Always Hungry: Herb Pasta Crescents

Preparation Time : 30 Min
Cooking Time : 1 Hour
Pasta Crescents Resting Time : 1 Hour
Servings 4

Recipe Source : The Vegetarian Kitchen by Linda Fraser

Ingredients

1 Quantity Basic Pasta Dough with 3 Tablespoon Herbs added
1 Egg white Beaten for brushing

Filling

1 Cup Spinach Chopped very finely
1 Small onion Chopped
1 Teaspoon Oil
1/4 Cup Fresh Paneer grated / crushed
2 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
a pinch of Nutmeg Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
Salt as required

Sauce

1 and 1/4 Cups of Milk ( Original Recipe uses Skimmed Milk; I used Low fat Milk )
1 and 1/2 Tablespoon Butter ( Original recipe uses margarine though)
3 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg Powder
2 Tablespoon Chopped fresh Herbs ( I used mint and cilantro; go ahead and use your favourite herbs)

Directions

Make the Filling

1. In a pan heat oil over medium flame. When the oil is hot, add onion and salt. Do not brown the onions. When the onions are just soft, add chopped spinach. No need to add water. Spinach will get cooked in its own water. Cook for about 5 min until spinach. Then add salt, pepper to taste, nutmeg Powder and give it a good stir. Switch of the flame

2. Transfer the spinach to a bowl and let it cool. Once it is cooled slightly add paneer and mix well
3.Add parmesan cheese also and combine everything together. Adjust salt and pepper if required

Make Pasta Crescents

1. Roll the herb pasta dough into thin layer

2. Using a 3 inch round cutter , cut the dough in circles. I used a bowl with sharp edges to cut circles

3. Place a spoonful of prepared spinach cheese mixture inside the cut pasta circles

4. Brush the edges of the circle with egg white and fold them in half , press the edges together to seal forming a crescent shape

5.Make crescent shapes with rest of the pasta circles and place them on a kitchen towel

6. let them rest for 1 hour before cooking

Making the Sauce

1. Add all the ingredients listed under sauce (except herb) in to a sauce pan. Keep it on a medium flame and using a whisk it properly making sure there are no lumps of AP flour

2. Thicken the sauce for about 8 min or until it is smooth
3. Add salt , pepper, nutmeg powder and give it a stir
4. Add herbs and stir. switch off the flame

Cooking Pasta Crescents

1. In a large pan boil about 4 cups of water with enough salt
2. When the water is boiling add about 5 to 6 pasta crescents in batches to the boiling water. Make sure you leave room for pasta crescents to move. If you add more crescents, they will stick to each other
3. Cook each batch for 4 min. They will automatically float on the top when they are done