Pasta with a Kick

Chetty's kitchen doesn't mean it's just me and my cooking. The memories are mine, but the cooking include Uma's and mine. :-) Today it is one of Uma's specialities - Pasta ...with a kick.

The very first pasta I could remember is my mom's totally Indian version of macaroni and cheese (Amul cheese) with ginger, garlic and tomatoes. As they say, I grew up with that. This notion of pasta continued till I went to the US of A. 

Olive Garden in Portland rather Beaverton changed this impression of mine on Italian food. I started enjoying the pennes and fettucines with marinara and alfredo sauces. However the real deal was at Johnny Carinos in Boise. They had the pasta with a kick. Remember chasing after it in Denver during the Great American Road Trip in 2005. The last time we had this was in Phoenix. From then on we've been trying to re-create it at home and was fairly successful too.

Typical pasta - the Italian alfredo style is usually too bland for Indian taste, but this one is Desi Certified.

What goes in:

For the sauce:

• Milk
• All purpose flour aka Maida
• Parmesan Cheese (Parmesano Reggiano)
• Butter
• Cayenne Pepper (can substitute with red chilli powder)

The stuff:

• Mushrooms
• Prawns (Shrimps if you are from the US of A) (Optional of course)
• Capsicum (Bell Peppers) - Red, Green
• Sun Dried tomatoes
• Garlic
• Onions
• Spring Onions
• Olive Oil (EVOO as they call it)

And of course Pasta. Any kind would do.We normally use the bow tie or penne. This time it was just spaghetti.

The method:

Sauce:

1. Heat the butter until it melts.
2. Add the all purpose flour and cook until it turns brown.
3. Add milk (warmed) and continue stirring without causing lumps.
4. Once the mixture is boiling add grated parmesan cheese and leave it to boil.
5. Add Cayenne pepper to your level of kick you need.

Pasta:

1. In a wide sauce pan sautee the garlic in olive oil.
2. Add onions and other veggies and sautee until they are soft.
3. Add the prawns towards the end.
4. Mix the cooked pasta (follow instructions on the pack) and the sauce from above.
5. Garnish with finely chopped spring onions.

The result:

The cayenne pepper and sun dried tomatoes does the trick to give this pasta a kick!! :-)

Happy Cooking!!