Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella)

Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips

Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella)

This is a very basic recipe you can use for many different preparations. I like to flavour the milk for the bechamel sauce with a pinch of nutmeg, but if you do not like nutmeg, you can try with a studded onion instead. Remember, if you want a more liquid bechamel sauce, add a bit more milk. If you want a thicker sauce, just let it simmer for longer. Usually, when the bechamel sauce is intended to be used for preparation of lasagne, I try to keep the bechamel sauce a bit liquid in order to moister the lasagne sheets.
Note: the quantities I have given are intended for the preparation of bechamel sauce needed to prepare a 4-6 portions of lasagne.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Calories 653 kcal
Italian Apron
Serving bottles
Classic Italian Cooking

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Ingredients
 

  • 570 ml (1 pint) Milk
  • 50 grams (2 oz) Butter
  • 50 grams (2 oz) Plain flour
  • 4 grams (1/2 tsp) Salt
  • A pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

  • Heat the milk. If you are in a hurry, 3 minutes in the microwave should do the job, otherwise heat the milk in a pan. Next, add a pinch of nutmeg.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Add the salt.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Stir.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Put the butter into a saucepan, on a gentle heat, and melt it.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Once the butter has melted and starts to bubble, gradually add the flour whisking constantly.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Whisk until all the flour is coated with the butter and the the paste achieve a sandy texture (technically, this is called a white roux). This operation should last a couple of minutes. Next, let the roux to cool down because it is not good practice to add hot milk to a hot roux (risk of burning and the mixture would become too lumpy).
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • When the roux and the pan have cooled down, return the pan to the fire and gradually add the milk. Meanwhile keep whisking.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Once you are sure that the roux is completely mixed with the milk and no lumps are present, turn the heat down to low and gently stir.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
  • Keep stirring gently until the sauce thickens. Then, you can remove the pan from the heat and set aside (for a perfect smooth sauce, pass the sauce through a strainer). You bechamel sauce is now ready.
    Bechamel sauce (Salsa besciamella) | Top tips
Italian Apron
Serving bottles
Classic Italian Cooking

Nutrition

Calories: 653kcal
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Categorised as Top Tips

By Federico

Federico Pezzaioli is an ex-badass Italian Paratrooper on a mission - to make creating delicious authentic Italian food really easy. He researches, writes and photographs each recipe with the same attention to detail he used to apply to packing his parachute.

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