I frequently have milk sitting in the fridge, I don't drink Milk or have it in either coffee or tea, but I like to have some
on hand just in case of course and it is necessary for some cooking
I check the use by dates and when it is very close to the end , I usually turn the milk into bechamel sauce and freeze it
Very handy
Also I tend to buy too many vege and need to use them up before they go off
So, using what I had in my freezer and fridge, I concocted this delicious Pasta bake
For my one cup of sauce I used these ingredients
Bechamel Sauce 1 cup (to make Bechamel Sauce see at bottom of the blog)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/2 red pepper sliced
1/2 courgette grated
5 cherry tomatoes sliced
Grated cheese
Fresh breadcrumbs
To accompany
I sautéed some red onion, sliced Bok Choy and some sliced
Celery lightly in a little olive oil
Method
In a pan melt the oil and butter
Add onions sauté till soft
Add red pepper and courgette and tomatoes
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Continue to sauté till soft not browned
Warm your prepared bechamel sauce
Add to vege
Place in greased baking dishes
Sprinkle with grated cheese and top with the breadcrumbs
You can prepare this far ahead and set aside for cooking later
Heat oven to 170C
Cook till bubbly and the top is getting crisp
Serve with the sautéed vege on the side
Voila...Dinner is served
Simple recipe for Bechamel Sauce
50 gms Butter
1/4 cup of plain flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
Sea salt and ground white pepper
Gently melt the butter in a pan
Add flour and back on the heat for about a minute to cook the flour out
Slowly add the milk stirring with each addition to avoid lumps
When all the milk is added
Slowly bring to a simmer stirring all of the time
Season with S & P to taste
This is now your base for any white sauce that you would like to cook with
It’s nice sometime to add a bay leaf while cooking but remove when the sauce is ready or the flavour will be too strong
Set aside
I am only using a cup of sauce for this recipe you can freeze the remainder another time