mato

I have always preferred white sauce when it comes to pasta. It's ironic because I'm a tomato! The creaminess of white sauce, which also graces pink sauces, is simply irresistible. I'll tackle making a pink sauce another day. Despite my fondness for it, I've never made white sauce myself because it involves a technique I've never tried.

The first time I saw or helped someone make white sauce was with a friend. Although we're no longer in touch, I remember that day vividly. It was the summer after our 12th-grade exams, and she invited me, another friend, and her boyfriend over to her house—she lived alone. For some reason, she decided to make white pasta for us. Knowing her cooking skills weren't the best, I offered to help. Despite our efforts, the sauce ended up splitting. She was really upset and didn't want us to try it. From that experience, I learned that white sauce can easily split if not made correctly.

As time went on, I learned that white sauce is made using a technique called making a roux, introduced to the culinary world by the French. A roux is a mixture of fat (like butter) and flour used to thicken sauces and soups. It's a fundamental technique in cooking, especially in French cuisine.

Here's how to make a roux:

1. Melt the fat: Heat butter (or another fat) in a pan over medium heat until it melts.
2. Add the flour: Stir in an equal amount of flour.
3. Cook the mixture: Stir constantly for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour.

There are three main types of roux:

• White Roux: Cooked for a short time, it stays pale and is used for white sauces like béchamel.
• Blond Roux: Cooked a bit longer until it turns a light tan color, used in velouté sauces.
• Brown Roux: Cooked until it turns brown and has a nutty smell, used in darker sauces and gravies.

The type of roux you use depends on the flavor and color you want in your dish. To make white sauce for pasta, you essentially use a white roux. (Apologies to Italians—Europe looks like one domain to me, much like how all the states of India might look like one to you.)

After the roux is made, you add milk or cream in small portions, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. If you add too much dairy at once, the sauce will split. Once the dairy is fully incorporated, you can add cheese, spices, and seasoning to the pan—this can be done after adding the boiled pasta to avoid headaches (you can experiment to figure out what those headaches are).

In my version, I start by cooking chopped onions and garlic in a pan with olive oil and butter. Once they are cooked to my liking, I add a couple of tablespoons of maida (all-purpose flour) and cook off the raw flour smell. Then, I slowly add milk, about an eighth of a cup at a time, until I've added a full cup. I finish by adding chopped tomatoes, chilies, and pasta, then mix in a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and salt to taste. I served it to myself with a cup of coffee.