You won’t be needing corn flour or all-purpose flour the next time you cook Italian. White sauce — also known as Bechamel sauce — maybe your nemesis every time you eat out, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make a mean pasta at home with a white sauce that is completely wholesome. Cooking show host and chef Rakhee Vaswani from Mumbai is on-trend whether you’re cooking for a bunch of tough-to-please kids — she released a book called Picky Eaters just last year that tackles culinary challenges at home — or trying to impress your guests at a house party. Like she says, “everybody wants to eat healthy nowadays”, and barley flour white sauce adds a slightly grainy texture that tastes great on bruschetta or as a canapé filling, or even in baked pasta. Vaswani — who also runs Palate Culinary Studio in Mumbai where she trains budding chefs, amateurs and food enthusiasts — recommends cooking everything, including white sauce, in vegetable stock. According to her, “It’s the best way to get nutrients in.” Quinoa, corn and mushroom bruschetta using barley flour white sauce Ingredients For stock 1 medium-sized carrot 10 beans 2 stalks of celery A few mushroom stems 1 medium-sized onion 1 garlic clove 1 bay leaf 6-8 peppercorns 750ml - Water For white sauce 2 tbsp - Butter 2 tbsp - Barley atta 100ml stock 150ml - Milk Salt and pepper to taste For the filling 1/4 cup - Quinoa (can be replaced with dalia or broken wheat) 3/4 cup stock A pinch of salt 3 tbsp - White sauce 50g - Boiled corn 50g - Red and yellow bell peppers (finely chopped) 3-4 mushrooms (minced) 50g - White cheddar cheese grated, mild (optional) 1/2 tsp - Mixed herbs 1/2 tsp - Veg seasoning A few spinach leaves (blanched and chopped) 10-15 bruschettas Method * To make vegetable stock, put the listed ingredients in a pot with water. Bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and use as required. * To make white sauce, cook the barley flour and butter with a whisk for 1-2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk and stock until the sauce thickens, but still has enough consistency to be poured into a dish. Cook for a few minutes and season with salt and pepper. * Boil the quinoa/dalia with the stock for about 15-20 minutes on a low flame until it fluffs up. Add a pinch of salt. * Mix the white sauce, mushroom, corn, quinoa, chopped bell peppers, chopped spinach, aromatic seasoning and mixed herbs, and add this filling into a piping bag. Pipe onto the bruschettas. Alternatively, you can spoon the mixture onto the bruschetta. * Add cheese on top of this mixture and bake in an oven for 10 minutes at 160°. Garnish with celery leaves and serve. For news updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ & Instagram
