White Sauce Fusilli

Hello readers! Can you believe there are only 19 days left until the end of what was supposed to be the last year on earth or something? 2012 was made out to be such a big deal! I still find it so hard to believe that its almost over. It’s been a big year for me, full of surprises and loads of changes. I wish I could sit back and go through all those memories but guess where I’ll be ending the new year?

I’m not sure if I mentioned before that I’m supposed to have what is ultimately my 3rd wedding reception this month in Bangladesh! Yes, third wedding reception, you heard that right. I got married this year in March here in Sydney but originally I was actually supposed to get married at the end of this year. So we booked a venue and everything more than a year ago. And then plans changed so I ended up tying the knot here in Sydney. However that didn’t change much because I’m flying out in about two weeks to get married yet once again.

So once again, fancy clothes, dressing up, sitting on a  chair and smiling at all the random people I keep trying to recognize, but failing to! Anyways, all that aside it will be good to be back and finally start fresh. With uni starting next year I’m more than happy to get back into routine life. I’m also hoping that I’ll still be able to write regular blog posts next year. It would be a shame if I ended up leaving this place neglected after all the care and attention I’ve given to it.

So let’s get on with this post. Last week I made another quick pasta dish which was not supposed to be on this blog because I thought there was nothing special about it. But that all changed after I tasted it. I’m not usually a fan of white sauce pasta,, I prefer red sauce or meaty sauce or a mixture of both. But I was lazy and white sauce is just so much quicker and easier to whip up.

This is a very easy recipe, just chop up some veggies that you like (I had cauliflower in the fridge as well but hubby hates cauliflower in pasta) and then make some good old white pasta sauce. You can try the one from my Two-toned Red and White Fusilli. But I think its almost the same as this one. I had some leftover barbeque chicken from a shop and I used that as well, because let’s face it, I was really lazy when I made this. You can use regular boneless chicken, just cook it with some oil and season with salt and pepper before using it as per the instructions given below.

Note: I’ve written mixed spices so let me explain what that is. I bought something called Noodles spices from a grocery store. Its basically a blend of Moroccan spices, herbs, garlic, ginger and some other stuff. It tastes good with almost anything, very fragrant. As a substitute, feel free to use your own mix of spices. So its the only thing I’ve used along with my standard dried herb mix I always use with pasta- oregano, basil, dried sweet chilli etc.

Ingredients

400 grams fusilli
2 carrots, sliced and cut into halves
1 1/2 cups chopped snow peas
450 grams boneless chicken meat, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
chilli flakes
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons mixed spices (see note above)
dried herbs (oregano, basil, sweet chilli)
White sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Method:

Boil the fusilli in hot water until al dente. Add the chopped carrots and snow peas a few minutes before the end so that they are allowed to boil in the last few minutes. Drain and set aside.

To make white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir until the burnt smell of flour is gone. Pour in the milk and allow to come to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper, and then grated cheese. Set aside.

Add some cooking oil to a large pan. Saute onions, garlic and ginger paste until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the chicken and mixed spices, chilli, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Add the boiled pasta and white sauce, stirring until well mixed.

Garnish with extra cheese and mixed herbs.