BON APPETIT: Farfalle with creamy corn, pepper & tomatoes and Happy 2013

Wishing you all a Rocking 2013. Hope the year is blessed and bestows all happiness & prosperity.

What is life without hope ? The recent brutal carnage of the 23 year old has left an indelible sorrow,anguish and angst in all of us. In her death, she has awakened us. Hopefully, we channel all those energies in to shaping our system in such a way that it puts a morbid fear of law to the would be perpetrators. Besides its time we shed our lethargy & negativity, boot out insensitivity and embark on a spirited self. Rather than poke & point fingers and blame the system, we become the change and get proactive. In this context, I salute the indomitable spirit of the women of India. She faces obstacles at every step, survives the jeers & catcalls as well as the sexist remarks. All talks of gender equality bite the dust amidst the taunts for the way she dresses and talks. She is bracketed & stereotyped. Many a times, her very existence is questioned and she falters & stumbles. Yet she rises like a phoenix and faces the world boldly. Her hope to make the world a better place gets a thumping resolve every minute she is written off. She braves the odds and embraces life. Here's me doffing an imaginary hat to us ladies. WE ROCK !

The first day of 2013 blossomed amidst all these positive thoughts for me. The hearth buzzed with my daughter's favourite. This pasta dish got repeated yet again yesterday and why not ? It is simple to make and hugely filling. Besides it is a sure kid pleaser !

Rustling a lunch or dinner by spending little time in the kitchen is something I dote on. And if the dish is delicious and creamy with staple pantry ingredients and spells P.A.S.T.A then it has a stamp of approval from the kids too ! Go on and indulge in this creamy and blissful dish :)

What's in it :- (Prep time ; 15 mins, Cooking time : 10 mins, Serves :4)

Farfalle (Bowties) – 2 cups of dried butterfly shaped pasta
Olive Oil – 3 to 4 tbsp
Garlic – 5 large pods (chopped)
Green pepper (small) – 1 diced in to small cubes
Tomatoes (small) – 2 (cubed)
Sweet Corn (cooked) – 1/2 cup
Capers – a fistful
Italian Seasoning – a very generous sprinkle ( about 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp)
Fresh Cream – about 1 to 1 1/2 cups (250 to 300 ml)
Salt & Pepper – to taste
Water – as required (retained from the cooked pasta)
Grated Cheese – as required

Here's How :-

Cook pasta as per instructions in the pack. Take care it is al dente (firm to the bite).

Heat the olive oil and add garlic. Saute it for a few seconds. Tip in the pepper and tomatoes and saute for a 2-3 minutes. Add the sweet corn,capers, the seasoning, cream, salt & pepper. Cook it for 5 minutes or a little less.

Add the starchy water retained while draining the cooked pasta (as required) if the mix becomes too thick. Dunk the farfalle and cook for a minute or two until the pasta is totally coated with the sauce. Remove from flame and generously grate the cheese all over.

Serve hot & enjoy.

Chef Notes :-

You can add veggies of your choice like asparagus, broccoli.
Be sure to retain some water from the cooked pasta. This starchy liquid will add to the texture of the dish and lighten if the creamy mix becomes too thick.