[Note: I am getting addicted to the cross process effect from picnik. :)]
Since the other day, I have been craving for pasta in white sauce. I kinda had something I wanted to do in mind but I haven't been cooking this week so that's been simmering in the backburner.
Today, I was working late and Teppie called to let me know she was getting the $6 black pepper chicken from Fair Price, TBP. Instant lightbulb! The white sauce that I have been thinking about can finally be turned into reality.
What You're Going To Need: pasta pot + medium sauce pan
Heat Source: stove top
Ingredients:
250-500g pasta of choice (except lasagna)
bacon slices (the amount of which depends on you)
mushrooms (in this case I only had portobello but I think shiitake would have been the bomb! you can use button too)
1 tall can low fat evaporated milk
2 tbsp cheddar cheese/mozarella
1-2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp garlic
1 chicken cube
salt
pepper
olive oil
dried basil and/or mixed herbs
optional: sugar
optional: 1 tbsp flour dissolved in some water
Procedure:
1. Cook pasta as per the instructions. Let rest.
2. Next, in a sauce pan, over low heat, put olive oil and melt the butter. The olive oil is to ensure that the butter doesn't burn. Once the butter have melted, saute the garlic until it's golden brown. Add the bacon (you can turn up the heat to medium/high at this point to toast the meat).
3. Once the bacon has cooked, add your mushrooms. Continue to saute all the ingredients until the mushrooms have cooked as well.
4. Add the can of low fat evap milk. Season it with the chicken cube, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Let it boil a little bit to help thicken the sauce. Once it has boiled for 3-5minutes, turn the heat to low.
5. Once the sauce has boiled and somewhat thickened, add the cheese. In this case, I decided to put 2 tbsp of my nice cheddar cheese.
Tip #1: In case the sauce is not thick enough for you, pour in some of the water-dissolved flour to make it thicker. Remember to put it little by little as you may find that your sauce has thickened to a goop if you dump everything in one go.
Tip #2: Taste the sauce. If you find it too salty, you can always add a little sugar (or water or milk).
And...
Voila!
You have a nice cream sauce for your pasta. It's that simple! :)
Bon appetit!
(And I only exceeded my personal curfew by 1 minute!)
March 11, 2010 at 9:05 PM
Cool, thanks! i'm doing your salpicao this weekend for my family. :)
Dia
March 11, 2010 at 9:45 PM
Yipee! Let me tell you, Dia, you make my day when you visit my blog. Haha. Nice to know that one of my friends check it out. Have you tried na ba the salpicao before? Suggestion ko lang... before you cook something for the family, test it out muna. Baka mamaya yun timpla is not to your liking eh. You can also cook something you've already tried cooking before. :)