Basic white sauce

This is a message to my older self who at some point will forget what goes into things to assemble certain kitchen basics. This is a Bechamel-like sauce but without butter, fat or oil. I use it for lasagna and where a Bechamel is called for. It reminds me of a sauce that was served over cannelloni when I used to holiday as a child in Spain. (It was the year of the moon landing - I remember watching clips with my dad in a shop window at the time.)

I think the restaurant or bistro was in some backstreet in Sitges before it grew to the creature it is today. It was just a family run restaurant - no doubt long gone but the taste remains!

Ingredients

1500 ml milk

150 g strong plain flour

1 carrot

1 stick celery

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

6 -10 whole cloves

1 stick cinnamon (2 inches ish)

6 black peppercorns

Method

Pour the milk into a large pan.

Chop the carrot and celery into thirds. Press the cloves into the peeled whole onion. Peel and crush the garlic.

Add all the vegetables and the spices to the milk.

Place the pan on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes then set aside for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the flour to a smooth paste with cold water.

Remove the vegetables and cinnamon from the milk and place the milk back on a low heat. Add the flour paste and stir whilst heating to near boiling ..

When the sauce thickens remove from the heat as it is done.

Observations

This is about 99kcal per 100ml using whole milk.

Don’t heat the milk on too fierce a heat and stir constantly or the pan will stick.

Use it in place of bechamel sauce for a lower fat option.