Mac in bechamel sauce / Pasta in white sauce

Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, Also commonly used to refer to the variety of pasta dishes, pasta is typically a noodlemade from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water or eggs and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. As an alternative for those wanting a different taste, or who need to avoid products containing gluten, some pastas can be made using rice flour in place of wheat. Pastas may be divided into two broad categories, dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca).

 

Most dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion process although it can be produced in most homes. Fresh pasta was traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines,but today many varieties of fresh pasta are also commercially produced by large-scale machines, and the products are widely available in supermarkets.Common forms of pasta include long shapes, short shapes, tubes, flat shapes and sheets, miniature soup shapes, filled or stuffed and specialty or decorative shapes. As a category in Italian cuisine, both fresh and dried pastas are classically used in one of three kinds of prepared dishes. 

This is my first attempt in making pasta along with the white sauce. I have been doing pasta only with the store bought sauces. I have been longing to try out these pastas. I loved it.

Ingredients:

• Butter -2 tbsp
• Maida - 1 1/2 tsp
• Milk - 2 cups
• Salt
• Pepper powder -1/2 tsp
• Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
• Mixed herbs - 2 tsp
• Elbow pasta - one cup
• Capsicum - half finely chopped
• Mushroom - 4 chopped
• Carrot - half finely chopped
• Garlic cloves - 4-5 finely chopped
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Water
• Cheese slices -3

Method:

• In a vessel, heat water to boil pasta. Add the mac pasta, salt and few drops of oil.
• Allow it to boil for 7 mins. Once the pasta is boiled, strain it and run  through the cold water.
• In a pan, add olive oil, fry the chopped garlic. Add the carrot, capsicum and mushroom and saute for a while. 
• Add salt, chilli flakes , herbs and pepper powder . Fry them until the veggies are cooked but still little crunchy.
• Take the veggies and keep it seperately.
• In the same pan, add the butter, once it is melted, add the maida flour.
• Roast it nicely in the butter without turning into brown.
• Now add half of milk and stur continuously so that lumps is not formed.
• When it starts to thicken, add some more milk , cheese and stir completely until the cheese is fully melted. Add little herbs and chilli flakes to this.
• Add salt only for the sauce. Now add the fried veggies and give it a mix.
• Finally add the boiled pasta and stir it in sauce. This white sauce is called bechamel sauce.

Serve it hot , if u want u can garnish some grated cheddar cheese or herbs.