Pasta in white sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

4 cups pasta (macaroni/penne/ fusilli /farfalle /ruote)
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
2 cups milk
3 tbsp plain flour (maida)
30 gm butter
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup sweet corn
1 cup chopped/sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup chopped french beans

Optional - 2 tbsp grated cheese (processed/cheddar/ parmesan)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp olive oil/veg oil

Method:

1. Cook the pasta in boiling water with some salt. Drain and set aside.

2. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the broccoli and steam cook for 3 minutes.

3. Heat the olive oil in a pan add the onions, cook on low heat until the onion is transparent, add garlic and cook on low heat for another minute.

4. Add the carrots and french beans, stir, cover the pan and cook for 5 min or till the carrot is almost cooked.

5. In the meantime - in a bowl, sieve the flour, add 1/3 of the milk and beat or stir to a smooth paste, gradually add the rest of the milk while stirring and ensuring there are no lumps. Melt the butter and add while stirring into the flour-milk mix. Set aside.

6. Add the sweet corn, mushroom and dried herbs to the pan - cook for a further 3 minutes on medium heat.

7. Add the flour - milk- butter mix gradually to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the liquid starts to bubble.

8. Add the pasta, stir, add salt to taste, add the pepper and then the broccoli. Turn the heat off and mix everything.

9. Serve hot and sprinkle the grated cheese on top if you wish.

Note: If the white sauce becomes lumpy, pass it through a sieve to get rid of the lumps. The white/bechamel sauce is made in different way to ensure the butter is kept to a minimum. You can add some diced chicken with the onions if you like and follow the rest of the recipe.