Pasta with Tomato Sauce

My daughter loves pasta.  This is a very simple,  tomato sauce in the authentic Italian way.  Buying ready tomato pasta sauce is so expensive and the next time you go to use its past the expiry date so all that goes into the bin.  Making this sauce at home is so easy and quick. Try it without any preservatives its healthy and yummy.

Ingredients
For the Tomato Sauce
5-6 Red ripe tomatoes - diced
1 Teaspoon Garlic - minced
1 Onion  - finely chopped
1/2 cup Water
1 Bay leaf
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil 

To make the sauce
1 Onion - finely chopped
1 Teaspoon  Garlic - minced
Salt to taste

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil or 4 -5 Fresh Leaves
Oil  - to saute
1 Cup Farfale Pasta
Water as required by the pasta to boil
Pinch of salt

Grated Cheese for serving

Method

Place the tomatoes in a pressure pan. Add the garlic, onion and bay leaf to it.  Add water and then season with salt and sugar.  Close the pressure pan  and take 3 whistles, switch off the flame.  Cool, remove the bay leaf, then puree it.

In a separate pan, heat oil, add chopped onions and chopped garlic saute for a minute. Add the tomato puree. Cook till its reduces to half.  Add basil leaves or  dried basil and keep aside. Tomato sauce is ready.

Boil the pasta water with salt, let it boil. Drain when done

Transfer in a serving dish and serve with the tomato sauce, top it with cheese and parboiled veggies,  just dig into it and enjoy hmm m yum.   The flavor of the sauce is so delicate, fresh and sweet that it needed nothing at all because I had it without cheese.

This is my entry for the BM #50, theme Pasta with different sauces.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#50.


Labels: Pasta, Blogging Marathon.

Pasta in Cauliflower Cream Sauce

This was my daughter's New year resolution: eating healthy! After a few days she just comes to me and says that she wants to eat pasta but a healthy one?  Now what's healthy in pasta I wondered.  Anyway since she wanted I, made this recipe and served her without any cheese. She looked at it and said Maa you forgot to grate cheese, I smiled,  took the bowl from her, grated  cheese and gave her. Healthy New year resolutions are made to be broken isn't it!!!

This is a creative way to use cauliflower and give proteins, fiber and other nutrients to your kids without them noticing it.   Try this and your kids or even adults will happily relish this and give thumps up for the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Medium size Cauliflower - cut into florets
1 Onion - chopped finely
4 cloves garlic - minced
1.1/2 Cups Vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Cup Elbow Pasta
1 Teaspoon Mixed herbs
Cheese to grate over top
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Olive oil

For the topping
1 cup Fresh Bread crumbs

1/2 Cup Cheese  grated ( I used Gouda)

Method:
Place the cauliflower in a steamer and cook until tender.

While that's cooking, heat butter in a frying pan, add the onion and sauté till soft.  Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes till it emits an aroma. Set aside to cool.

Once cauliflower is done, drain the water and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Place the following in your blender, cauliflower, onion/garlic mixture, salt and pepper and enough broth to make a smooth sauce. Add a little at a time and then blend.

Cook the pasta. Time it so that everything is done at the same time, at this stage I am multitasking.

Heat the frying pan you used for the onions, add the butter and pasta, toss it for a few minutes, add mixed herbs salt and pepper to taste and stir fry for 2  minutes.  Take off flame and keep aside.

In another pan heat the olive oil, add the bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of mixed herbs and stir fry till well coated, take of flame and add the cheese and give it a quick stir.  Keep aside the topping is ready.

Now to put it all together, pasta and add the sauce to the it and stir to combine. 

To serve, plate the pasta in a dish.

Top with the seasoned cheese bread crumbs.

Then grate cheese over the top and serve.My daughter enjoyed this for lunch. After she finished her lunch, casually asked her how was it, replied yummy. Revealed that this sauce was made with cauliflower, no flour and milk is added. She was suprised, said that this was yummy, next time prepare the sauce for the pasta from cauliflower only Maa.

This is my entry for the BM #50, theme Pasta with different sauces.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#50.

Labels: Pasta, Cauliflower, Blogging Marathon.

Mughlai Cauliflower

In this recipe the cauliflower is fried and then used, but wanted to reduce the quantity of oil and keep this as light as possible.  Let me tell you still this gravy tasted yummy and light on the on tummy.  My family enjoyed this Mughlai Cauliflower  for lunch.  So here is the recipe.

Ingredients 

2 small sized Cauliflower (whole) - cut into florets
6 Cups Water
1 Teaspoon Turmeric
1 Teaspoon Garam masala
1 Teaspoon Red chilli powder
2 Green chillies - slit
1 Tablespoon Ginger - Garlic paste
1 Teaspoon  Cumin seeds
2 Teaspoon Coriander seeds
1 inch piece Cinnamon
4  Green Cardamoms
8 - 10 Cashew nuts
2 Large Onions -  finely sliced
4  Tablespoon Milk
1 Cup Tomato puree

2 Tablespoon Paneer - grated
1 Cup water

2 Tablespoon Fresh Cream

1/3 Cup Oil

Method

Cut the cauliflower in small florets, wash and blanche it in 6 cups water. Drain and cool.

Fry the onions till golden  brown.

In a hot tawa dry roast the coriander, cinnamon , cardamons, cashewnuts, cumin seeds  lighlty .

Then powder them in blender,  add the fried onions and grind to paste.

In a pan heat oil add the ground paste, ginger-  garlic paste, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and little water, fry then add the tomato puree, fry well till oil leaves the sides. Add the slit green chillies and fry well.  Add the  paneer, milk and stir till the all is blended, then add the cauliflower give a quick stir,  cover and cook for 3 minutes.  Add a cup of water or more to adjust the gravy consistency and  let it boil till the cauliflower is cooked.  Add the garam masala and give a quick stir then add fresh cream and switch off the flame.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas or nan. 

Lables : Cauliflower, Vegetarian, Main course, Gluten free

Gobhi Kolhapuri Masala / Cauliflower Kolhapuri Masala

Sometimes these ready made masalas are a real blessing. I say this  not because, am marketing their products.  But the other day, had some guest suddenly for dinner and in  the vegetable tray there was only cauliflower.  With  the ready masala mix,  ta.. da.. this sabji was ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients
One Medium size Cauliflower  -  cut into small florets
4 medium size tomatoes
A Packet of Rasoi Magic Veg Kolhapuri Mix

2 + 2 Tablespoons of Oil

1/2 Cup Milk

A tablespoon of butter

A tablespoon of Coriander - finely chopped

Method
Mix entire pack of spice mix to ½ cup of milk.

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan, fry Cauliflower florets to golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside.

In the same pan add a another 2 tablespoons of oil and the  tomato puree or finely chopped tomatoes,  cook for 5 minutes till they are soft and mushy. 

Add spice paste & cook for 2-3 min, add a cup of water & cook for 2 to 3 min. Garnish with a tablespoon of butter and chopped coriander.

Serve hot with phulkas or nan.  It was very delicious and my guest enjoyed their meal.

Labels:  Blogging Marathon, Cauliflower, Vegetarian, Main course   

Stuffed Gobhi (Cauliflower) Parathas

Gobhi paratha is a type of paratha that is stuffed with flavored cauliflower. It is a bread with North Indian origin, and is predominantly popular in the Indian Subcontinent. It is made especially by Punjabi's in Delhi. Crisp and tasty parathas that none can refuse. This is a one dish meal, it is very filling. This can be had for breakfast or dinner or packed as tiffin.

Ingredients

For The Dough
1 Cup Wheat flour
1 Tablespoon Oil
Salt to taste
Water for kneading

For the stuffing

1 Cup  Cauliflower - grated
1 Medium Onion  - finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Ginger-Garlic paste
1 Tablespoon Oil
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Kacha masala
1/4 Teaspoon Garam masala
2 Tablespoon  Coriander leaves- finely chopped
2 Tablespoon Mint leaves - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon  Green Chilly - finely chopped

Other Ingredients

Whole wheat flour for rolling
Oil/ ghee for greasing and cooking

For Serving

Fresh curd / chutney / tomato sauce/pickle

Method
For the dough

Combine the wheat flour, oil and salt in a bowl, mix well and knead into a stiff dough using enough water. Cover with a lid and keep aside for 15 minutes.

For the stuffing

Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the onions,green chilly and cook till onions are light brown add the  ginger-garlic paste and fry well. Then add cauliflower, salt, kacha masala powder and mix well cover and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Open and dry the water if any add the garam masala powder,the coriander, mint leaves, mix well and cook on a medium flame for another minute.
Divide the stuffing into equal portions and keep aside.

Method
Divide the dough into equal portions as the cauliflower mixture.

Roll a portion of the dough into a circle using a little wheat flour and place a portion of the stuffing on the roti, close the edges and roll it into a paratha lightly so that the stuffing does not spill out.

Cook the paratha, using a little ghee till it turns golden brown in color from both the sides. Repeat the same method and make the remaining parathas.

Serve hot with fresh curds, chutney, sauce or pickle. H and I had with curds and sauce for dinner. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doingBM#49.

Labels: Parathas, Cauliflower, Blogging Marathon, Rotis, Indian Breads, Gobhi