Elanor Roosevelt was a hard-working woman. She built the White House in solidarity with the Great Depression, attempting to show women across the US how to make affordable meals. She also forced FDR to eat them as a punishment for the wandering he did. He deserved it in many ways.
This recipe always turned me off because of how overcooked the pasta would have been. In 10 minutes, there would have been no life in that wheat, and some versions called for cooking for 25 minutes! Although… I suppose that with dental care in the 1930s, overcooking might have been easier for the person eating the meal.
So I slightly altered the cooking times, and I have noted it below.
As for the sauce, I have found white sauces are typically sweet due to the dairy milk. I know back then, white sauces were very common, but as I went to try the pasta, all I could think of was I was going to be having a cheese sauce. But alas, no. So you do need to salt it liberally to get flavor and bump down the sweet milk flavor. In modern times, this sauce needs at least a hefty amount of grated parmesan cheese.
So…is it edible? I suppose. If one was very hungry, it would be tasty, but otherwise, no I would pass on it unless I could turn the white sauce into cheese sauce.
Spaghetti with Boiled Carrots & White Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 pound carrots
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cusp milk
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, peel and slice the carrots into coins.
Add the carrots, bring back to a boil, then add the pasta and cook as directed on the package, stirring often. (our spaghetti was 7 minutes)
Drain and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour to make a roux, whisking for a few minutes. Add the milk, whisking till smooth, and let thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste (I used ½ tsp sea salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper). If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve.
According to the recipe, it serves 8 people. However, because it’s vegetarian, it’s more like serving 5.
~Sarah