SAY CHEESE!

THE 30-MINUTE GOURMET

News Paper – Bangalore Times, TOI

Published on - August 13, 1999

 Author - RAJ MADNANI

Cheese, glorious cheese! Everybody who matters in this world loves cheese. And those who don't love cheese, don't matter. Several weeks ago, I blurted this semi-intelligent statement to a bunch who turned out to be very intelligent, vegetarian, cheese haters. I was simply trying to make interesting conversation at a boring party. Nobody took the bait. I was ignored the rest of the evening which I deservedly - spent, away from intelligent people, hovering around the food.

Who brought cheese to India? Has to be the British. They brought all the other Continental foods to India. In the clubs we continue to eat appam and stew, cutlets, vegetables (boiled), Russian salad, fried fish, mulligatawny, curry and rice, doll, and mango chutney. The last few may arguably not be British, but they are indeed made the British way.

There are many British foods one enjoys. Shortbread, scones, jams and preserves and a variety of cheeses. Without warning me of their minuscule portions, roast mutton with mint sauce was highly recommended to me once, and in London I looked for it. You will soon know what I mean. I ordered this very English dish in a very English restaurant. It came, served by a very English waitress (this means I was not acknowledged) and I had to look for it. The mutton, I mean. Where was it? Under the mint sauce?

Under the mountain of potatoes and carrots? Perhaps the very English waitress did something not very English, ate it on the way? This is not cricket, I cried out.

It is not true that the English ate only bland food. While the nobles aterabbit and wine, the house staff were given cheese melted on toast which they called Welsh Rabbit. Actually, Welsh Rarebit. Some clubs in India serve this truly enjoyable dish, melted cheese sparkling with hot red pepper.

Interestingly, it is made by combining beer with cheese and melting it all.

Bangaloreans will relate to anything that has a whiff of beer.

In a double boiler over boiling water, melt the butter and stir in half a cup of beer. When the beer warms up a bit, add the cheese slowly, stirring constantly with a fork. Keep stirring until all the cheese has melted. Add the beaten egg, stirring again. When you cook, you must remember that your life will be a mixture of stirring and chopping. No, nothing to do with salsa dancing.

Now add all the seasoning, stirring, stirring, stirring. Stop when you've added all the seasonings, and not when you tire of stirring.

Serve hot and at once over toast or crackers.

Bon Appetit!

WELSH RAREBITS

Grate 400 gm of vintage cheddar cheese, keep aside.

Beat one egg lightly, keep aside.

1 table spoon butter

1/2 cup beer

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon (or more) salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder, light, not very hot.

1/4 teaspoon of hot, hot red pepper Crackers, crisp toast.