Mac & Squash - A Creamy Pasta with Roasted Squash

A lot of kids here live on the traditional American Mac and Cheese. Its nothing but macroni (pasta) in a cheese sauce. Its rich and heavy and more of a junk food than an Italian entree. I have always wanted to make a healthier version of the Mac and Cheese and what better choice than the nutrient rich yellow squash. The kids cannot figure out the vegetable and would love the rich and creamy taste. Just think of it as Mac and Cheese with more character :-).

 I had some squash leftover after making "poosanikkai sambar" for the Pongal festival last week. If you are in India, then squash is nothing but yellow pumpkin ("manjal poosanikkai). This is a simple recipe made with just roasted squash. You can use any type of pasta but it goes well with macroni or penne as these shapes can hold the sauce well.

MACRONI IN A ROASTED SQUASH SAUCE

Ingredients:

1/4 kg of Squash
1 cup of uncooked pasta (macroni or penne)
3 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Milk (I have used full cream)
1 teaspoon Red Chilly powder or paprika
1/2 teaspoon Parsley flakes for garnishing (optional)
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut the squash into thick slices without the skin.
2. Heat butter in a pan and  gently roast the slices until they brown a little and turn soft.
3. Remove from heat, cool and blend into a smooth paste.
4. While the squash is cooling, cook pasta as per package instructions. (heat a pot of water until boiling. Add a teaspoon of salt and pasta along with a teaspoon of olive oil and cook till its soft but not squishy or sticky. It should be of the texture popularly known as "al dente" or to be firm but not hard).
5. In the same pan used for roasting, heat the remaining butter. Add the minced garlic and mix well.
6. Add the squash paste with a little water (you can use the water used for cooking pasta) and heat gently.
7. Add the chilly / paprika powder and salt and mix well
8. Add the milk and continue heating gently.
9. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Heat until the pasta is well coated with salt. If you find the dish getting dry/thick, add some more water or milk.
10. Taste and adjust salt.
11. Garnish with parsley or chilli flakes.
12. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Notes:

1. Grated Cheese can be used for garnishing.
2. Adjust the milk to build the right consistency for the pasta.
3. You can substitute cream instead of the milk but that would make the dish very rich.
4.  You can carrots while roasting for a different twist.
5. For an Indianized verison, add a pinch of garam masala along with the red chilly powder.

Simple Pasta

It was a rainy day and the cook's day out. So wondering what to zap for dinner when I was overcome with the urge to have pasta.

While I am yet to cross the threshold to make pasta from scratch - for now I have made it with store-bought pasta (Bambino or any other brand would do) and home-made sauce.

Ingredients:

1 packet Pasta (Spaghetti / penne / elbow) - about 400 gms

1 Large Capsicum - sliced

1 Tomato - Chopped

1/4 cup chopped Spring Onions (make sure to keep the whites sliced and separate)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon - Shredded Cheese

For the Sauce:

2 Ripe Tomatoes

5-6 Garlic - Finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon - shredded dry red chilly (optional)

A dash of Oregano

1 tablespoon - Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon - Tomato Ketchup

1 pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

Boil some water in a pan and blanch the tomatoes. De-skin and grind to a pulp in a blender. Set Aside.

In a sauce pan, add some olive oil. Add the dry chillies and chopped garlic and fry for a minute until the oil absorbs the flavor or the garlic. Add the sliced spring onions and fry for a minute. Add the capsicum and allow it to soften a bit. Now add the tomatoes and tomato puree and allow the sauce to cook. Once the sauce looses its raw flavour, add the tomato ketchup , salt and sugar and allow it to thicken further.

As the sauce is simmering, heat up a big pan of water and add a dash of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. As the water reaches boiling point, add the pasta and allow it to cook. Once the pasta is cooked "al dente" (or to a biting consistency), remove from fire, drain the water (retain some of the water) and add the pasta to the sauce. Mix well. Add the pasta water if the consistency is too thick. Sprinkle shredded cheese and spring onions and oregano.

I made extra batch of the sauce and stored it in a jar in the fridge. Just remove the extra sauce before adding the pasta - and voila -the next time the pasta craving hits you - all you need to do is boil the pasta, heat the sauce from the jar and mix it up. You can also add other vegetables like corn, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms or shredded chicken or prawns.

A heaped plateful of Pasta with a good novel on a rainy day - Bliss!