Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce)

My final recipe for second week under condiments is a basic sauce from french cuisine. Bechamel sauce is a basic sauce which also known as a white sauce. It is also used as a basic sauce for other sauces and many dishes. Not only as a basic sauce you can use this as a spread or as a dip. I enjoy this creamy sauce simply with garlic bread and some vegetable cubes...
So let's check my favorite Bechamel sauce recipe...
INGREDIENTS:---
Butter   ---  5 tab sp
All purpose flour  ---   4 tab sp
Milk   ----  4 cups boil and bring it to room temperature 
Freshly ground netmeg ---  1/2 tea sp
Freshly ground pepper  ---  1/2 tea sp
Salt to taste
METHOD:--
1. In a sauce pan melt butter in medium low heat.
2. Add flour and keep stirring till it turn to smooth but take care the roux should not change the color because it is a white sauce, so keep the heat low and keep whisking.
3. After the roux turn in to a creamy texture, now add milk gradually and keep stirring and cook the sauce till thickened and smooth. 
4. This will take 10 minutes time after 10 minutes switch off the heat and season with salt, ground pepper and netmeg.
Now your Bechamel sauce(white sauce) is ready to use...

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

An InLinkz Link-up

French Country Stew for F

We have already completed six days of this international cooking marathon. To day is with the sixth letter F. When I think about F the first country name I got in my mind is France. I make plan every year to visit France. Even I use to tell Priya this year  I am planing to come and some how I missed every year.
French Cuisine has a long and it's own history. Normally french cuisine introduction will come with heavy sauce and beautiful arrangements, But in reality French cuisine is simple and it is sometimes elegant, and always exquisite. I heard French cooking is highly influenced by Italian cuisine. I don't know how long it is true,But French regional cuisine is characterized by it's extreme diversity and style. Traditionally, each region of France has it's own distinctive cuisine. Today my recipe is from From country side which is a delicious flavorful vegetable stew. 

FRENCH COUNTRY STEW
INGREDIENTS:---
Cabbage  ---  3 cups chopped
Onion --- 1 medium finely chopped
Garlic  ---  4 cloves  chopped
Butternut squash or carrot  --- 3 cups peeled and chopped
Fresh thyme  --- 1 tab sp chopped
White beans  --- 1 can
Diced tomatoes  -- 1 cup
Crushed red chillies  -- 1/2 tea sp
Salt to taste
Pepper powder to taste
Vegetable broth   ---  4 1/2 cups
Oil  -- 1 tab sp
METHOD:--
1. In a soup pan heat oil and add chopped onion and garlic fry for a while then add butternut squash or carrot add 1/4 cup water and cook for five minutes.
2. Now add all other ingredients except white beans and tomatoes.
3. Add 4 cups remaining water and cook for 30 minutes in a very low heat.
After 30 minutes add tomatoes and beans and cook for 10 more minutes.
Adjust the seasoning and serve hot.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

HERBED WHITE BEAN SOUP

INGREDIENTS:---
Dried white beans ---- 1 cup
Vegetable stock --- 4 cups
Water ----- 2 cups
Carrot --- 1 no. chopped
Yellow onion ---- 1/4 cup chopped
Garlic ---- 2 cloves crushed and chopped
Dried parsley --- 1 tea sp
Dried sage --- 1/2 tea sp
Dried crushed rosematy -- 1/4 tea sp
Dried basil --- a pinch
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper --- 1/4 tea sp
Small potato cooked and mashed --- 1 no.

METHOD:----

Soak white beans in water for over night.

In a pressure cooker add beans,carrots, onions, and all herbs, salt to taste,crushed garlic,vegetable stock and cook for 3 whistles,switch off and let it cool open and mix well and add mashed potato and water again bring back to heat and bring to a full boil season with ground pepper powder boil for 5 min. more and serve hot.

Garnish with greated cheese and chopped parsely

In original recipe they cooked this soup on stove top in a open sauce pan that will take long time so I changed that and cooked in pressure cooker.I hope you all like this.

BROCCOLI DIJON

I have adopted this recipe from here and i liked it very much, in original recipe they used butter and flour and i replaced them with olive oil and wheat flour that is my choice.

Broccoli --- 1 small flower wash and trimmed

Onion ---- 2 tab sp finely choppes or minced

Olive oil --- 2 tab sp

Skim milk --- 1 cup

Flour --- 2 tab sp(i used wheat flour)

Dijon mustard --- 2 tab sp

Salt to taste

Pepper powder -- 1/2 tea sp

Sugar ---- 1 tea sp

Lemon juice ----- 1 tea sp

METHOD:-----

cook Broccoli in salted water till tender, drain water and keep a side.

Heat olive oil in a pan add onion and fry tilll onion become soft and then add flour mix well and cook for a min. then slowly pour milk stirring constantly.

mix till it become little thick then add mustard, salt , pepper and sugar now remove from heat and then add lemon juice

Take drain broccoli in a bowl and pour the sauce over it and sreve.

I enjoyed this with orange rice.

Try this and enjoy your meal.

ORANGE RICE

French cusine - some times elegant,some times rustic, and always exquisite- cam be intimidating for a beginner to lern.It can be done witha few precticed cooking methods and some signature ingredients. For French people location makes a difference in what cusine is prepared. there are many regional sapecialties.typical french foods are made with there regional products like French apples, leeks, mushrooms, various squash and stone fruits are among the most commonly used produce, and some cheese s also. this recipe I have adopted from here as per recipe this festive creole rice dish tastes delicious with sea food and lightly steamed vegetables and only chan ge in the recipe i have done is i used orange juice with water to cook the rice it improves the aroma. And the rice is simply delicious.

INGREDIENTS:--------

Olive oil ---- 1 tab sp

Yellow onions ---- 1 cup chopped

Salt to taste

Ground red pepper (red chili powder)(cayenne) -- 1/4 tea sp

Navel orange -- 1 medium peeld and chopped

Fresh orange juice --- 1/2 cup

water --- 1 1/4 cup

Long grain rice --- 1 cup

Bay leaf --- 1 no.

METHOD:----

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan add chopped onion and fry till they become soft then add salt and cayenne and cook for few more min.

now add bay leaf, half orange piecesmix once and add water and rice, orange juice mix well bring to a full boil in a high flame then cover with a lid reduce the heat in to a very lowest heat and cook till done

Switch off the heat and remove the bay leaf and stir before serving.

I enjoyed this with Broccoli Dijon