'Cookin in pajamas ': Vegetable Pasta Bake

Olive Oil : During our visit to a renowned exhibition in Delhi, ( India International Trade Fair that is held every year) we took some real good information about Olive Oil, the uses of it and how it can be incorporated in Indian cooking from a chef who was at one of the food stalls. Olive oil surely does have a lot of health benefits. No doubt, it is costlier than our normal vegetable cooking oil, but the nutrients and health value is way at par.

Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and Vitamin E... so it can also be applied to skin and hair for enrichment. Consumption of Olive oil in food helps boost immune system and also helps fight diseases such as Cancer, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Obesity , Osteoporosis etc.

As told by the chef,

Olive Oil comes in 3 types :

Olive Pomace oil : Used for Indian cooking

Olive Virgin oil : Used for Italian and other dishes where cooking(heating) is involved

Extra Virgin Olive oil : This oil should not be heated and can be added to salads, pastas, as a dressing.

We got enthusiastic and bought a bottle of each and regularly use olive oil in our salads, sandwiches or Italian dishes.

One such yummy dish i made with Olive oil was the Baked Pasta. Husband is not much of a fan of Pasta, but i love it. I love all the Italian dishes - Risotto being my favourite ( Yes, i am going to learn to make it soon :)) But when i made this dish, and gave as a lunch tiffin to hubby, he loved it !!! It tastes just so yummy with all the herbs and cheese...

A must- try for all the Pasta Lovers...

Ingredients

Virgin Olive oil - 3 tbsp

Garlic - 1 tbsp ( chopped )

Onions ( can use spring onions too ) - 2 ( Sliced round and not too thin )

Tomatoes - 2 big ( Boil a little, remove the skin and cut each into 4 parts )

Carrot - 1 ( chopped )

Mushroom - 3-4 ( cut into halves )

Corn - 1/4 cup ( cut into 3-4 pieces each ) ( You can also use baby corn instead of corn, around 3-4 )

Brinjal ( Optional ) - 1 ( Chopped into big pieces )

Cauliflower florets - 4-5 florets ( You can also use Broccoli instead of Cauliflower or both... Choice of vegetables is up to you... You can be as creative and even use Zucchini, Bell Peppers or any other vegetable )

Capsicum - 1-2 ( chopped )

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf - 1
Mozzarella cheese - 4 tbsp ( Or as much as you want !!! Cheesy is yummm)

Tomato puree - 1/2 cup

Pasta ( Use any of your choice...) - 1/2 cup

Salt - to taste

And.....

Pepper :))) - To taste

Tulsi leaves - for Garnishing

Olives - for Garnishing

Oregano - To taste

Red chilli flakes - to taste

Extra Virgin Olive oil - to sprinkle on top

For the white sauce :

Butter - 1 tbsp

Maida ( All purpose flour ) - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1 cup

Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Recipe :

Boil Pasta in 2.5 cups of water. Add little ( 1 tbsp) olive oil and salt to it while boiling. Once done, Drain and set aside.

To make the white sauce, heat butter in a kadhai. Add the garlic paste and maida to it and saute for a minute. Now add the milk. Make sure there are no lumps formed of maida, when you add the milk, so stir while you add and add slowly. Now put the flame on high and cook it until it thickens and becomes like a sauce. Add salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a kadhai/ pan and add the chopped garlic. After about 30 secs, add the round sliced onions and saute it on high flame for about 1 minute. Now add the Mushroom and Carrots and stir fry it for another 3-4 minutes.

Now add the Cauliflower, Corn, Brinjal, Bay leaf, Tomatoes and mix it all well. Cook it ( covered ) for about 5 minutes.

Add the capsicum and tomato puree. Let it cook for another minute or two.

Now add the sugar, salt and pepper.

Lastly, add the boiled pasta into this vegetable mixture.

Grease a baking dish with olive oil.