Creamy mushroom, green olives pasta with garlic bread

Okay, i have to admit this - I love mushrooms. If mushrooms were a man i would marry them. Okay that just sounds crazy! But yeah, I don't know why but i just love mushrooms and i keep on trying various combinations. Something about their softness and chewiness. Mushrooms are very nutritious too, often called nature's super food. This pasta is so good, vegetarian and gets prepared in a jiffy. Do try it!

What you need:

Durum wheat ready-made pasta or any other pasta of your preference, 3-4 handful
1 big or 2 small onions, chopped
1 capsicum, cut into small squares
Button mushrooms, 200 gm, cut into 4s, make sure the mushrooms are white and fresh
10 cloves of garlic, crushed
Some green olives
Flour/maida, 4 tbsp
Milk, 3 cups
Butter
Mixed dried herbs, 2 tsp
fresh basil or dried, 3-4
chilli flakes, 2 tsp
pepper, 2 tsp
Ketchup, optional
White bread
salt to taste

Prepare some white sauce first by heating some butter (2 tbsp) and then add 4 tbsp flour. Stir it till you feel the flour is cooked then add the milk and as soon as you add milk start whisking the mixture with a whisk vigorously on slow flame. Keep on whisking in order to prevent lumps. If you feel the mixture isn't getting thick add some more flour to it and keep on whisking. Whisk on high flame till it starts getting thick and creamy. What you need is a spoon coating consistency. All this takes 5-10 minutes. At the same time start boiling your pasta with some good amount of salt and water. We put salt because pasta is usually bland. Add heaped 2-3 tsp of salt to the water and then add your pasta.

Once you get that consistency you can stop whisking and switch off the gas. Now add some salt, pepper, chilli flakes, mixed herbs and some fresh basil leaves. Just tear the basil leaves with hand and put it in. Now i personally don't enjoy the milky taste of white sauce so i add some ketchup (3 tbsp) for a little tangy-ness. You can avoid it if you want to. Keep the sauce aside. Keep on checking your boiling pasta too.

Now saute all the veggies with little salt and pepper in some butter, Heat some butter, add half of your crushed garlic to this and let it brown, then add the chopped onions with some salt. Once the onions are translucent add the capsicum to it and once the capsicum softens a little add the mushrooms. Sweat the mushrooms nicely and let them cook. Once the mushrooms are cooked put in your green olives. Switch off the gas and keep this aside.

Drain your pasta if cooked. You can taste one to see if it is thoroughly cooked. NEVER boil pasta beforehand like 2-3 hours in advance before you actually start cooking. It tends to get sticky and would break. Add it hot and right off the gas. Heat the white sauce you made earlier and add the sauteed veggies and pasta to it and mix nicely. Do taste your pasta and check for a balance of flavors. You can more chilli flakes if you like it hot or some more herbs. Do taste! Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

How i make my garlic bread- I take some soft butter mix some fresh crushed garlic to it. Spread this butter on both sides of my bread and put it on a hot tawa/pan. Let it brown and take it off. Its that simple. And we are done!