Penne With Walnut Sauce, Zebra Cake And Chinese Chicken Corn Soup by Zarnak Sidhwa

Ingredients for Penne With Walnut Sauce:

• Penne pasta 2 cups
• Milk 300 ml
• Whole meal bread 2 slices
• Walnuts 10 oz
• Garlic 1 clove
• Parmesan cheese 2 oz
• Olive oil 100 ml
• Cream 150 ml
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
  

Method:

1. Pour milk in a shallow dish and soak the bread till all the milk has been absorbed.
2. Whisk bread, walnuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil in a blender until smoothy, add salt and crushed black pepper, stir in cream.Toss with hot paste, garnish with some extra parmesan cheese.
   

Ingredients for Zebra Cake:

• Flour 300 gm
• Eggs 4
• Caster sugar 250 gm
• Oil 250 ml
• Milk 250 ml
• Vanilla essence 1/4 tsp
• Baking powder 1 tbsp
• Cocoa powder 3 tbsp
  

Method:

1. Grease and line at a 9 inch baking pan.
2. Preheat oven the oven at 180 degrees C.
3. In a bowl, beat sugar and eggs.
4. Add milk, oil & vanilla essence to the whisked mixture; continue beating oil till well blended.
5. Then gradually fold in the flour, a little at a time, divide the mixture into two equal portions.
6. Keep one portion plain and add cocoa powder to the other and mix well.
7. Using a ladle, first scoop the plain batter and gently pour in the middle of the baking pan.
8. Immediately scoop & pour the cocoa batter on top of the plain batter.
9. Do not stop and wait until the previous batter spreads.
10. Keep pouring and alternating each batter continuously.
11. Do not attempt the spread the batter or till the pan to distribute the mixture.
12. It will automatically spread itself on its own and fill the pan gradually.
13. Continue layering and alternating the batter till you finish both.
14. Slowly transfer the baking pan in the oven without disturbing of the batter.
15. bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
16. Cool on a wire rack and then serve sprinkled with icing sugar.
    

Ingredients for Chinese Chicken Corn Soup:

• Chicken stock 3 cups
• Creamed corn 1 cup
• Cooked diced chicken 1 cup
• Corn flour 1 tbsp
• Cold water 2 tbsp
• Egg whites 2
• Parsley chopped 2 tbsp
  

Method:

1. Combine chicken stock, creamed corn and chicken pieces in a large saucepan.
2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Blend corn flour with cold water and add to soup.
4. Continue cooking, uncovered for 3 minutes.
5. Beat egg whites, stir into soup.
6. Reduce hear to a simmer and cook.
7. Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with parsley.