Here is an real easy recipe for a very fulfilling snack or meal. Some cooked fish and then add “whatever” you want, some spice for a kick and you have these crispy, flaky patties.

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“...Page upon page of yesterdays stored neatly in a drawer
archives of a life recorded as it was before
Now spread out like fallen leaves across the author’s floor…”

- Karyn Crest

Family picnics in the farm, pumpkin picking, hay rides, maizes; this is probably a very pretty time of the year, full of action & excitement. We have already guessed the weight of that humongous, misshapen pumpkin in our local farmer’s market, & dropped the paper in the box.

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Late afternoon – a few jingle of the  Ghungroo/Ghungur ( Images of  Ghungroo) & a holler ” Garam Chanachur” (Hot Spicy Mix) ,would draw all the kids in the neighborhood out of their front door to the iron grilled entrance gates of their houses, the little ones clamoring & climbing over the horizontal bars of the gates for a better view.

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A local street food of Italy, in the Liguria Region, Farinata is definitely a comfort food that feeds your soul too. It is thicker than a crepe, thinner than a pancake, more like a thin crust pizza base & can be eaten like a pizza – plain, stuffed or topped. Very similar to the Indian Lentil Crepes like Chillas & Adais, Farinata is a GLUTEN FREE delight, made of chickpea flour.

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This Fried Chickpeas or Ceci Frito, is a classic Italian fried chickpea appetizer. I have to say, these  are seriously good munchies, very addictive – especially when they are served crisp warm from the skillet. Fried they are, but not deep fried. They are actually sauteed in oil/Olive oil at high heat. Ceci Frito is a close relative to the Indian Sundals (Sundals are beans or lentils stir fried quickly with spices – mostly in the southern parts of India) – the process of cooking being the same but done with different flavors.

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In the Mediterranean diet it is typical to begin the food with tantalizing starters to initiate the appetite. These appetizers are called Tapas or “Spain’s Little Meals”.  Being Finger Licking finger foods, Tapas is meant to encourage conversation. People have the option to focus their attention on  socializing rather than keeping themselves busy with managing a full course meal.

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These look like Khandvis,  because they are Khandvis… only I have layered them & stuffed them. Basic old recipes are treasures, however sometimes when that adventurous itch rears it’s head, I need to give in to my temptations to the looming who knows what will happen. Sometimes the adventure is a disaster, other times quite fulfilling. This was during those times, when I got a little itchy… & the itchy witch was pretty daring for I had never made Khandvis before!  Along with the” first time”  of making Khandvis, came the desire to deviate. I must say & as you can see – I was happy to hop this time. So why shy away from trying something new & delicious from the traditional base recipes?

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Hummus is Chickpeas in Arabic.  And as everyone knows there are a lot of variations to the traditional Hummus. I love Middle Eastern food, with all the flavors in it, but when I cook at home I do tweak it to cater to my taste and mood. This is a very spicy hummus with a tinge of sweetness of the roasted bell pepper. The traditional Hummus calls for the use of Tahini, But I have used whole sesame seeds instead. I like the crunch of the broken sesame seeds, as well as the coarse peanuts that I have used here.

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