Unity in Diversity
India is the largest country in the world where one
can see people belonging to different religion, caste and creed, speaking
numerous languages, with a vast array of food habits and diverse culture live
together and proudly proclaim themselves as Indians. Each aspect of our lives reflects
the expression 'Unity in Diversity' because with all our differences we still stand united.
This year as India gears up to celebrate its 67th
Independence Day, which falls on the 15th of August, I am reminded of the good
old school days when Independence Day was a day to reach school on time to be
present for the flag hoisting ceremony and participate in the march past, which
traditionally is followed by patriotic songs. The beautiful lines of a Bengali
song 'Dhono Dhanne Pushpe Bhora' where the lines 'Aamar ei deshe tei jonmo,
jeno ei deshetei mori' means that 'I wish that I die in this land where I was
born', still echoes in my mind over and over again.
As students we would sing our beautiful National Anthem
'Jana Gana Mana' and were taught to give it utmost respect. When it is sung and
played in television or radio, it was put very simply by one of our teacher to
either stand up in attention while it is playing or just turn off the source
(TV or radio) if we were too lazy to stand up and respect it in reverence.
As an adult, I see many of us Indians disrespect our
National Anthem. People usually are so casual when it is sung or played. I often
see people just sitting, smiling or talking without realising that the minimum
requirement of each citizen of this wonderful country is to respect our
National Flag and the National Anthem.
Another thing which annoys me is when people ridicule
our country. We need to understand that we are not living in a perfect country
and no other country is as perfect as we might think them to be. There are
issues like poverty, crime and corruption that needs to be dealt with on a
consistent basis. I personally believe that if one cannot say good things about
their country and have some responsibility towards it sustenance and
reformation then they should also not have the right to ridicule or condemn.
These matters might look very trivial but they
shape our collective outlook towards our country. We need to individually dig
deep inside ourselves and see what we can contribute towards our country. It
does not matter if those things are as small as throwing garbage in the bin and
not on the streets or as big as having the responsibility to lead the nation in
various spectrums of representation or administration. Each and every thought, action
and words makes a characteristic difference.
Coming to today's post, I have tried to incorporate three different sauces which represent the colours of our flag and make one dish out of it. A reflection of 'Unity in Diversity'!
Ingredients : For 2-3 servings. I used a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter to set the layers
- 1 cup Pasta- I used Fusilli
Orange layer
- 1/3 piece of a medium sized Red Bell Pepper
- 1 medium sized Tomato
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- a tbsp of chopped onion
- 1 tsp Parmesan Cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp of Tomato ketchup
- Olive Oil to saute
White layer
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Parmesan cheese(Alternately use regular processed cheese)
Green layer
- 1/4 cup spinach leaves
- 2-3 sprigs Parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped onions
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil to saute
Procedure :
Orange (Roasted Bell pepper)sauce
Apply little oil and roast the red bell pepper and tomato on Gas flame till the skin is slightly charred. Alternatively you may even roast them in the oven.
Let it cool slightly and scrape off the skin.
Grind the roasted red bell pepper and tomato to a fine paste.
Take oil in a pan and saute garlic and onion till onions turn translucent.
Add the ground red bell pepper and tomato paste.
Cook for a minute and add salt &pepper to taste.
Mix in tomato ketchup.
Add parmesan cheese and mix well.
Remove from heat and keep aside.
White (Cheesy)sauce
Take butter in a pan and as it melts add flour.
Saute the flour a little and add warm milk. Stir well to avoid lump formation.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add cheese and stir. As the sauce thickens, remove from heat and keep aside.
Green (Spinach)sauce
Blanch spinach leaves in boiling water for a minute. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl of cold water to maintain the colour. Grind with parsley leaves to a paste to make a puree.
Take oil in a pan and saute garlic and onion till onions turn pink.
Add spinach-parsley puree and cook for a minute.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add cheese and stir.
Remove from heat and keep aside.
Pasta
Take a deep vessel and boil water.
Add salt and a tsp of olive oil and put the pasta in it.
Check the pasta for doneness by pinching between your fingers. Take care not to overcook the pasta. This can take anywhere between 5-10 mins depending on the type of pasta you choose.
Drain the water and keep the pasta aside to cool.
Divide the pasta in three batches and add to the prepared sauces. Mix properly so that it gets incorporated well.
Take a round cookie cutter and spread the green layer of pasta using the back of a spoon. Similarly spread the white and then the orange layer.
Carefully remove the cookie cutter and garnish with Red, yellow and green bell pepper juliennes.
Happy Independence Day
Amrita
