Penne Pasta 4 ways

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Video recipe showcasing 4 basic penne pasta recipes- an easy and quick tomato basil penne pasta, penne in white sauce with olives, cilantro pesto pasta salad and a chicken pasta bake. 

Del Monte Penne Pastabilities from Shumaila Chauhan on Vimeo.

Disclaimer: While I was paid by Del Monte to make the video, this post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own and I do love and use their pastas even when I am not shooting for them.

My last post was a month back! So what’s been up with me in the last month?

Well, mostly client work. Edits. Deadlines. Diwali. Weddings. An aging grandfather 🙁 . And a serious addiction to jezebel.com scary story contest section (more about that below).

One of the things that kept me busy last month was this video I made for Del Monte- penne pasta 4 ways, highlighting the “pastabilities” with a single shape of pasta. The video showcases 4 different basic pasta recipes which everyone should know and have in their repertoire- an easy and quick tomato basil penne pasta, penne in white sauce with olives, cilantro pesto pasta salad and a chicken pasta bake.

Tomato and basil pasta

 

The first recipe in the video is a basic tomato and basil pasta. The recipe I used is a variation of this recipe I have posted earlier. It is an even quicker version of the recipe.

The second is penne in white sauce. White sauce is basically a sauce made from butter, flour and milk. The simplest way to make it is to remember the flour and butter are added in equal ratio and for each tablespoon of flour/butter added you add 1/2 cup milk to make the sauce. I generally use 3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp flour and 1 1/2 cups milk. The key to make a nice creamy sauce is to make sure you add your milk gradually, whisking it as you added so that no lumps are formed. You can add more milk to get the desired consistency if required. To add more flavor you can also add a pinch of nutmeg, chili flakes, herbs.

Cilantro Pesto pasta Salad

The third is a cilantro pesto salad. Pesto is traditionally made with basil but since in India, it is not always easily available, this one is a cilantro pesto salad. And also since pine nuts are super expensive in India, made the pesto with walnuts instead. The recipe is similar to my basil and almond pesto and you just need to substitute the basil with the cilantro and the almonds with the walnuts.

The fourth is my chicken pasta bake recipe. I love this pasta recipe and it is great for make ahead dinners. You can find the recipe here.

Easy Chicken and Mushroom pasta Bake

Coming back to jezebel.com and their scary story contest. Do you love scary stories? The true kinds? Well, then I would suggest get on the site. People have shared their true (or at least what they believe is true) experiences. Some of the stories are paranormal, some involve actual human beings. I think the ones with actual people are more frightening, since there is no doubt that they happened.

I have been on the site almost every free time I have. At night I stay up late to read, then in the morning I narrate the best ones to my parents. If you know me, you know I love scary stuff. I get s**t scared too, but it never stops me from reading or seeing scary movies. I am sharing a few of my favorites from the site below. I haven’t yet gone through all the threads, so if you find a particularly frightening story, please share the link.

  1. The one about Alice and Jim
  2. Look at me
  3. The one with the girl in Cincinnati 

Also, if you try any of these recipes please do tag me on instagram, Facebook, twitter or leave a comment here.

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ROASTED BELL PEPPER AND BLACK OLIVE PASTA SALAD

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This pasta salad is full of flavor from fresh tomatoes, roasted bell pepper and black olives. Tossed with an easy to make dressing, and fresh parsley and making use of whole wheat penne makes a quick and healthy lunch or is perfect to make ahead for a picnic or lunchbox.

Roasted bell pepper and black olive pasta salad

I don’t know if you have tried the TSRI’s pasta salad from the blog, but it’s one of my favorite pasta salads. This roasted bell pepper and black olive pasta salad recipe is adapted from that recipe and if you love pasta salads you will love this one.

Roasting bell pepper is one of my favorite things to do, so much so that I love to use it in my indian tomato based curries too. My homemade pasta sauce also uses roasted red bell pepper. The added flavor that roasted bell pepper imparts to a sauce, or salad is absolutely amazing.

Roasted bell pepper and black olive pasta salad

Roasted bell pepper and black olive pasta salad

Its really hot here in India. Hot and humid. We have got no rains so far, with the clouds teasing us almost every other day. Entering the kitchen to cook is something I dread, because I know I will come out feeling like taking a shower immediately. Recipes like this easy pasta salad where the only cooking involved is cooking the pasta, and the oven takes care of the roasting bit, are a welcome respite.

I have been thinking of starting a small herb garden. We do grow mint and for a brief period had successfully grown thyme and oregano too. In US, I had a flourishing basil plant and there was always more basil than I could use. Every time I make pasta or pizza, I tell myself I should grow basil, parsely, thyme at home instead of traveling 30 minutes for a small bunch of these herbs.

Using fresh herbs always makes a difference to your salads, or the sauces used in pastas and pizzas. I would recommend using fresh whenever you can.

If you try this recipe, do please tag me on any of the following platforms- instagram, facebook, twitter or leave a comment here.

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Panna Cotta with Roasted Peaches

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This easy panna cotta recipe with toasted oat crumble and roasted peaches is a great summer entertaining dessert. Sharing a video tutorial on how to make panna cotta and get the slanted presentation look.

Panna Cotta with toasted Oat crumble and roasted peaches

Summer is stone fruit season. Summer also means hot days. You want easy recipes that don’t take too much time in the kitchen. And if you are like me, you want to make use of all the stone fruits possible for fruit based desserts.

If you are entertaining and looking for an easy summer dessert recipe, panna cotta is a lovely option. Despite being cream based, panna cotta is a light dessert and when you pair it with roasted peaches and some toasted oat crumble you get a myriad of textures and flavors.

The slightly tart and sweet roasted peaches complement the creamy panna cotta. The toasted oat crumble gives a crunchy texture. I love desserts where you get to experience different textures. After watching multiple episodes of Masterchef Australia, I realized how just adding a few more elements with complementing flavors and textures can lift a dessert from being simple to wow.

Both the toasted oat crumble and roasted peaches come together quickly. Make the panna cotta first, since it takes about 4 hours to set, and while the panna cotta is setting, make the toasted oat crumble and roasted peaches. The only tricky part of this panna cotta recipe is mixing the warmed cream with the bloomed gelatin. You have to be careful not to get lumps. But in case you do, that too can be taken care of by passing the mixture through a sieve.

Bakeware from Chef’s Gateway, Jagat Singhs & Sons

When you are ready to serve, do not forget to add the mint. It is what gives freshness to this dessert. Panna cotta is best served immediately after it is set. If let to stay for longer than a day or two, the gelatin makes the panna cotta rubbery. You could counter that effect by letting the panna cotta sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. But I don’t think it would last that long in the refrigerator!

Remember when I used to make food videos for the blog? I took a break in between and now while I make videos for clients, I hadn’t been making for the blog any more. I am planning to change that. Today, with the recipe, I am also sharing a short video tutorial for the panna cotta.

This video would not have been possible without the help of my friend Anubhav (you can follow his work here), who helped me with shooting the footage. We worked on another video together too, and I will share the recipe and the video for that soon. Hope you like the video. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

The panna cotta recipe is the same as the one I used for the panna cotta with roasted strawberries (another great recipe to try this summer). There are so many ways you can serve panna cotta. And even though it looks super fancy, its very quick and easy to make. I hope you get to try it out. If you do try the recipe, do let me know. You can share your pictures by tagging me on instagram, facebook, twitter or by leaving a comment here.

Panna Cotta with Toasted Oat crumble and Roasted peaches from Shumaila Chauhan on Vimeo.

Video : Anubhav Sood and MuddyChoux Photography

Music : Remember me by SeaStock

Recipe : Shumaila Chauhan

5.0 from 2 reviews
Panna Cotta with Toasted Oat Crumble and Roasted Peaches {Video Recipe}
 
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Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: serves 8
Ingredients
For the Panna Cotta
  • 1 litre heavy cream (or half-and-half )
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 4 tsp powdered gelatin
  • 6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water
  • Fresh mint leaves, to garnish
For the roasted peaches:
  • 6 peaches, cut into slices
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ½ tsp lemon zest
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp bourbon/brandy
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For the oat crumble
  • 4 tbsp melted butter
  • 4 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp oats
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp crushed almonds
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
Instructions
For the Panna Cotta:
  1. Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan.
  2. Once the sugar is dissolved, and the cream is substantially warm, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  3. Lightly grease the custard cups or any mould that you are using for your panna cotta with a neutral-tasting oil.
  4. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes till it swells up.
  5. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
  6. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups. If you are wary whether your gelatin has set or not, strain the mixture before pouring into the cups.
  7. Chill the panna cotta until firm, which will take at least two hours but preferably let them set for at least four hours.
  8. If you’re pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets so you can serve them in the glasses, without unmolding. To get the slanting look, hold the glasses in a slanting position with the help of loaf pan, or a dish that comfortably holds them at a slant. Pour the cream-gelatin mix mix into glasses until half full. Allow to chill in slanting position until set. .
  9. To make Panna Cotta with sheet gelatin: Soften 25g (approximately six sheets) in a liter of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Wring the sheets out and stir them into the warm Panna Cotta mixture in step # 4, until dissolved.
For the peaches:
  1. Preheat oven to 220 C. Slice the peaches and remove the stones. Arrange on baking tray. Sprinkle with brown sugar, honey, lemon zest, brandy/bourbon, water and add butter. Mix and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until peaches are soft and caramelized nicely.
For the oat crumble:
  1. Preheat oven to 325/175.
  2. In a large bowl mix the oats, flour, almonds, cinnamon nutmeg.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the butter with the honey and vanilla; drizzle over the crumb topping and mix until well coated.
  4. Spread the mix on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes till golden brown. Let cool completely, about an hour.
To serve:
  1. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate.
  2. Top each with a little of the roasted peach and toasted oat crumble. Garnish with 2-3 fresh mint leaves.
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Panna Cotta with toasted Oat crumble and roasted peaches