Penne Pasta

My first pasta dish I made after I came to US.....I somehow always had this soft corner for italian food.. well well that doesnt mean i dont like other cuisine.... but yeah truth is.. it has always been my favourite.... dunno if its for the flavour or the sumptuous amount of cheese they put in it....anyways...italian food and specially pasta is my favourite. I have tried out many varieties of pasta but majorly everything with the red sauce or namely maranara sauce (presto) that we get it market.......

This was my first experience of making a pasta dish with white sauce...this doesnt have much cheese ( my husband doesnt prefer much cheese........) So here iam sharing with u this low fat yet cheesey pasta recipe.. do give in ur comment.(I am saying this is low fat recipe, as it utilises less cheese compared to other pasta recipes... i dunno the nutritional value of this dish though :P..)... so here is how this yummy recipe goes....

You need :

Penne pasta - 1 packet

Garlic - 3 medium pods

jalapeneos - 1 chopped ( please remove the seeds if making for kids..)

Carrot - 1/2 (cut in julians)

French beans - 8-9 (cut into 1" pieces lengthwise)

Mushroom - 7-8 cut in slices or even smaller pieces.

All purpose flour (maida) - 2 tbsp

MIlk - 1 cup

Vegetable broth - 1/2 cup (preferably Swanson - brand)

Olive oil

Shredded parmesan cheese - 2 tsp

salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

Italian herbs / Oregano - 2 tsp

fresh basil or parsley (optional)

Method :

Firstly boil the penne adding a bit of olive oil and salt....until al dente, drain and keep it aside.

Now, in a saucepan pour in some olive oil and toss in the garlic and jalapeneos, sautee them till slight brown in colour. Add in the carrot , beans and mushroom....and the vegetable broth ( this gives an extra punch to ur pasta .. i would advice u not to skip this....) and sautee it well till the vegetables cook well yet are crisp.

Now sprinkle the all purpose flour on the vegatble and mix them well... the flour will turn slightly yellowish in colour...thats okie.

Let the flour mix in well with the vegatbles....keep stirring for 5 minutes..... then pour in the milk.... see that the flour dissloves in the milk.... if u feel that the gravy is tightening before the flour dissolves or lumps are being formed... pour in a glass or 2 of water into it and keep stirring continuously.Now add the cheese and mix well.

now see this.... the sauce is too thick.. this is not how we want it....keep adding water if the sauce thickens too much..

When the maida is cooked and a kind of pasty and creamy gravy is formed put in the pasta. and mix well. Now add the salt , pepper and oregano.. mix it well .. let the pasta get coated with the gravy..keep adding water wherever needed... dont make the sauce too tight as anyways it gets a bit tight when it cools. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

The other way of serving is.... placing the cooked paste on the serving plate. Now pour the sauce on top of it and top it with freshly chopped parsley and side with hot toasted garlic bread.

Serve it hot with garlic bread.