The secret to a two minute 100% homemade pasta sauce

Are you curious to know this secret? Because I'm sure as hell excited to share it with you. 

This is truly magic and I'm not lying. I've struck gold with this two minute pasta sauce - just two ingredients, loads of flavour, loads of health and vegan to boot- perfect for kid lunchbox, your lunchbox or a quick weeknight dinner. 

And if you've made pasta for dinner, just cook a handful of extra pasta and save it in the fridge. With this sauce, your kiddie lunchbox can come together in less than 5 minutes. It's a promise. I even got myself a quick facial with the bits of leftover secret ingredient.

So, time to reveal the secret ingredient....

*drumrolls*

It's AVOCADO.

How to make two-minute pasta sauce from scratch?

Printable version here

Take your blender (or mixer) out.

Quarter one large ripe tomato. Halve a fully ripe avocado. Scoop out from skin. 

(Don't throw away skin*)

Blend the tomato (skin, seeds and all) and flesh from half avocado to a puree.

Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Smash and finely mince 1 clove of garlic. 

Add the puree, 1/2 teaspoon salt and warm for one minute. Add salt and 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil, crushed between finger tips (or any other dried herb you fancy).

Coat pasta in this sauce and warm through.

Garnish with fresh basil if you like.

This makes enough sauce for a really saucy pasta for one or lightly coated pasta for two.

You can easily scale up the recipe using 1 large avocado + 4 large tomatoes, 2-3 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp olive oil for four people. Add chilli flakes to the oil, if it's only for adults or if your kids don't mind the spice.

*Rub your face with the leftover bits of avocado inside and wash after 10 minutes for glowing baby-soft skin.

Avocado gives the sauce a mellow creaminess without adding any cream or dairy to the sauce whatsoever. Avocado is sold as butter-fruit in several parts of India.

You could even prepare this with your kids and teach them to warm the sauce in the microwave and they can toss the pasta in this. The best way to make your kids eat healthy food is to involve them in the cooking process. The next time you do your food shopping, make sure you buy an avocado, just to try this recipe out and you'll know that I'm not joking about this magical pasta sauce.

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Cold Pasta Salad from leftover pasta

Bite-Sized Post No. 3

When you boil pasta for a pasta dish, it's always nice to boil a handful extra and save it in the fridge. The leftover pasta is perfect for a chilled pasta salad when you want something light and refreshing for lunch or dinner. It's also a yummy lunchbox idea for your kids, no cooking required in the morning. Just don't add too much dressing that can make it soggy.

It's also a good idea to make this, when you are asking yourself 'what to do with leftover pasta' in case you cooked more pasta than required for dinner, which is always the case with me. I never know how much pasta to put to boil.

So here goes - quick, easy, light and refreshing, my version of the cold pasta salad.

Text only:
Recipe for Cold Pasta Salad
Serves 2
Time taken : Under 15 minutes
Recipe Type : Easy





In a large bowl, toss-
a cup of any leftover cooked pasta
a cup of diced pineapple
1 cucumber, diced
1 carrot, grated
1 red bell pepper, diced


dressing
Whisk in a small bowl-
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried crushed basil
Pinch of chilli flakes


Pour on salad and toss well.


Serve chilled.

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How to make fresh pasta without a machine - Step by step pictures

I made fresh pasta from scratch for dinner this evening and on a whim, I live tweeted the making of this using the hashtag #makingfreshpasta which evoked a lot of enthusiastic responses. That's the reason I decided to compile all the tweets and the pictures (iPhone camera) into a quick post. Pardon the picture quality, my iPhone was already groaning under the blanket of flour and olive oil it was being subject to!


I only want to show you how simple the procedure is, even without any fancy machines. The fettucini procedure is a bit lengthy but for starters, you could just cut squares (as in step 6), in fact that was yummier than the more labour intensive fettucini.


This recipe is vegan as it uses no eggs or butter. If you use eggs in the pasta dough, surely you'll get a richer tasting end product. If you can make rotis, you can do this handmade pasta. No sweat!


If you don't want to miss a single interesting update from my kitchen, then follow my facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/SaffronTrail - We can also have many an interesting foodie conversation there!


On to the recipe:


Vegan handmade pasta from scratch , no pasta machine required

Pasta dough adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to cook everything vegetarian

I used the recipe eggless pasta dough recipe:

2 cups AP flour ( I used 1/2 cup cornmeal and 1.5 cups AP flour along with a tbsp of dried basil)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

½ cup hot water plus some more

Make a smooth but very firm dough by mixing flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well, add olive oil. Add 1/2 cup hot water, mix with a fork until it comes together. Knead with your hands using a tsp of hot water at a time until you get a firm, smooth dough.

Wrap in cling film.

Refrigerate for 30 mins at least.

Make 5-6 balls from the dough, and follow the given procedure with each.

Step 1 - roll each ball into a thin sheet 

Step 2 - Dust with flour- Roll into cigar 

Step 3 - Cut into 1/4 inch or so slices

Step 4 - Unroll each circle to a long strand 

 Step 5 - Keep each such batch spread out on a plate to dry for a few minutes

Step 6 - Or to save a whole lot of trouble cut into squares with a pizza cutter- kids won't mind this 

Step 7 - Keep a large pot of water to boil with some salt and 2 tsp oil and drop the pasta (any one type at a time) carefully when the water is boiling. Pasta squares have come to the top indicating that they are ready to be fished out. Fresh pasta once dropped into boiling water takes 2-3 minutes to cook

Step 8 - Make any sauce you like, in advance and toss the pasta in some sauce. Serve hot. 

Step 9 - The fettucini that took so much effort got cut into shorter pieces while cooking -tasted nice though

Sauce : In olive oil, saute finely chopped garlic, finely sliced small onion, 3-4 mushrooms sliced and few sliced pitted olives. Once onions are soft, add 4 tomatoes (blanched, peeled and chopped), balsamic vinegar, chilli flakes and salt. Mix in a tbsp of pesto ( I used rocket pesto) or just a handful of finely chopped basil.

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Farfelle Aglio Olio with celery leaves and crumbled paneer

While I do like my pasta to be nearly smothered in a healthy portion of tomato sauce (not floury, creamy, white sauce), this kind of pasta is light and beautiful, goes perfectly when you are serving a vegetable soup as a part of the meal.

In my case, I made a light Minestrone (no pasta in the soup) with plenty of celery. Since the soup was already tomato based, this aglio olio pasta was the perfect accompaniment. The addition of celery was inspired by the fresh beautiful greens that came along with the celery stalks. They are so incredibly fragrant, that it is a shame to chop them off and discard them. I will even go to the extent of saying that pick your celery with the tops on. It shows that celery is fresh, it keeps well for longer and you can put the leaves to good use, like my recipe below.

Celery greens are very rich in nutrients too!

If you are just getting started with Italian cooking, this is the perfect recipe to get started. Few ingredients, simple steps and it gets done in no time. And, does it look pretty or what!

Ingredients
2 cups of celery leaves, picked, washed thoroughly
Paneer from 1/2 litre cow's milk or half cup cubes
A cup of dried short pasta (I used Farfalle)
2 tbsp olive oil
6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
3 dried red chillies, crumbled or finely chopped (1-2 tsp of chilli flakes)
1 tsp each dried basil and parsley
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
In a large pot, boil water with salt and 1 tsp oil for the pasta and cook as per instructions on pack.
Finely shred the celery leaves.
Meanwhile, pour 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large wok, once moderately hot, add minced garlic and chilli flakes.
Saute for a few seconds, then add the shredded celery greens. Once the greens wilt (1-2 minutes), add the crumbled or cubed paneer. Sprinkle salt and pepper, along with any dried herbs of your choice.
Toss gently for 1-2 minutes.
Once the pasta is done, drain and add to the wok.
Toss well to coat. Check for salt and adjust.
Serve hot with a topping of freshly grated parmesan cheese.


Making Paneer
In a vessel, bring the milk to a boil. When it comes to a boil, add a tbsp of white vinegar stirring continuously till the milk separates into solids and clear whey. If the whey is too milky, add some more vinegar and stir. Filter out using a sieve or a muslin cloth and press to remove excess liquid. Cover in layers of clean kitchen towel and keep a heavy weight on the top, such as a marble slab. Cut into cubes to use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight box with some whey.

Variations
Minus the celery leaves and paneer, this becomes a simple aglio olio pasta dish, which is one of the easiest pasta dishes to make. No chopping, saucing required.
Adding some toasted pine nuts or walnuts towards the end, adds an extra texture and taste to the dish.
In place of celery leaves, feel free to use any of your local greens, or herbs like fennel greens, basil, or even vegetable greens like carrot tops or cauliflower leaves.

Shopping guide
Farfalle pasta made from durum wheat - from Waitrose Aisle of Hypercity, Cyberabad
Celery with greens - Spar, Begumpet
Parmesan Cheese by weight available at Spar, Begumpet
Dried herbs - Fabindia, Keya's herbs available at most supermarkets

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Fusilli with roasted fennel and carrots in vodka sauce

Yesterday morning, with my son at playgroup, I went off to my favourite supermarket to stock up on vegetables and fruits for the week. This place has the freshest produce I have seen in Hyderabad, including most exotic vegetables. When I spotted fresh bulbs of fennel with vibrant and lush green tops, I had to bring one home. At that point I had no clue what I would do with the fennel, but it was too pretty not to take back home.

I had some vague idea of roasting it with garlic and olive oil, but then i'd have to think of another dish to go with it. That's when it struck me to saute this with carrots and toss it with pasta in a light faux cream sauce.

My spaghetti loving husband pronounced this pasta dish totally out of the world, despite the fact that I'd used fusilli for this dish. The vodka is totally optional, but I just felt happy using it in a Friday night pasta dinner inspired by the pasta sauce Rachel Ray popularised by the name of "You won't be single for long Vodka Cream Pasta".

When you taste the fennel raw it has very strong taste of fennel seeds - but sauteeing mellows down the flavour to a great extent. I trimmed off the greens from the thick stems and stored it overnight in the fridge to make a thuvaiyal this morning. This lovely green chutney made in the tambram style, by grinding roasted red chillies, udad dal and coconut along with wilted fennel greens tasted so fresh and different in flavour. With rice and a roasted papad, it made a super lunch for me. My resolve of not to waste any edible food totally paid off and discovered this new twist on a thuvaiyal. 

You could make a classic white sauce for this pasta, but my faux cream sauce has all the positives of a white sauce minus the calories, so do give it a go!

Recipe for Fusilli with roasted fennel and carrots

 Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

4 handfuls of fusilli pasta

1 fennel bulb

2 medium carrots

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 sprig fennel greens for garnish

For Sauce

1 cup milk

pinch of grated nutmeg

3 cloves garlic,finely grated

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp of whole wheat flour or all purpose flour

1-2 slices cheese

Direction

1. Place a large pot of water to boil. Once this starts boiling put the pasta to cook.
2. To prepare the fennel - cut off the top part with the greens. Take the bulb (lower part) and separate the stalks and slice. Wash these well in a large bowl of water to dislodge all the soil and grit. Drain and keep aside.
3. Peel the carrots. Slice off the tops and tails. Cut into not-very-thin rounds. Keep aside.
4. In a large pan, heat the oil and saute garlic for a few seconds, followed by chilli flakes.
5. Now, add the prepared fennel and carrots. Saute on a medium-high flame till the oil coats them thoroughly and let this brown a bit on a low flame for around 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle salt.
6. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till the fennel slices are soft. Since fennel is quite fibrous it will not turn as soft as carrots, there will be a bite to it even when cooked.
7. Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce with a fork in a bowl and pour it over the cooked vegetables. Let this simmer till thick (3-4 minutes). Add 30 ml vodka to this and then add the drained, boiled pasta.
8. Add dried herbs, adjust salt, pepper - 1-2 slices of cheese and simmer for 2 minutes, until flavours come together and cheese has melted into the sauce.
9. Serve hot.

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Spinach Peanut Pesto Pasta

Spinach Peanut Pesto Pasta or what happens when a Maharastrian meets an Italian

The Cooks Cottage was one of the first food blogs to go on my bookmarks list.Yesterday I visited that blog after ages to find an interesting Peanut Chutney with a very simple recipe -Roast handful of peanuts and grind with green chillies, tamarind puree and salt. Since I had time on hand, I went ahead with this - just that I did not use tamarind puree but used a fat pinch of Amchoor (dried mango) powder instead. The result was a very yummy chutney - somewhat moister than a podi because of the oils in the peanuts and the water given out by the chillies.
Even if you stop right here, this chutney can be mixed with plain steamed rice to make a Peanut Rice. Add a tadka of some mustard seeds, udad dal and curry leaves and it will make a protein rich rice dish to go with a raita. This peanut chutney is also a quick addition to a simple roti-sabzi meal. Also I'd love to sprinkle this on a large bowl of vegetable raita and devour it for a summer lunch.
But for me, it took a different route altogether...to Italy! I'd bought two large bunches of fresh spinach in the morning and they were cleaned, washed and chopped - waiting to be cooked. Since I was to make spinach and pasta for dinner and peanut chutney decided to jump over the dinner bandwagon - that's how this dish was born.

Spinach Pesto Pasta
Serves 2

Ingredients
8 cups picked, washed spinach leaves and tender stems
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Pasta for two people, cooked as per directions - I used whole wheat spaghetti

3 tbsp peanuts
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp amchoor powder (optional)

1 tbsp dried basil

 Freshly ground black pepper


Directions

1. In a large saucepan, place 1/2 cup water with a pinch of sugar and add the spinach leaves to this - allowing them to wilt on a high flame. The sugar will keep the leaves green. This will take roughly 4-5 minutes. Remove from flame and keep aside.
2. Meanwhile keep the peanuts to roast on a medium flame for 7-8 minutes sauteeing them off and on, so that they don't burn. Once they are done, remove and cool. Grind the peanuts after they are cool with the salt, green chillies and amchoor into a fine powder. Keep aside.
3. Boil the pasta as per instructions - drain saving some of the pasta water for later if required.
4. In a large pan, heat the olive oil - add the minced garlic cloves and the wilted spinach - saute for a minute or so, then add the dried basil, peanut chutney and cooked pasta, tossing well to coat the pasta. Check for salt and adjust. Add fresh ground black pepper and toss gently.
5. Serve hot or cold.

Taste wise this was fantastic - the peanut chutney complimented the spinach-garlic-basil tastes superbly. Nutrition wise also it made a lot of sense to me - adding the protein component in the form of peanuts to the carb and fibre rich spinach pasta  was a great idea. All those who watch their calories and weight usually stay away from peanuts - but in small quantities, they are rich in unsaturated fats and are actually considered to reduce belly fat!
If your kid is not allergic to nuts, this is perfect toddler food too, probably easier to eat if the pasta is a smaller one like macaroni. Our boy loved to play with the spaghetti on my plate and our idea of placing a teeny bit of spinach and pasta on every spoon of curd rice (his dinner) was a hit idea to make quick work of his dinner :)

I'm sure any other nuts like walnuts, cashews or almonds will give a new twist to this taste and that's what I'll try this with next time! Do let me know how this recipe turned out for you :)

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Whole wheat penne in spinach sauce

I love penne and my husband loves spaghetti. Penne because, i like how the pasta gets the sauce inside the tubes - the ridges hold on to the sauce. Since I am the resident chef of our home, you'll find penne being the most-often cooked pasta. We love saucy sauces - well you know what I mean, more stuff around the pasta, instead of the dry pasta dish. We both love aglio-olio, where minimalism is the key, just good olive oil, garlic and chilli flakes - but that said, we do love the saucier versions better. Sometimes you'll find more veggies than the pasta in our dishes and we like it that way too.
This luscious spinach sauce was a result of me going overboard last week in the farmers' market. When you get 12 bunches for Rs.10, you can't really blame me can you? I washed, cleaned and cooked the leaves, pureed them and put the stuff in the freezer. It was a smart move, reducing a big bag of greens into a small container, besides cooking and freezing the leaves when they were at their freshest.

So when the day came to make the pasta, most of the work for the spinach sauce was already done - what remained was to pulse it with some fresh paneer and chillies and it was ready. It is indeed as simple as that.

Let me also assure you that I have not used any of my non-existent photoshop skills on this pic - the sauce is as green as it is seen in the picture and it looks like that even as I am about to eat it from the plate - no fooling you on that!

Recipe for Penne in Spinach Sauce
Serves 3-4 with a salad or a vegetable side dish

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
Roughly 3/4 kg spinach, leaves and tender stems plucked
1 tsp olive oil
4-8 cloves garlic, peeled (4 if large, 8 if small)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 green chillies
1/3rd cup paneer or ricotta cheese (I made fresh paneer from 1/2 litre milk, using white vinegar)
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Making spinach puree -Wash the plucked spinach leaves and tender stems 4-5 times in a clean sink of water or in a large tub. Dry over kitchen towels. Put these into a large pot. Add 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup water and let the leaves wilt. Toss around so the leaves are evenly cooked. Remove from pot, and puree along with any residual water. This can be frozen for upto a week and used as necessary. 3/4 kg of spinach will yield roughly 2 cup of spinach puree.
2. Cook pasta according to instructions on pack, drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
3. Making paneer - Bring 1/2 L cow's milk to boil. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat and add from 1-2 tsp of white vinegar, stirring around till the milk curdles leaving a clear whey. Filter out pressing lightly. Reserve the whey for use in soups or to make dough for chapatis or bread.
4. In a wok, heat 1-2 tsp olive oil. Throw in the crushed garlic cloves and sliced onions. Saute on medium flame for 2-3 minutes till soft.
5. In a blender, puree together the spinach puree, paneer, sauteed onion-garlic, oregano, salt and chillies. Check for salt and adjust. This is your spinach sauce for the pasta.
6. In a large wok, bring together cooked pasta and the sauce, mixing gently till pasta is fully covered. Use some of the reserved pasta water if you want to thin down the sauce. Add freshly ground black pepper over the top, any fresh or dried herbs of your choice and serve.

I served this with cauliflower baked in tomato sauce, recipe of which will be posted shortly.

Notes

• You can serve with some cheese grated on the top, this will gain most kids' approval :)
• The sauce can be made minus the paneer but I used so as to up the protein quotient of the dish. You could use ricotta cheese from a tub to cut down on the preparation time or use store bought paneer.
• Some steamed corn added to this pasta will add lovely colour and a sweet crunch to the dish.

If you like spaghetti and your partner likes penne, by all means use spaghetti for this dish!! 

Since there is a perfect event to enlist this recipe, it's going for the Healing Foods event at My Culinary Experiments started by Siri's Corner

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Cauliflower-Spinach-Pasta Casserole

It's been a month since I last posted and the hubby has been constantly reminding me about it. The last week, whenever I made anything interesting, he nudged me to take pictures encouraging me to resume blogging saying 'Come on, don't abandon your blog!'. I have been quick to respond saying 'I'm not abandoning, just on a break' - break being the key word here. Truly speaking, I'm not comfortable with such a long break either, which can quite tend to abandonment. My slow come back is completely thanks to hubby's push and the readers who have kept me going since Saffron Trail took off...

It was after a long time, I managed to cook something new and elaborate - last night. Cauliflowers are totally in season in India now, which you might have noticed on Mad Tea Party too. While browsing through Food Network, they had highlighted some of Ina Garten's recipes, among which was a Cauliflower Gratin - a side dish baked with cauliflower and plenty of cheese. I wanted to bake something similar but heartier and not as a side dish but as a one pot casserole. So it had to involve some carbs in the form of pasta, some more veggies like peas and spinach to make it heartier and spices like garlic and chillies to satisfy our palates. That's how yesterday's dinner was conceived.



Casserole going into the oven to be baked

Cauliflower-Spinach-Pasta Casserole
Time taken - Under 1 hour
Makes 3 generous portions or 4 regular portions


Ingredients
1 cup dry pasta like penne, macaroni or short spirals, cooked as per directions kept aside
2 cups large cauliflower florets
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
4 cups finely shredded spinach
5 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
2 red or green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 recipe white sauce (recipe given below)


Preparing the cauliflower and peas
In a small saucepan, take ¾ cup of water. Salt it. Put it in the well washed cauliflower florets and cover with a tight lid. Let the water boil for 5 minutes. At this point add the frozen peas and cover, let boil for 1-2 more minutes. Keep the cooked florets and peas aside.

Bring it all together
In a large wok, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable / olive oil. On a medium flame, lightly saute the chopped garlic and chillies for a minute. Put in the shredded spinach, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute till wilted. Add the steamed florets and peas, the cooked pasta. Give it a good stir. At this stage add the white sauce and stir lightly to coat all the contents of the wok.

Add the dried herbs and any salt /pepper if needed at this stage.

Baking it off
It is ready to be dug into at this stage, but you can take it up a level by proceeding to sprinkle some bread crumbs and cheese over the top and baking it off in a hot oven for 15 minutes till the top is golden brown.


Making the white sauce
Recipe adapted from here
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk

In a glass measuring jug, heat the butter for 30 seconds till melted. Stir in the olive oil. Add the flour one tbsp at a time, mixing vigourously with a fork or whisk. Incorporate all the flour into the fat until it is a smooth lump-free paste. Next, add a few tablespoons of milk, beat till well incorporated into mixture. Gradually add upto 1 cup milk, whisking continuously so that it is a smooth mixture. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, till the fat separates out the mixture has thickened well. At this point, whisk vigourously to smoothen it out. Add remaining one cup milk gradually and then microwave on HIGH again for a minute till thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered.


The dish was a delicious alternative to making pasta in white sauce - much heartier and filling, the bread crumbs giving the crisp texture, the cheese giving the rich taste and saltiness - it was a perfect dish which will be made often in our kitchen, with whatever veggies are in season.

Since I've used fresh crisp, very-much in season cauliflower, fresh spinach into this hearty casserole, this is my entry for Homegrown Gourmet # 4 - Stews and Casseroles

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Ratatouille with Cochiglie Rigate - Dinner last night !

(Inspired by the cute promos of the Pixar movie - Ratatouille (Rat-a-too-ee) in the papers. This movie releases in India on August 24)

We all have a slight hesitation when it comes to cooking foreign foods in our kitchen especially because of the unavailability of some ingredients and also doubting its acceptance by the people we are cooking for. But there are some dishes like Ratatouille that can be tried in any world kitchen due to its simple ingredients and procedure.

It is a traditional French Provencal stewed vegetable dish that originated in Nice. You can either have it as a meal by itself or serve it with simple bread, rice or mashed potatoes. I've discovered that using it as a chunky hearty sauce with your favourite pasta will make it an unforgettable meal. The people you serve this to, will want to kiss your hands for the rest of their lives. So be careful, whom you serve it to!!


Ratatouille with pasta
Category: French-Italian fusion
Time Taken: 30 minutes
Serves: 3 or two really hungry people
Source: Adapted from Sara Moulton's recipe

Ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic – peeled, smashed and chopped
1 large onion - thinly sliced

1 cup diced eggplant (Use the big sized roasting variety eggplant)
1 large bell pepper, cut into short strips
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes (with seeds)
1 loosely packed cup finely shredded spinach

200 ml tomato puree (unsalted)
1 tsp red chilli powder /chilli flakes
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1/4 tsp crushed fennel seeds
½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup basil leaves
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper powder

For pasta
Take 1 ½ cups of your favourite pasta (short variety like penne, spirals, conchiglie )
A large pot of salted boiling water
Cook pasta according to pack instructions, drain and keep aside.

For Ratatouille
In a large soup pot / saucepan, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Start with the smashed, chopped garlic, saute for a few seconds. Do not brown. Add the sliced onions with a fat pinch of salt and stir it on a low flame for 3-4 minutes till soft.

Put it in the diced eggplant and bell pepper strips. Stir this occasionally until they are half done. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Next, add the zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Season with chilli powder, remaining salt and cook for 5 minutes till vegetables are cooked. Lastly throw in shredded spinach, stir for 2 minutes until the leaves wilt and blend with the rest of the vegetables. Add spices and dried herbs, torn basil leaves, black pepper powder and give it a good stir.

Add the cooked pasta and combine well with ratatouille. Serve hot garnished with some more shredded fresh basil.

Notes:

1. It is not necessary to chop all vegetables before you place the pot on the stove. Just keeping the garlic and onions chopped, the remaining vegetables can be chopped and thrown while the previous ingredients in the pan are cooking.
2. The red chilli powder is added to give it more flavour as it is combined with bland pasta.
3. You can substitute the oregano and thyme with herbs de Provence if you have it on hand.
4. It is a very good idea to double / triple the recipe and freeze the extra portions. You will be rewarded for the extra effort, on a day you come back home late and you have this splendid meal waiting for you in the freezer.
5. This is a great way to use up any leftover vegetables in your fridge as you can add almost any non-starchy veggie into the pot.
6. Eggplant with pasta may seem like a crazy idea, but do try it once. You will be fascinated by the amalgamation of flavours and I can guarantee that the plates will be licked clean.

Let me add that this was the best pasta meal we've ever had (yes, hubby agreed with me too) and we had to give it a equally grand finale like a shot of the golden Remy Martin XO!

Tags: Italian, French, ratatouille, low-fat, vegetables, pasta, vegetarian, Saffron Trail, Recipe, Food, Indian food blog, Healthy eating, Healthy living, Mumbai, India

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Fussili with 3 peppers and spinach

Check out this Siamese twin of a chilli!

My first brush with cooking Italian was all thanks to Giada Laurentis and her lovely show - Everyday Italian on Food network. Her simple techniques, few ingredients and ample use of vegetables made me realise how simple Italian cooking can really be.

I remember one of her recipes which had all ingredients from the pantry. Using just pasta, basil, pine nuts and olive oil, she made a most simple yet flavourful dish. When I recreated this in my kitchen, my guests loved the simple no fuss flavours. A whole variety of pastas are used in my kitchen, usually going with the whole wheat variety. Soups, salads or saucy pastas are a hit with both of us. Bread or no bread, a glass of wine and pasta is a delightful dinner for the two of us.

This one uses peppers, basil and spinach for great textures and a ready made pizza sauce for a burst of flavour. This dish that is superb in its colours and super fast to cook (under 30 minutes).

I love the crunchy peppers in every colour and I dedicate them to this week's WHB started by the herb lover, Kalyn.

According to my favourite food for health resource site, bell peppers due to their bright colours are choc-a-block with anti oxidants. Eaten on a regular basis, they are good for heart and lung health. The beta-carotene is good for your eye sight while their vitamin C content prevents osteoarthritis. This peppered pasta is a great way to gather all these health benefits.



Fussili with 3 peppers and spinach
Category - Italian main course, salad
Cooking time - Under 30 minutes
Serves - 2

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Ingredients

1 cup Fussili pasta
1 large red, yellow and green pepper each
1 cup spinach leaves, washed and patted dry
Handful of frozen green peas
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
5 flakes garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp pizza / pasta sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Method

1.Boil the pasta according to instructions on pack. Drain and keep aside. You may want to reserve some of the pasta water if you want to add some moisture to the pasta.

2. Wash and cut the peppers into strips. Discard seeds.

3. In a wok, heat the olive oil. Throw in the crushed / chopped garlic and chilli flakes. Stir them around for 30 seconds.

4. Add the peppers, sprinkle some salt and saute for 5-7 minutes till somewhat tender. Top with spinach and basil leaves with the peas. Stir them for 2-3 minutes, till greens have wilted and peas are thawed.

5. Add the cooked pasta to this, sprinkle required amount of salt and the pizza sauce. Serve in a warmed plate for a light anti-oxidant rich supper.


Tags: WHB, bell peppers, antioxidants, Italian recipe, pasta, fusilli

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Penne Upma ( Pasta Indian Style )

Each morning, I wonder what do I make for breakfast. Oats / Cereal gets too boring at times. It just so happened that I had some left over boiled Penne pasta and Upma being one of the staple breakfasts at home- i decided to put the two together.

It's just like regular upma, where rawa is substituted by pasta. This recipe would serve two people and taken under 15 minutes to get done.



Ingredients :
Over 1 cup boiled / leftover pasta (Penne/ Fucilli / Macaroni )
1 medium sized carrot-finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
2-3 springs-spring onions-finely chopped
10-12 French beans-finely chopped
Pinch of turmeric
8-10 Cashewnuts / Handful peanuts ( Optional)
For tempering: 1 tsp Udad dal, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (Rai), 1 tsp green chillies-finely chopped , 1/2 tsp ginger-finely chopped, Few curry leaves
1 tbsp Cilantro / coriander-finely chopped
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in non-stick pan. Add mustard seeds-once they pop, add udad dal,curry leaves, cashews, ginger, green chillies.
2.Once udad dal and cashews turn golden, add the vegetables, turmeric, salt. Sprinkle some water, and keep a lid on the pan so that the vegetables cook fast. This will take around 4-5 min.
3.Once the vegetables are cooked, add the boiled pasta, and toss around so that all the spices are evenly coated.
4. Take the pan off flame, garnish with coriander and serve piping hot.

A cup of filter coffee will give good company to this Penne Upma!

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Thakkali chutney ( Spicy tomato chutney )

The Beginning

The end

Will post recipe soon

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