Tricolor Pasta Pie with Cheese Garlic Bread

Pasta is a dish loved by people all over the world and there are many variants of these available everywhere now! The colors of Indian and Italian national flags are almost identical except for a wheel and saffron color in Indian flag! What better treat could one think of celebrating Indian Independence day other than Tricolor Pasta Pie with Cheese Garlic bread!

Pasta Ingredients( Serves Four/Time to prepare 1.5 hours )

Basic Ingredients

1.       Two cups Del Monte  pasta

2.       One medium size cauliflower

3.       A few strands of beans

4.       One cup sweet corn

5.       One a cup cream

6.       Two cubes of cheese-50 gm

7.       Spinach- 100 gm shredded

8.       Diced carrots 100 gm

9.       Extra virgin Olive oil/Cooking Oil-5 table spoon

10.   Salt –to taste

11.   Sugar- Two tablespoon

12.   Baking powder- half tea spoon

13.   All purpose flour-One cup-150 gm

14.   Seasoning- Onion, Garlic, Chili powder/Optional - Basil leaves

15.   Milk- Two table spoon

Method

Preparing the base

The Pie base made from dough

1.       Spread the all-purpose flour on a clean platform and add half a teaspoon baking powder, half a tea spoon of salt and one tablespoon of Olive oil and mix the contents with hand.

2.       Take a bowl full of water and warm it over the flame till the heat is bearable and turn off the heat

3.       Now knead the dough with warm water till you are able to roll it into a ball, without sticking and is soft in texture. Set this aside for half an hour in a cool place.
4. Roll it with a pin into a thin sheet

5.       Apply some oil on the base of the dish where the pasta pie will be baked and spread the sheet of dough uniformly to cover the bottom and the four sides of the dish. Keep aside a small ball of the dough for decorating the pie at the end

Preparing the Pasta

Pasta on boil

1.        Peel /Cut all vegetables into small pieces.

2.       Take two cup pasta and pour it in a wok with half a liter of boiling water, one  spoon  of oil and little salt and  simmer for 10-15 minutes over a low flame till the pasta becomes almost double in size and gets tender. Remove it from the heat and sieve it in a filter and pour cold water over the pasta and keep it aside. Split it into two portions.

Saute the chopped vegetables

3.       Warm a pan and add two table spoon of olive oil.Once it is hot, pour the chopped vegetables, beans, cauliflower florets, ¾ cup sweet corn and diced carrots to sauté for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the vegetables. Split the contents into two halves.

Saute chopped Spinach and Corn

4.       Put another pan, on heat and add half a table spoon of olive oil and add the chopped spinach and balance ¼ cup sweet corn and sauté for 10 minutes till tender. Add a little seasoning  of onion and chili garlic powder and allow it to cool

Garlic Bread preparation

Preparation of Pasta in Red Sauce

Cooking Pasta in Red Sauce

1.       Take the chopped tomatoes and blend them in the mixer into a smooth paste. Add a little water if required.

2.       Take a pan and pour one table spoon olive oil and turn on the heat. Pour the tomato puree into the container and allow it to cook for 10 minutes over low heat.

3.       Add half the sauté vegetable (beans, cauliflower, sweet corn and carrots) and half the boiled pasta and stir the contents. Add two spoons of cream and mix.

4.       After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and add seasoning of chili garlic and onion powder, salt and half a spoon of sugar and set it aside to cool

Preparation of Pasta in White Sauce

1.       Take a pan and pour the remaining cream and turn on the low heat

2.       Add the last half of sauté vegetables(beans, cauliflower, sweet corn and carrots), the remaining boiled pasta (second half)

3.       Turn off the heat and add seasoning of chili garlic, onion powder, salt to taste and  half a spoon of sugar and allow it to cool

Preparation of Pasta Pie

1.       Pick up the pie container lined with flour sheet and pour the pasta cooked in white sauce as the first layer

2.    Then pour the sauté corn and spinach as the second layer.
3.  Arrange the last layer of pasta cooked in red sauce

4.       Garnish the top layer with shredded cheese .Make small boxes carved out of the remaining dough strips on top. Wash the small boxes  with a little milk with a brush.

5.       Keep this in the preheated oven for 35 minutes at 240 degree centigrade till the  top crust turns golden brown

6.       Remove from the oven and cut into tricolored slices and serve with garlic bread

Bon Appetit!

PS: This is my Blog Post entry for the great Del Monte Italian Escapade/Indiblogger sponsored contest(https://www.facebook.com/DelMonteIndia.)