the vinegar, brown sugar and the cloves powder. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with celery leaves and serve hot or cold.

3.Deep Fried Celery:

Ingredients:
1 bunch of celery
2 tsp cornflour
150ml milk
7 tbsp flour
1 tbsp olive oil
Oil for deep frying the celery
Salt to taste.

Method:
Wash and cut celery into 2 inch pieces. Pour milk in a bowl and gradually add the flour and cornflour. Stir continuously so that no lumps form. Season with salt and pepper. Blanch the celery leaves for a minute and drain. Heat oil in a pan. Dip the celery pieces in the batter and fry till golden brown. Drain and serve immediately.

4.American Corn, Salt And Pepper:

Ingredients:
500g corn
200g chopped onions
1 sprig spring onion
1tsp garlic
1 tsp chopped green chillies
6 pcs wanton sheets
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
Sprinkle cornflour over the corn and deep fry. Toss corn with chopped onions, spring onions and green chillies. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot in a tulip-shaped wanton basket.

5.Frozen Pineapple And Ice-Cream Dessert:

Ingredients:
1 large pineapple
1 large brick of vanilla or chocolate chip ice-cream
2 tbsp castor sugar
Sprigs of mint for garnish.

Method:
Cut the pineapple across the top and bottom to make the pineapple stand up straight. Remove the flesh from inside the pineapple. Chop the flesh into tiny bits. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with castor sugar. Mix well and chill in the fridge. Place shell along with the top(separately) in the freezer until very well chilled. Beat the ice-cream in a bowl and add the chilled shells Place a small amount of ice-cream at the bottom of the shell, sprinkle with some chopped pineapple. Repeat until all of it is used up. Freeze for 2-3 hours. To serve, place pineapple shells on a plate. Sprinkle mint sprigs, place the frozen top on it and serve immediately.