Penne in Corn-Spinach Sauce

It was another weeknight. All I wanted to do was make a quick dinner, eat and hit the bed. S, however, was in no hurry to eat. I found a bunch of spinach in the fridge and suddenly I found myself thinking about the past. The days I spent in Chennai as a working girl. Those years were very different from the ones I spent growing up. I had, after all, left, seen a bit of the world, and then returned. I worked at a place where I thought of few people as colleagues. They were mostly friends. We had loads of fun, had many parties together, and ate out an awful lot. One of the places that we frequented was the Red E Food Court. I loved the casseroles and baked dishes we got there. One of those dishes was white sauce based with chopped spinach and sweet corn. They served it with some garlic bread. Pure bliss.

I had no bread and so I decided to put some pasta into the sauce and make it a complete meal. That's when things changed a bit. I decided I didn't feel like chopping the spinach. So dinner that evening took a green turn. Here's how.

1 cup Penne, cooked

1 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Flour

1 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Basil

1 tsp Chilli flakes

1/2 tsp Garlic Paste

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 slice Low Fat Cheese (optional)

1 bunch Spinach, cooked and pureed

1/2 cup Sweet Corn Kernels

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic paste, parsley, basil and chilli flakes and fry for a minute. Add the flour and fry for a minute without browning the flour. Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously. Add the spinach puree and corn. If adding cheese, add it at this point and stir the sauce well. As the sauce thickens, add the salt and pepper. When the sauce is thick, add the pasta and mix well.

I was not sure how the dish would taste as I just turned lazy and pureed the spinach instead of chopping it. But not only was the colour appealing, the taste was wonderful. I suppose it is OK to be lazy every once in a while after all.

Do check out the blogs of these lovely ladies: DK , Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Anu, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya M, Lakshmi.