Capsicorn Craving!

My Pasta Story

Most of the foods carry a certain image that can be difficult to shed off sometimes. For example, most people consider the South Indian cuisine as very spicy. Similarly, Chinese food is often perceived to be full of cabbage and carrots. Pasta too carried such a notion for my cousin who had always discarded it as ‘junk’ and in the category of shunned foods. “You see, this pasta-wasta does not appeal to me,” he would say, till I prepared a dish with some of my own improvisations that he liked immensely. Del Monte Pasta is made up of high quality Durum wheat (also known as Macroni Wheat) and is nutritious. The sauce also contains veggies and tomato and hence nutrition is not lost like in other western foods. So here I gladly present the dish that helped me change the perception of my cousin and now he does not stop his kids from enjoying this wonderful Italian snack.

Pasta-Points  

I have Farfalle Pasta that looks like a bow-tie. The ‘Farfalle’ is an Italian word for ‘butterfly’ as it also resembles a butterfly’s wings.

However, before we begin, I would like to present some info regarding Pasta:

•          Pasta is eaten as a staple food in Italy.
•          It dates back to the year 1154 AD.
•          Pasta comes in more than 300 specific forms and shapes.
•          The word ‘Pasta’ comes from the Greek word ‘Pestos’ that means ‘salted’.
•          Pasta comes in two major varieties- fresh (fresca) and dried (secca).

So let’s go!

These were some interesting tidbits and now presented is the dish I have named ‘Pasta Capsicorn ’ for I just love corns! This makes Pasta not only different but healthy as well.

  This preparation of Pasta Capsicorn -

1.      Serves three
2.      Preparation time is around 10 minutes
3.      Cooking time is around 15 minutes
4.      Utensils (main) needed are a non-stick heating pan, a boiling pan, a strainer and a serving dish.

Ingredients	Quantity
Del Monte Pasta Water (for boiling) Finely chopped onions Tomatoes Garlic cloves Finely chopped Green chilies Boiled Corns Chopped Capsicum Chili powder Processed Cheese Corn flour Olive/ groundnut Oil Salt Lemon and Coriander Garlic butter /Plain butter	150 gms 3-4 cups 1 or 2 3 5 2 2 Tablespoons 1 Half Teaspoon/2.5 gms 1 or 2 slices/cubes 1 small teaspoon/4 gms 1 tablespoon As per taste For garnishing Half a teaspoon

Method

1.  Boil pasta for around 15 minutes on a high flame. Add a few oil drops to keep pasta flakes from sticking together.  Also add half of teaspoonful of salt. When soft, drain and keep aside. 

2.   Heat oil in a pan and sauté chopped garlic, onions and green chilies along with salt (to taste).

3.  When the onions are translucent, add chopped capsicum and salt to taste and sauté some more till the capsicum is free of its ‘rawness’.

4.  Meanwhile, put tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, cool them and peel off the skins and mash them finely.

5.   Add chili powder and tomatoes to the mixture in the pan.

6.   After a few minutes, add boiled corns and mix well.

7.   Now add corn flour (mixed with very little water) to hold or bind the sauce together.

8.   Heat the mixture over the flame for some more time while stirring continuously. Add some water if the mixture is thick.

9.   Finally, add boiled pasta and mix well and stir for a minute or two.

10.   Remove from flame and mix lemon juice and processed cheese. Garnish with coriander and a dash of garlic butter.

‘Pasta Capsicorn ’ is ready to be served and enjoyed!

After I prepared this dish, my cousin who is quite stingy with compliments, showered many upon me and his delusion that Pasta was unhealthy was also broken. Pasta is an immensely enjoyable dish and comes in many varieties. If you are too busy to prepare the sauce, Del Monte ready-made sauces can also be used. My favorite of all the sauces is ‘Arrabbiata’ which is a slightly tangy tomato-onion Pasta sauce.

I hope you will enjoy the dish as well. Thank you and all the best!

Cheers!

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Entry for indiblogger.in