How to make Bechamel Sauce the Spanish way

Bechamel is a French recipe, but the Spanish have made it their own, using it as the principal ingredient in croquetas, as well as the sauce for several pasta, meat and vegetable dishes, and the topping for gratins. Bechamel can also be used to thicken and give a luxurious texture to soups.

INGREDIENTS

• 50 g butter

• 50 g plain white flour

• 600 mls milk

• One small onion

• Peppercorns

• 2 bay leaves

• Nutmeg

METHOD

Place the milk in a saucepan with the bay leaves, onion and peppercorns and heat until the milk is steaming (but not boiling). Put to one side and let the flavours infuse for an hour. Do not refrigerate.

Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Add flour little by little, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a firm, smooth paste (this is called a roux).

Now start adding the milk, little by little. The technique here is to add the milk, allow it to warm up then remove from the heat and stir vigorously. At some point the roux will change from a paste to a thick liquid, and it is vital that this remains smooth and homogenous. The amount of milk you use depends on how thick you want your sauce – more milk makes a more liquid sauce but remember that bechamel also thickens a little on cooling.

Grated nutmeg is often added once the sauce is prepared.

VARIATIONS

Cordon Bleu purists may not always approve, but bechamel can be adapted to all sorts of dishes. In Spain, olive oil is often used instead of butter, and maize flour is popular in Latin America, as well as being gluten-free. Soya milk also makes a decent bechamel for vegans.

For croquetas, a thicker bechamel is prepared, with pieces of shredded meat or fish added, before being chilled in the fridge and shaped into thumb-sized cylinders, dipped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. A good, rich stock is often used instead of milk.

A bechamel is also the basis of a cheese sauce, with grated cheese (usually Gruyere, parmesan or a mature cheddar) melted into the bechamel at the end of the recipe.