How to Make Besciamella Sauce

Besciamella is a white sauce that is the key ingredient of many successful Italian dishes. In fact, no lasagna in Italy is made without it. Here's how to make it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 3 cup of milk
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 2 medium saucepans
• 1 wooden spoon

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Take off the heat and add flour, sifted, so it is finer and more easily absorbed and blended, a bit at a time and stir until smooth.
3. Place back on the stove and cook together for two to three minutes, stirring continuously so it will not stick to the bottom. Stop cooking if it starts to get color.
4. On another saucepan heat the milk but make sure it doesn’t boil, and when it is hot add it to the butter and flour mix, blending all together with a wooden spoon and keep on cooking on low flame till the sauce starts boiling.
5. Add salt and nutmeg to taste.
6. Cover and keep on simmer for about 15 minutes stirring once in a while so it doesn’t stick.
7. Turn the heat off and let it stand another 15 minutes before using. It becomes firmer as it cools.

Tips & Warnings

• This sauce is used to layer the pasta and meat in the original lasagna recipe.
• To make a vegetable casserole layer either broccoli, fennel or calliflower, then cover them with besciamella and parmesan cheese and place them in the oven at 350 for about 30 to 40 minutes. It is a great side dish.
• Do not mix butter and flour over the heat because the flour if cooked too fast doesn’t mix very well with the butter and creates lumps.