The children are here for their summer holidays and its great to have them back. The preparations for their arrival always starts a few weeks in advance. A lot of time is spent in preparing their favorite snacks - they always complain of not getting to eat them in college. They are such night owls that it is essential to have an assortment of goodies stacked away for those odd hours. One thing that I make for sure is pasta sauce because it comes in very handy when I need to rustle up a meal in a jiffy. Somehow the fancy bottled ones just don't taste the same.
When the kids were in school an Italian joint had opened in Khan Market, Delhi and the kids couldn't get enough of it. They had an extensive menu, but their favorite dish was Penne Arrabiata. The USP of their food was that, apart from being good, it also catered to the Indian palate. Their arrabiata sauce was spiced well enough to suit our desi taste buds. I remember making pasta and trying to replicate their taste. Over the years I experimented and developed my own dish. Nowadays, this is one dish that the kids prefer eating at home. On our recent trip to New York City, when we had exhausted all Thai, Chinese and Mexican restaurants, I suggested going to an Italian place and having pasta but they turned me down saying that the pasta at home "tastes way better" (their words not mine). Recently I tried whole wheat pasta and it tasted just as good. So now the slight guilt that I had about eating pasta - that it was nothing but refined flour - has also dissipated.
Here's my recipe for Penne in Tomato Sauce with Olives and Funghi (serves 4-6 people)
Ingredients
For the sauce
1 kg tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
8 to 10 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp basil
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
For the pasta
250 gm whole wheat pasta, boiled
Half a jar of black olives
300 gm of mushrooms, chopped
8 green chillies, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Oregano
Salt, according to taste
Crushed red chillies, according to taste
Half a cup of fresh cream
Recipe
For the sauce
Boil the tomatoes and garlic. Once the boiled vegetables have cooled down, churn them in a blender, and strain the puree into a cooking pot. Add the olive oil, oregano, basil, salt and sugar to the mixture, and heat until a rich red color appears and the puree thickens into a sauce like consistency.
For the pasta
Take a cooking pan and add the olive oil. Now add the chopped mushrooms, olives and green chilies, and saute till the mushrooms have turned light brown. Add salt and red chillies accordingly. Pour the sauce into this mixture followed by the pasta, and mix well, till the pasta is coated with the sauce. Now add the fresh cream and oregano. Serve with either French bread or Garlic bread and butter.
When the kids were in school an Italian joint had opened in Khan Market, Delhi and the kids couldn't get enough of it. They had an extensive menu, but their favorite dish was Penne Arrabiata. The USP of their food was that, apart from being good, it also catered to the Indian palate. Their arrabiata sauce was spiced well enough to suit our desi taste buds. I remember making pasta and trying to replicate their taste. Over the years I experimented and developed my own dish. Nowadays, this is one dish that the kids prefer eating at home. On our recent trip to New York City, when we had exhausted all Thai, Chinese and Mexican restaurants, I suggested going to an Italian place and having pasta but they turned me down saying that the pasta at home "tastes way better" (their words not mine). Recently I tried whole wheat pasta and it tasted just as good. So now the slight guilt that I had about eating pasta - that it was nothing but refined flour - has also dissipated.
Here's my recipe for Penne in Tomato Sauce with Olives and Funghi (serves 4-6 people)
Ingredients
For the sauce
1 kg tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
8 to 10 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp basil
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
For the pasta
250 gm whole wheat pasta, boiled
Half a jar of black olives
300 gm of mushrooms, chopped
8 green chillies, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Oregano
Salt, according to taste
Crushed red chillies, according to taste
Half a cup of fresh cream
Recipe
For the sauce
Boil the tomatoes and garlic. Once the boiled vegetables have cooled down, churn them in a blender, and strain the puree into a cooking pot. Add the olive oil, oregano, basil, salt and sugar to the mixture, and heat until a rich red color appears and the puree thickens into a sauce like consistency.
For the pasta
Take a cooking pan and add the olive oil. Now add the chopped mushrooms, olives and green chilies, and saute till the mushrooms have turned light brown. Add salt and red chillies accordingly. Pour the sauce into this mixture followed by the pasta, and mix well, till the pasta is coated with the sauce. Now add the fresh cream and oregano. Serve with either French bread or Garlic bread and butter.
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| Penne in Tomato sauce with Olives and Funghi |
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| The perfect bite |
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