Spaghetti in cheese & cream sauce

So this one is a real quick fix and doesn't really need any fancy ingredients. It's quite a flexible recipe and very easy to play around with depending on what you have at home. I made it for dinner today and munched on it with a can of happiness (read Coke).

For one person you definitely need:

• Spaghetti - A handful ( I just grabbed enough to fit my fist and it was just a slightly bigger portion that what I usually can eat)
• Cheese - Any kind really except mozzarella/ stringy cheese. It should basically melt in the sauce. I had 2 cubes of processed cheese and a few smallish (1/2" inch) chunks of cheddar. And I like my pasta cheesy so I put it all in. You can cut down on cheese a bit if you want
• Italian seasoning - Use anything really. I had some leftover oregano and chilli flakes from a pizza I ordered yesterday. So in went 1 small pack (abt 1 tsp) of oregano and a similar portion of chilli flakes
• Olive oil/ butter - 1 tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup with some cream in it
• Onion - 1 small - finely chopped
• Salt - to taste

How to make it:

1. Heat a large pan of water and add spaghetti to it once it comes to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes approx. Check often to see how much you want it cooked. Some want it al-dente and some like it slightly softer. 
2. Drain spaghetti and put in a pan of cold water.  
3. Meanwhile, heat oil/butter & fry the onion till translucent
4. Add milk and cheeses and cook till the cheese melts
5. Add oregano, chilli flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. 
6. Add spaghetti and toss well
7. Serve hot with a slice of garlic toast

Tips to make it better

If you have some more ingredients you can mix and match and make it better

• Got any garlic? Crush and fry it with the onion (step 3 above)
• Fresh coriander? I feel it really goes well with pasta. Give it a quick whirl in the blender, without water. Add to the sauce in step 5 above
• You can use black olives as garnish while serving

Penne in white sauce

I love pasta... there is no time of the day when I'll say no to pasta and a glass of wine. I'm sharing my favorite recipe today, which is also quite popular among my friends. It is a secret weapon i use to establish my reputation as a cook. So here goes...

You'll need:
Penne pasta - 100 gms
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup (peas, broccoli, carrot, corn, mushroom)
Cheese - 6 cubes (use amul/ britannia cheese cubes)
Oregano - 1 tsp (you can also use the leftover seasoning seasoning from any pizza place)
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Milk - 1 cup (slightly warm)
Flour - 1 tsp ( you can use wheat flour or maida)
onion - 1 small - grated or ground to a paste
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Butter - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

How to:
Add some salt to a pan full of water and heat. Once it starts boiling add the pasta to it and cook for 10 minutes or till soft. Drain the water and keep the cooked penne in a pan of iced water.

Blanch the vegetables (except mushrooms) for 2 minutes in boiling water and keep aside.

Heat butter, preferably in a non-stick pan. Add the grated onion and saute till transparent. Add the flour and cook for a minute stirring continuously. Remove from flame and cool a bit. Add milk while stirring the mixture to avoid any lumps. If lumps form just strain the sauce to remove them. Put on medium flame and cook till the sauce starts to thicken. Add some more milk if needed. Add the cheese and stir continuously till it dissolves.

Add all the remaining ingredients including Penne and vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes. Ready to eat.