Pasta in white sauce

After my pasta in red sauce recipe, I got a few requests for pasta in white sauce. Here it is:

White sauce which is also known as Bechamel sauce is made from butter, all purpose flour (maida) and milk.

It first appeared in Italian cooking books but it is now considered one of the mother sauces of the French cuisine. White sauce is the base for a number of other classic sauces.

Preparation time - 45 minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients -

1. Butter - 3 & 1/2 Tb spoon
2. Flour - 2 Tb spoon
3. Milk - 2 cups
4. Onion - 1 small to medium size
5. Cloves - 5 pieces
6. Basil - 1 tea spoon
7. Chilly flakes - 1 & 1/2 tea spoon
8. Seasoning (Salt and pepper)
9. Penne - 250 gms
10. Garlic - 7 to 8 pods
11. Red bell pepper - 1 small size
12. Chopped beans - 1/4 cup
13. Chopped carrots - 1/4 cup
14. Brocolli - 1/2 cup

Procedure -

1. In a deep bottom large pot add enough water, salt and bring it to rolling boil. Reduce the flame to medium, add pasta and stir. Keep boiling on medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes or till Al dente. Turn off the flame and immediately drain the water and keep it aside. Do not over boil pasta as over boiling will cause mushy and unpleasant texture.

2. Mean while clean the broccoli and place the florets in hot salted water for 10 minutes. Remove the florets and keep aside.

3. Wash and Cut the bell pepper lengthwise and keep aside. Grind the garlic pods and keep aside.

4. Peel onion and insert clove around it and keep aside. You can also cut the onion into half if you wish to.

5. In another pan add 2 & 1/2 Tb spoon butter and once the butter melts, add flour (maida).

6. Stir continuously till the butter and flour combine evenly.

7. Now add milk slowly and simultaneously keep stirring. You will notice the formation of lumps after adding milk, so keep stirring continuously and pressing the lumps with a spatula or spoon so that the lumps disappear. It is important that there are no lumps left. Here is how it looks without lumps.

8. Once the lumps disappear add the onion inserted with cloves.

9. Keep it on low flame for 2 minutes. Add pepper powder, chilly flakes, salt and basil. Stir and turn off the flame. Your white sauce is ready.

10. In another pan add 1 Tb spoon butter. Once the butter melts add garlic. Stir on medium flame for 30 seconds.

11. Nod add the veggies (Carrots, beans, broccoli and bell pepper) and saute for a minute.

12. Transfer the sauted veggies in the white sauce and turn on the flame. Mix well.

13. Add boiled paste and mix well. Serve hot.

14. While serving sprinkle chilly flakes and basil.