Penne Alfredo (minus the Cream)

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Notice anything different? The blog has got
its own domain now and a logo as well! Let me know what you think about the new
look…

Now let’s talk food & Italy! In my first post for 2013 I had written about
visiting a country and eating local. And last night I was invited by ITC Grand
Central, Mumbai to a five-course dinner by Chef Carmelo Floridia,
which gave me a chance of tasting some Sicilian cuisine, paired with some lovely wines from the region. Wine & conversation flowed at the hotel’s Terrace Garden, an open-air venue, on a pleasantly cool Mumbai evening.

So how about an Italian recipe today? I have found that many readers have been
coming to this web site searching for “Italian recipes for pasta” on Google. So here’s a healthy take on Penne
Alfredo. This is also in keeping with my promise of posting more
vegetarian recipes. You can replace the penne with any other short pasta shape
for this recipe – fusilli, farfalle, macaroni etc.

And if you absolutely must include
some meat in it, I’d recommend bacon!

This recipe serves two people, as a main dish.

You’ll need:

250g Pasta (I generally use Barilla)
200g Mushrooms (button or Portobello variety;
I’ve used the latter in this recipe)
5-6 cloves of Garlic, grated or finely chopped
1tbsp All-purpose Flour
50ml warm Milk (adjust as per thickness of
sauce)
1tsp Dried Mixed herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme
etc.)
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
1tsp Butter
Fresh Basil
A bit of Parmigiano cheese for garnish

How to:

Start by boiling enough water as
per the pasta packet instructions.
Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and
chop them.

Heat a non-stick pan or skillet on
a high flame and add 2tbsp olive oil. Toss in the mushrooms and sauté till
done. Make sure that the pan is very hot before you add the mushrooms, so that
they cook quickly and don’t ‘sweat’.

Add some salt and pepper and set
aside.
Start cooking the pasta at this
point.
In the hot pan toss around the
garlic so that it releases its aroma. Add 1tbsp olive oil and butter.
Add in the flour and mix well.
Keep stirring and do not let it become brown.
Quickly add the milk and stir so
that no lumps are formed. Cook the sauce on a low flame. If it thickens too
much add some more milk.

Once the sauce is cooked, add the
sautéed mushrooms. Check the seasonings and adjust.

Also add the dried herbs and mix
well. Tear a few basil leaves and add to the sauce.
Once the pasta is cooked al dente,
mix in with sauce.
Before serving, garnish with some
grated parmigiano and a sprig of basil.
Buon appetito!