DISHES WITH BECHAMEL SAUCE

 

                                                   BECHAMEL SAUCE

Bechamel is a sauce made with a white roux and hot milk, seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Bechamel is one of the famous sauces of French cuisine.

 

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp cornflour

1 bay leaf

1 ½ cup hot milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Grated nutmeg to taste

Grated Parmesan

 

Stir the cornflour into the melted butter, add the bay leaf and cook for2-3 minutes.  Pour in the hot milk and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Season with salt, pepper Parmesan and nutmeg to taste and set aside to cool. Discard the bay leaf.

 

 

 

                                                          PASTITSIO

 

Pastitsio, baked macaroni with minced meat sauce is a popular Greek dish and a great meal to feed a large, hungry family.

 

500 g (1lb) thick macaroni

60 g (2oz) kefalotyri. San Mihalis and Parmesan grated

2 tsp hot, melted butter

 

Minced meat Sauce:

1 kg (2 lb) minced veal

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 carrots, scraped and finely chopped

2 stalks celery, threaded and finely chopped

4 rashers bacon, extra fat discarded, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

80 ml (1/3 cup) METAXA brandy

250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine

3 ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded, grated, skins discarded

1 tsp sugar or more

1/8 tsp nutmeg

A pinch of Cayenne pepper

½ cup chopped parsley

 

First, prepare the minced meat sauce.  Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and bacon on olive oil until the onion is transparent.  Add the minced meat and cook, stirring for 10-12 minutes until well browned and without lumps. Pour in the brandy and cook for a moment or two, then pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.  Add the grated tomatoes, sugar, and enough hot water to barely cover.  Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes until the meat is cooked and dry.  Taste and add salt, pepper, and sugar, if necessary, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and set aside.

 

Prepare the bechamel sauce.  Melt the butter add the bay leaf and cornflour and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly.  Pour in the hot milk and stir for 10-12 minutes until the sauce boils and thickens.  Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.  Stir in the cheese and cool a little.  Then add the egg yolks, one at a time, and season to taste with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.  Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites.

 

Cook the macaroni in salted water until “al dente”.  Drain and return to the saucepan. Sprinkle with grated cheese, pour in the hot butter, and swirl.  Add the minced meat sauce and about 2-3 cups of bechamel and mix gently but thoroughly together.

 

Butter a baking dish and sprinkle with dried breadcrumbs. Spoon in the macaroni mixture and level the surface.  Cover with the remaining bechamel sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese, dot with butter, and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for about 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown.

 

Cool slightly and cut into portions and serve with a large green salad.

 

 

                             SPINACH, PRAWN AND MUSHROOM AU GRATIN

This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Michele Nemtzoglou, who is French.  It was a spinach au gratin with chicken, mushrooms and delicious French cheese.  I changed the chicken with prawns and added feta for a Greek touch.  Thank you Michele for the inspiration!

 

2 kg (4 lb) spinach leaves, thoroughly washed, blanched and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, peeled and grated

1 large leek, white part only, slit in 4 lengthwise, thoroughly washed and finely chopped

1-2 tbsp chopped dill

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1 ½ kg (3 lb) prawns, shelled, deveined, washed and patted dry (about 1  kg (2lb)  when shelled)

2 sprigs of rosemary

125 ml ( ½ cup)  dry white wine or more

Salts and pepper to taste

 

500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms, halved or quartered

1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

A little olive oil

150 g (5 oz) feta (if salty soaked in cold water for 15 minutes), slivered

 

Bechamel Sauce:

150 g (5 oz) butter

150 g (5 oz) cornflour

1 bay leaf

1 ¼ litre (5 cups) hot milk or more

Grated nutmeg to taste

120 g (4 oz) grated Graviera from Crete, Parmesan and bland kasseri

4 eggs separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch of salt

 

A knob of butter for greasing the baking dish and

2 tbsp of breadcrumbs

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

 

Cook the onion and leeks in olive oil, with a pinch of salt and a little water, until soft.  Stir in the butter, spinach and freshly ground pepper and simmer gently until the vegetables are quite dry.  Add the chopped dill and mix well together.

 

Cook the prawns in batches, on both sides with the rosemary twig and a little, wine each time, until they just change colour. Sprinkle  with salt and pepper, discard the rosemary, remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

 

Also, cook the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil, tossing frequently until no cooking liquid is visible. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.

 

Preheat the oven to180 C (350 F) and meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter add the bay leaf, sift the cornflour over and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the hot milk and stir for 10-12 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf, stir in the cheese and cool a little.  Add the beaten egg yolks, and season to taste with a little salt, if necessary, pepper and nutmeg.  Finally, gently fold in the egg whites until no traces are visible.  Taste the sauce once more and season accordingly.

 

To assemble the dish, fold 2 cups of bechamel into the spinach, stirring well to combine.  Spoon the spinach into the prepared dish and even the surface.  Add a layer of prawns and mushrooms evenly over pushing them so they are covered with spinach. Then top with slithers of feta and mask evenly with the remaining bechamel.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 45 minutes until puffed and golden.