Today for lunch, I made baked penne bechamel. I incorporated all six flavours into it. Sweet milk, wheat flour and butter, combined with a good amount of salt, sour taste from Parmesan, pungent asafoetida and cayenne, astringent zucchini, and bitter nutmeg, united well to create this flavorful dish.
Baked Penne Bechamel
Print RecipeIngredients
- 3 ounces of dry whole wheat penne
- 2 ounces of pre-cooked ground beef
- 4 tablespoons of flour
- 5 tablespoons of butter plus more for oiling the pan
- 2 1/2 cups of milk
- 1 zucchini, sliced in quarters
- 1 zucchini, sliced in quarters
- 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
- 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg powder
- 4 tablespoons of Parmesan
- Salt
Instructions
- Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a stainless steel pot over medium heat. Add the flour a spoon at a time and whisk to incorporate. Keep on cooking while whisking for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture becomes golden.
- Warm up the milk in a separate pot until hot and add the butter cooked to the sauce base. Whisk well. Bring to boil and lower the heat. Add a pinch of salt, asafoetida, cayenne and nutmeg. Cook for 15 minutes, whisking frequently.
- Meanwhile, saute zucchini over medium heat in an oiled pan. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
- Cook pasta in salted water until done per package instructions and drain.
- Mix cooked pasta and zucchini with the sauce and place in an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Place in the oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 18 minutes.
