Spoonful of Stories

One dish I love to cook is, pasta. Any form of it. Penne, macaroni, spaghetti. In white sauce, with oil and herbs, as salad, absolutely anything. Pasta stirs my soul. Maybe I was born in Italy in my previous birth, I say it to my husband jokingly and he just rolls his eyes.  

And this is one dish my husband is not fond of. He is not much of an Italian food lover. When we were dating, initially he did not show any interest in Italian cuisine. When I realised, I thought, I must do something about this. Otherwise how will I cook and eat my favourite dish after marriage. First, I confirmed with him if at all we were getting married, so that I could pursue this further. Why to waste energy unnecessarily 😉. When I got the confirmation, I started ordering pasta whenever we went out. He tasted it few times and I think he was fine having it. Task accomplished.

So now I do cook it often, especially when he has a Manchester United match to watch and the kitchen is entirely mine.

Last Saturday I ordered some mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes (thanks to the online delivery apps acting as my man Friday, I can order all these vegetables without any hassle even during lockdown) and was set to cook something different. In the morning, my husband told me, there is a match tonight. The moment he said that, my dinner plan was ready. I will be cooking pasta tonight, I declared. I knew he would happily agree.

The day passed by and it was match time. That means, he will be glued to the screen for 2 hours now, I thought to myself. I read a book for some time and then went to the kitchen, to put my chef’s hat on.

When I cook alone, I usually play my favourite Hindi songs or most of the times Marathi songs which he doesn’t listen to. I enjoy cooking, humming songs, dancing to the tunes. He peeps inside during half time, asks about the Marathi song which is being played. In response, I sing the song, shake a leg sometimes and he knows I am in my happy place. He smiles at me and is back in the living room.

The best thing about such nights, we are both happy together, cherishing our own ME TIME!  

Sharing my favourite recipe, for those who are as crazy as me about pasta!

Ingredients:

For white sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon wheat flour (I always use wheat flour instead of maida)
• 2 cups milk
• Salt, pepper powder, mixed herbs, chili flakes- for seasoning

Other ingredients:

• 1 cup pasta, of your choice (I usually use whole wheat pasta)
• Chopped vegetables of your choice. This time I used yellow bell peppers, broccoli, cherry tomatoes

Method:

• Take 4-5 cups water in a deep bottom vessel, add a pinch of salt and few drops of oil, and bring it to boil.
• Once the water starts boiling, add pasta and let it cook. Stir in between to prevent the pasta from sticking at the bottom.
• After 4-5 mins, once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and pour some cold water on it to stop the cooking process.  
• In a saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Add flour and stir well. Keep an eye to avoid overcooking.
• Pour milk and stir continuously. Make sure all the lumps are taken care of. The quantity of milk could be adjusted according to the consistency you like.
• Season it with salt, pepper powder, mixed herbs, chili flakes.
• Add chopped vegetables and mix. (If using capsicum, carrots, French beans; better to cook them in boiling water for 2-3 mins prior to adding them to the sauce). I cooked broccoli the same way.
• Add boiled pasta to the sauce and stir well.
• Add more milk if the sauce is too thick. Adjust the seasoning as per your taste.
• Put some grated cheese on top, and relish it hot.