Cook Without Book

G azpacho is the "edible emblem" of Andalusia, the region in Spain where it originated, says Anya von Bremzen, author of  The New Spanish Table.  Tracing its history, Von Bremzen notes that gazpacho did not become widely popular in Europe until the mid-19th century, when Napoleon III's wife, Eugenia de Montijo, who was born in Andalusia, brought it to France. However, the classic soup has existed for centuries, and many regional variations of the recipe remain. Today red tomatoes tend to star in the soup, but tomatoes were not included in the mix until the 1500s, when Columbus and his crew are said to have brought them to Spain. Although some gazpacho recipes do include bread in the soup as a thickener, Felder does not consider it necessary in this version; the soup has a lovely, substantial texture from the vegetables on their own. Instead, Felder adds the bread in the form of crisp garlic-flavored croutons—tiny cubes of stale bread sautéed in garlic-infuse...

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 : Cook the pasta in boiling water with some salt. Drain and set aside. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the broccoli and steam cook for 3 minutes. 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. Add the carrots and french beans, stir, cover the pan and cook for 5 min or till the carrot is almost cooked. 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 th...