Fusilli with rosemary cream sauce

Rosemary is my favourite of all the Italian herbs. There are a million ways to use this herb and this one is the simplest. It provides such a beautiful base flavour to the cream sauce that you don’t need much else to carry it through. I have kept the sauce very simple with basic seasoning and simple veggies that you can buy from your vendor next door. This is a very easy and quick recipe, perfectly suited for a small bunch of girlfriends on a girls’ stay-over night, or even a candle light dinner date. Creamy, cheesy and so more-ish!




Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 20min
Cooking time: 20min


Ingredients
Fusilli pasta, 1 fistful per person
3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp butter
1½ tbsp plain flour
400-500ml milk
Black olives, pitted and sliced
1 Green bell pepper, chopped into medium cubes
1 onion chopped into medium cubes
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2-3tbsp fresh cream
Grated parmesan cheese
Grated processed cheese, 1 cube
Nutmeg powder
Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Method
Boil water in a big saucepan. Add the fusilli to the boiling water with some salt and a few drops of olive oil. Allow the pasta to cook 3/4ths and drain into a sieve. Pour cold water on the cooked pasta to cool it, and prevent it from clumping together. Loosen the pasta with your fingers; add a few more drops of olive oil if required. Keep aside.

For the sauce, heat butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add flour and roast until golden brown on a low flame. Remove from heat, and allow it to cool completely. Add 2‑3tbsp milk to the cooled flour and mix thoroughly dissolving any lumps. Add rest of the milk to the pan and simmer for 5-6 min, stirring continuously till the sauce thickens. Season with salt and ground black pepper; add the grated processed cheese, fresh cream and a sprig of rosemary. Add a pinch of nutmeg powder and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Keep aside.

Heat olive oil and some butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a minute till brown. Add a sprig of rosemary, and the cubed onions. Sauté till the onions golden. Now add the olives and green bell peppers. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir for a minute. To this, add the cooked fusilli, and the cream sauce. Boil for 2-3 minutes until all the elements come together. Mix gently, making sure not to disrupt the fusilli.

Serve with a fresh sprig of rosemary and some grated parmesan cheese.

Bench notes
Be careful while you make the sauce, as the smallest of lumps can change the consistency of the sauce.

Do not overcook the pasta. Remember to drain it while it is still only 3/4ths cooked. The intrinsic heat will help it to cook through within no time; and the pasta will cook again in the final sauce.

This cream sauce is very versatile in its flavouring. Add one herb, or many. Use dried oregano, or fresh basil, or a mixture of fresh rosemary and thyme. You can even make a sauce with sage leaves and scatter roasted pine nuts on top; or tarragon leaves with a splodge of lemon juice. Serve with a cold Greek salad or just a few rocket leaves dressed with salt, pepper and olive oil. The options are never-ending.

You can grow many of these herbs in your garden, or even in one big pot kept in your balcony. Most of these require medium sunshine, and can be grown together in one large, wide pot. They grow well in our winter months, but might be unable to sustain the dreadful summer heat; and so growing them in a pot will give you the flexibility to control temperature, sunshine, rain etc. Most of these herbs will be available in winter in local nurseries. Not that exotic anymore, are they?