Ravioli is one of the best-known stuffed pasta dishes, famous beyond the shores of Italy. It is said that ravioli originally came from Liguria and was invented to use up left-over food. This recipe of small square envelopes of pasta dough enclosing a mixed vegetable stuffing served with a tomato sauce, spiked with oregano and chilli is sure to tickle the Indian palate which craves for spice. You can divide the making of ravioli into easy stages that can be completed well in advance. Make the filling and the sauce one day, then make the pasta dough and shape the ravioli the next day. Remember to toss the ravioli in the sauce just before serving and then to eat it quickly!

A crostini is a small toast topped with a variety of ingredients, which is served as an appetiser. Native to Tuscany, the crostini range offers several classic toppings to choose from. This one consists of caramelised pepper and olives that are bound with cheese, used atop crusty whole wheat bread. This is perhaps the best crostini of all and is perfect for serving with drinks before a meal. Note that I have used just 1 tsp of sugar to caramelise the ingredients. Also, mozzarella cheese contains less fat compared to cooking cheese.

Replete with the three hues of capsicum, this pizza is as much a visual treat as it is a culinary one! Readymade pizza bases are made using refined flour (maida), which is very unhealthy, but here is a delectable, healthy option made with wholemeal pizza bases, that not even the diet-conscious can deny. Compared to the pizza made from maida, this nutritious nibble gives only 104 calories per pizza, making it an undoubtedly healthy option.

Everyday cucumber and exotic asparagus come together to make a lovely salad, dressed in a luscious salad cream that is resplendent with the catchy tones of mustard paste, pepper and lemon juice. Cucumber is an ingredient that never fails to make a dish feel refreshing, due to its juicy and crunchy texture. You will feel this quite strongly in this salad, as it is chilled. Refrigeration kind of refreshes the ingredients, making them taste better and feel crispier. So ensure that you refrigerate the Cucumber and Asparagus Salad for at least 30 minutes, and relish it chilled.

TThe Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is a pungent one, with the exotic flavour of red wine vinegar and the sharp but peppy taste of mustard. With an olive oil base, this dressing stays good in the fridge for two days, if stored in a clean and airtight container. Serve the Vinaigrette Salad Dressing atop steamed veggies or mixed greens, such as beans, broccoli or boiled potatoes, and lose yourself in its tongue-tickling flavour.

The moment you think olives, a tart and tangy taste that wakes up your taste buds is what comes to mind. Indeed, this Olive Dressing delivers a similar effect. The peppy taste of olives, augmented by the tanginess of lemon juice and the pungency of mustard paste, make this dressing a real tongue-tickler! A dash of thyme is the master stroke, which carries this dressing into a totally different class of exoticness. You can store this dressing in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for around two days.

The combination of sweet and tangy pineapple cubes with veggies like cucumber and carrot is the highlight of this salad. This gives a juicy and tasty twist to an otherwise ordinary salad. Pieces of torn lettuce make the salad all the more alluring, while a dressing of fresh cream with peppy flavours like mustard paste and lemon juice makes it a true tongue-tickler. Refrigerate the Creamy Pineapple, Cucumber and Carrot Salad for sometime before serving, so the salad sets and the veggies regain their crunch. This creamy salad will go well soups and pastas .

This salad does not have the usual blend of veggies! An off-beat combination of walnuts, tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts with bread sticks, dressed in a tangy spring onion honey lemon dressing, makes this salad a really outta-this-world experience. The addition of spring onions to the honey-lemon dressing gives it a more zesty flavour and an exciting crunch too. Enjoy the Veg Salad with Spring Onion Honey Lemon Dressing immediately on tossing.

When you are bored of having rice and pasta based dishes, reach out for a packet of couscous. One of the staple foods of North African regions like Morocco, couscous is nothing but tiny granules made of durum wheat. Cooked properly, it is light and fluffy and quite nice on the palate. Here, we have cooked the couscous with lemon juice and rind, which give it a refreshingly tangy flavour, and served it with an exciting Vegetable Moroccan Curry. Several juicy veggies and boiled chickpeas are cooked with tomato puree and an assortment of spice powders, to get a brilliantly-flavoured Moroccan curry. This curry, however, is a little dry, so prepare it only some time before serving and not too much in advance. If you still feel it is dry, add a little water. Garnish the Lemon Couscous with Vegetable Moroccan Curry with parsley to get a truly authentic aroma.

This dressing has a unique flavour and aroma because of a special process of roasting the red pepper on an open flame. The red pepper is to be roasted slowly on a low flame till it blackens, in order to get the perfect results. This beautifully roasted capsicum is then perked up with complementary ingredients like rosemary, lemon juice and mustard paste, which enhance the flavour of the dressing in an apt way, without overpowering the roasted red pepper. You can make a batch of this Roasted Red Pepper Dressing and store it in the fridge in an airtight glass jar for two days.

An olive oil based dressing with a strong flavour, the Parsley and Garlic Dressing is perfect to perk up the flavour of any salad with veggies, fruits, beans and cheese too. Lemon juice and orange juice give this garlicky dressing a tangy dimension, while parsley gives it a herby touch. A dash of jeera powder is all that it takes to highlight all the assorted flavours in this dressing. Make a batch of this Parsley and Garlic Dressing, and store it in an airtight glass jar in the fridge. It will last for two days.

Goat cheese has a pristine white colour and a unique tart flavour, which make it a wonderful addition to salad dressings. Crumbled goat cheese combines beautifully with curd and white wine vinegar to make a flavourful and luscious dressing, which gets even better with the addition of chives and dill leaves. The Curd and Goat Cheese Dressing stays good in the fridge for two days, if stored in an airtight glass jar.

The very mention of lemon brings to our mind a refreshing scent and tangy flavour, which instantly rejuvenate our senses! Indeed, the Lemon Dressing lives up to this reputation. With lemon juice and rind, complemented ably by mustard paste, this dressing is perfect for vegetable and fruit salads. Sugar, salt and olive oil help to balance the flavours of the lemon and mustard, making it pleasing to the palate. This Lemon Dressing can be stored in the fridge in an airtight glass jar, for three or four days.

Speak of the tropics and pineapple is sure to crop up! And so it is in the case of the Thin Crust Hawaiian Pizza too. This pizza features a medley of flavours and textures, thanks to spiced pineapple, corn and mushrooms on an oh-so-crisp base. You will love the way the pineapple’s juice oozes out and fills your mouth with each bite.