Bechamel or White Sauce

Being able to make a good sauce from scratch is most frightening for most people and it is so easy to grab a ready make sauce of the shelves of the Supermarket .

The truth is that the basic sauces, which are the base of endless varieties of sauces for countless recipes are easy and simple to make, as long as pays attention while doing them.

Nearly every sauce is based either on the brown Roux (Sauce) or the white Roux.

The other important factor in making a good sauce is the stock you use. Very few of us have neither the time nor the inclination to have a stock pot on the stove. There are very good commercial stock cubes, or stock granules, or even "stock pot" liquid stock available.  You have a great choice and you should use the ones you like best. I have always used the Knorr stock range. I tried other brands but my taste buds prefer the Knorr ones. But as the French say "Chacun à son goût ". So you use what you like best .

Ingredients

2 Tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil, either sunflower or rapeseed, 

2 Tbsp of white flour ( unbleached, if you have it)

Approx 1/4 l water ( you can substitute half of this with milk our white wine depending on what you want to use the sauce for)

1 cube of chicken stock, or vegetable, or fish stoke, depending on what your dish is

Method

Put butter/oil in a heavy pain, heat slowly to melt the butter.

Add the flour , stirring continuously, the flour will bubble up, this is important as it means the flour is cooking.

Immediately add the liquid is a steady stream, stirring continuously

Add enough liquid to have a smooth creamy consistency.

Should you end up with lumps. Don't despair. 
Remove pan from heat and pour sauce through a sieve into another pan. You end up with a smooth sauce.

Add your seasoning

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Once the Roux is cooked you can  add cheese and or cream. For fish use white wine

Note: The sauce with added cheese can be used for making a delicious Lasagne

Luxury Fish Pie

I think it is time for more fish. With the cold weather lurking around the corner, it is time to think of wholesome comfortable food. What is better than a nourishing pie?

One of the most satisfying of all pies is this fish pie. Needless to say that the fish has to be absolutely fresh. The quality of the pie lies in the freshness of the fish. 

The success depends but not only on the freshness of the fish, which is a given, but also on the sauce the fish is cooked in.
I use a white or Bechamel Sauce, which is one of the basic sauces any cook should be able to do in her or his sleep. You use this sauce in so many dishes that it worth your while perfecting it. You find the recipe for the sauce under Sauces or at the end of this one.

smoked cod

cooked prawns

fresh salmon darnes

Cooking Time: 45 min Prep.Time 20 min

Ingredients

1000g potatoes cooked and mashed

200-300 g fresh cod/or haddock or similar

200 g smoked fish (cod/haddock or salmon)

200 g fresh salmon

200 g prawns precooked (fresh or frozen)

1/2 l of  bechamel sauce (use white wine instead of water and enrich sauce with fresh cream)

Lemon juice to taste 

Cooking Instructions

Prepare the mashed potatoes as usual. Set aside. Wash and dry the fish and cut into cubes. If you use frozen prawns quickly precook them for 1 minute and then dab them dry, otherwise the sauce will get too runny. If you only have one kind of fish just make sure you end up with at least 600g fish. Although the mixture makes for a more interesting taste.

Place the fish into an ovenproof dish, cover with the well seasoned white (bechamel) sauce. As the fish will release liquid during the cooking, make the sauce a bit thicker than usual, otherwise the sauce would be too watery.  Put the mashed potatoes on top. Bake for 30 to 40 min at 175 C
Find the recipe for the sauce below.

The finished result

Bechamel (White) Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of oil, either sunflower or rapeseed, 

2 Tbsp of white flour ( unbleached, if you have it)

Approx 1/4 l water ( you can substitute half of this with milk our white wine depending on what you want to use the sauce for)

1 cube of chicken stock, or vegetable, or fish stock, depending for what dish you want to use the sauce for.

Method

Put butter/oil in a heavy pain, heat slowly to melt the butter.

Add the flour , stirring continuously. The flour will bubble up, this is important, as it means the flour is cooking.

Immediately add the liquid in a steady stream, stirring continuously

Add enough liquid to have a smooth creamy consistency.

Should you end up with lumps. Don't despair. Remove pan from heat and pour sauce through a sieve into another pan. You end up with a smooth sauce.

Add your seasoning

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Once the Roux is cooked you can  add cheese and or cream. For fish use white wine and/or cream

Note: If you like you can add mushroom and/or peas or any vegetables you like to the pie.

Annegret's Chicken Curry

This is the first time I have  actually written down the recipe for my curry. I did not come across curries as a dish until my first visit to England a long time ago and then later in Ireland. I was alway surprised  that it was the chinese restaurants who offered curries.
I always liked the taste of curry as one of the favourite fast food dishes in Germany is "Curry Wurst". This is a "Bratwurst", fried sausage, cut into pieces,covered in curry spice and a hot red sauce, like ketchup. Whenever you are in Germany try one!
According to legend  a woman in Berlin invented it after the war. She used the curry spices to cover up the smell of bad meat! Now I am well aware of the fact that neither the aforementioned nor my Curry have anything in common with the real curries in India. All the same, I think the following is quite delicious and as it is not too hot children will love it.

Over the years some friends and I decided on having curry lunches and the following recipe is the result
of many trials and error until every one of us was happy and content.

Cooking Time: aprox.30 min

Ingredients

400 g chicken breast

I large onion or 2 medium

1 red or yellow pepper

2 to 3 Tbsp corn flour

2 to 3 Tbsp mild curry paste of your choice

Some chili pepper depending how hot you want it

1 tin of coconut milk

150 to 200 ml chicken stock
1 Tbsp tomato purée 

Rapeseed or sunflower oil for cooking

Cooking Instructions

Cut the chicken breast into approx 2 cm large pieces.

Cover the chicken pieces with the cornflower 

Fry the chicken pieces in the oil until golden brown, set aside

Quickly fry the onion slices and pepper pieces set aside

Gently fry curry paste, add the coco nut milk and chicken stock and the tomato purée. Gently cook for approx 15 min. Adjust seasoning. Depending how hot you want the curry, add more chili.

Add the chicken and vegetables and heat thoroughly through. If you want the vegetables to be ""al dente" ,  add them only shortly before serving.

Serve the curry with rice and fried bananas ( fry banana slices in butter and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and Garam Masala)

                    Chicken curry in the slow cooker

You can make of course  your own curry mix, if you have all the ingredients in the house, but for a quick simple curry the paste is totally adequate. Have a look at the ingredients and if you like them, then the paste is for you.

Slow cooker
The recipe can be used equally well in the
slow cooker. Just prepare all the ingredients
and put them into a freezer bag, seal and freeze.
When you want to use it simply put the
frozen curry into the cooker and cook according
to your crock pot.