Recipe: Sarab's Penne With Jalapenos, Mushrooms And Sundried Tomatoes.

The joy of pasta is eating it with sparingly sauteed vegetables and a dash of cheese, so the dish is not too heavy and the vegetables retain a little bite and crispness.

Chef Sarab Kapoor offers her simple but appetising recipe for Penne With Jalapenos, Mushrooms And Sundried Tomatoes.

The jalapenos contribute the spice. Mushrooms and the tomatoes add body and tanginess. When you finish it off with a little cheese and the spinach you have a lightly-cooked, gournet pasta offering far tastier than you could imagine. 

The author of Cook Love Eat with Sarab, Chef Kapoor, who is self-trained, applies her culinary skills flamboyantly to everything from Kashmiri lamb curry to white chocolate cheesecake.

Penne With Jalapenos, Mushrooms And Sundried Tomatoes

Serves: 2

• 250 gm uncooked penne
• 4 pods garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped jalapenos
• 5-6 sundried tomatoes, soaked and sliced
• 150 gm baby spinach
• 150 gm mushrooms, shimeji or button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
• ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 3-4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Method

• Boil the penne till al dente -- not too soft in 3 cups of water in a saucepan over high heat.
  Al dente means 'to the tooth' or pasta that has a bite to it.
  Packets of pasta usually have their cooking time listed on them.
  To make a pasta al dente, subtract one minute or 1½ minutes from the cooking time.
  Drain the pasta in a channi or colander that you have kept already ready over a pot and keep aside 1 cup of the pasta water.
  Keep aside the pasta too.
• Heat the butter along with the olive oil in a frying pen over medium heat and sauté the garlic in it for a few minutes.
  Add the jalapenos, sundried tomatoes and cook for a minute.
  Add the mushrooms and sauté till the mushrooms are cooked.
  Add the salt, cooked pasta, baby spinach, pepper along with a little of the pasta water and cook for a few minutes more.
  Take off heat and add the Parmesan cheese and toss well and serve immediately.

Chef Sarab Kapoor lives in Singapore and is a television personality, cookbook author and culinary consultant.

• REDIFF FOOD