Fulfilling macaroni
My family loves warm tasty comfort food deluged in either white sauce or cream and some cheese especially when they watch a nice long movie on the telly. And its my chance to get away with a quick but flavourful one-dish meal. My kids' friends also love this and there have been many requests for this, time and again. I love this sort of a one-dish meal when we return after a long tiring day outside home (and when we are not able to work a nice restaurant meal into our schedule). This is a very simple dish which has many borrowed elements and I love to experiment with it each time. Some times I put in only veggies and sometimes there is some chicken or meat in it. At other times, it could be a combination of this and that...really, a dish that happens a little differently each time I make it. I use locally available ingredients, but you can use what ever you think will do.
(As a very young child, my son would term any dish that he particularly liked as "fulfilling".....that used to tickle us no end....probably, he meant that he had eaten as much as he could and so he was all full up...and so this name, as he loves this dish.)
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time : about 30 to 45 minutes
Ingredients
1. "Bambino" macaroni - about 350 gms or 2 small packets
2. Onion chopped - about 1 cup
3. Red tomatoes chopped - 1 cup
4. Garlic chopped - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Ginger finely grated - 1 teaspoon
6. Cut mixed vegetables like french beans, peas, carrots, bell peppers etc - 1 cup
7. Chicken (boneless medium sized pieces) - 1/2 to 1 cup
8. Cheese grated - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
9. Cream - 200 gms
10. Salt to taste
11. Fresh black pepper powder - 1 tsp
12. Chilli flakes according to taste
13. Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
14. Oil (preferably olive) - 2 tablespoons
15. Water
Method
These are just guidelines.
1. I like to use "Bambino" brand macaroni for this recipe as it absorbs any liquid or sauce. (The macaroni becomes coated with the sauce. Use any quick cooking macaroni that promises to mop up the sauce.)
2. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil and saute items 2, 4 and 5 in any order. I do not brown these. (I find grated ginger cuts the cloying taste of cheese and cream.)
3. Add the tomatoes, salt and chicken. Saute till the chicken is cooked more or less.
4. Add water to the above. The water should be twice the amount of macaroni. (So, if you have 1 cup of uncooked macaroni, you have to add 2 cups of water.) Let everything boil.
5. Add the macaroni. Let it half-cook. Add the pepper, chilli flakes and oregano. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more.
6. Open and tip in all the cream and cheese. Stir well and adjust the seasoning. Heat covered for 1 more minute.
7. Serve hot with a green salad.
Tip
I like to do till step 3 and do the rest when its time to eat.
Or else I like to do up till step 6 and then put everything in an oven proof dish. Cool. Keep in the fridge and bake till piping hot when needed.
I have mentioned chicken here, but really, you can use any meat. The only condition is that it should be bite-sized, boneless and quickly cooked. Sausage or ham bits can be used also. I like to use what ever I have on hand at home, though I have never tried this with seafood. If there is no meat, then this becomes a vegetarian dish.
If you don't have cream, you could add some white sauce to the macaroni or a little full cream milk.
Add some chopped coriander, parsley, green shallots, chopped boiled eggs or even some "paneer" (Indian cottage cheese), if you wish, at step 6.
This is a good chance to use up the oregano and chilli flake packets that the pizza delivery boys bring.
The proportions of ingredients are not hard and fast...you can add or subtract as you wish.
My family loves warm tasty comfort food deluged in either white sauce or cream and some cheese especially when they watch a nice long movie on the telly. And its my chance to get away with a quick but flavourful one-dish meal. My kids' friends also love this and there have been many requests for this, time and again. I love this sort of a one-dish meal when we return after a long tiring day outside home (and when we are not able to work a nice restaurant meal into our schedule). This is a very simple dish which has many borrowed elements and I love to experiment with it each time. Some times I put in only veggies and sometimes there is some chicken or meat in it. At other times, it could be a combination of this and that...really, a dish that happens a little differently each time I make it. I use locally available ingredients, but you can use what ever you think will do.
(As a very young child, my son would term any dish that he particularly liked as "fulfilling".....that used to tickle us no end....probably, he meant that he had eaten as much as he could and so he was all full up...and so this name, as he loves this dish.)
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time : about 30 to 45 minutes
Ingredients
1. "Bambino" macaroni - about 350 gms or 2 small packets
2. Onion chopped - about 1 cup
3. Red tomatoes chopped - 1 cup
4. Garlic chopped - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Ginger finely grated - 1 teaspoon
6. Cut mixed vegetables like french beans, peas, carrots, bell peppers etc - 1 cup
7. Chicken (boneless medium sized pieces) - 1/2 to 1 cup
8. Cheese grated - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
9. Cream - 200 gms
10. Salt to taste
11. Fresh black pepper powder - 1 tsp
12. Chilli flakes according to taste
13. Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
14. Oil (preferably olive) - 2 tablespoons
15. Water
Method
These are just guidelines.
1. I like to use "Bambino" brand macaroni for this recipe as it absorbs any liquid or sauce. (The macaroni becomes coated with the sauce. Use any quick cooking macaroni that promises to mop up the sauce.)
2. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil and saute items 2, 4 and 5 in any order. I do not brown these. (I find grated ginger cuts the cloying taste of cheese and cream.)
3. Add the tomatoes, salt and chicken. Saute till the chicken is cooked more or less.
4. Add water to the above. The water should be twice the amount of macaroni. (So, if you have 1 cup of uncooked macaroni, you have to add 2 cups of water.) Let everything boil.
5. Add the macaroni. Let it half-cook. Add the pepper, chilli flakes and oregano. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more.
6. Open and tip in all the cream and cheese. Stir well and adjust the seasoning. Heat covered for 1 more minute.
7. Serve hot with a green salad.
Tip
I like to do till step 3 and do the rest when its time to eat.
Or else I like to do up till step 6 and then put everything in an oven proof dish. Cool. Keep in the fridge and bake till piping hot when needed.
I have mentioned chicken here, but really, you can use any meat. The only condition is that it should be bite-sized, boneless and quickly cooked. Sausage or ham bits can be used also. I like to use what ever I have on hand at home, though I have never tried this with seafood. If there is no meat, then this becomes a vegetarian dish.
If you don't have cream, you could add some white sauce to the macaroni or a little full cream milk.
Add some chopped coriander, parsley, green shallots, chopped boiled eggs or even some "paneer" (Indian cottage cheese), if you wish, at step 6.
This is a good chance to use up the oregano and chilli flake packets that the pizza delivery boys bring.
The proportions of ingredients are not hard and fast...you can add or subtract as you wish.
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