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Basic White Sauce - Salsa Di Besciamella

Recipe #281152 | 25 min | 5 min prep | 4 cups (Change Servings)

RECIPE BY: Linda's Busy Kitchen

Besciamella, white sauce, is more frequently associated with northern Italian cooking, and is used in oven-baked pasta dishes like lasagne, or with vegetables or fish. It can be made ahead and refrigerated for 3-4 days but will thicken as it sits. When you reheat it, thin the sauce, with a little milk. This basic recipe does not have the addition of herbs or spices. Those ingredients should be added after the sauce is cooked, and should be tailored to the dish being prepared. Recipe by Maryanne Esposito of Ciao Italia ---------- For those of you that don't know Maryanne Esposito, let me introduce you to a marvelous cook, who cooks only "Authentic" Italian food, and it is incredible! I had the priviledge of meeting Maryanne at a woman's luncheon many years ago, and she has her own cooking show on Channel 11 in NH. She and her husband, who is a local doctor, live in the next town from where I used to live and work.

Posted on: Jan 23, 2008

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
  • cups milk, hot
  • fine sea salt, to taste
  • white pepper, to taste
  • Directions

    1. 1
      In a large saucepan, melt the butter over med-low heat. Do not let the butter brown.
    2. 2
      Whisk in the flour, and cook it until a uniform paste is formed, and no streaks of flour remain.
    3. 3
      Slowly whisk in the milk in a steady stream.
    4. 4
      Cook about 10 minutes, stirring slowly until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon.
    5. 5
      Season with salt and pepper.

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    Featured Reviews for This Recipe

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    From: puppitypup

    On Feb 5, 2008

    LOVED IT! I have to admit I cheated and didn't preheat the milk, but it was still perfect. I used almost 1/2 t kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Served with pasta and it was delicious. I made it again for cauliflower and stirred in grated cheese, also delicious. Thank you Linda! Made for Zaar Tag, please see my rating system.

    1 person found this review helpful

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    Nutrition Facts

    Serving Size 1 cups 288g

    Recipe makes 4 cups)

    Calories 416
    Calories from Fat 288 (69%)
    Amount Per Serving %DV
    Total Fat 32.1g 49%
    Saturated Fat 20.2g 100%
    Monounsaturated Fat 8.6g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3g
    Trans Fat 0.0g
    Cholesterol 95mg 31%
    Sodium 122mg 5%
    Potassium 391mg 11%
    Total Carbohydrate 23.3g 7%
    Dietary Fiber 0.4g 1%
    Sugars 0.1g
    Protein 9.9g 19%
    Vitamin A 1046mcg 20%
    Vitamin B6 0.1mg 5%
    Vitamin B12 0.9mcg 15%
    Vitamin C 3mg 6%
    Vitamin E 0mcg 2%
    Calcium 299mg 29%
    Iron 0mg 4%

    how is this calculated?

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