Creamy Seafood & Mushroom Pasta Casserole

Creamy Seafood & Mushroom Pasta Casserole, made with a basic Béchamel Sauce.

Yield: 4 large servings

Ingredients:

3 cups pasta of choice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups diced mushrooms (king oyster, crimini & beech) (brown and white were used for this recipe)
3 anchovy fillets
½ green chilli
1 recipe of béchamel sauce (see recipe below)
1¼ cup seafood medley (including 1 tallapia fillet)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chives - fresh for garnish
½ cup flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Procedure:

Cook pasta until el dente (just done). Drain and hold.

In a sauté pan melt butter in olive oil. Chop mushrooms and add to butter mixture to sauté until slightly browned. Add anchovies & chilli.
Sauté for 1 minutes to help infuse the flavours.

Add béchamel sauce and continue to heat.

Add ½ of parmesan cheese, seafood & flat leaf parsley and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Place cooked pasta in bottom of a greased casserole dish. Carefully pour the seafood cream sauce over the pasta. Garnish with the rest of the cheese and chopped chives.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees (175 C). Bake pasta casserole for 20 - 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Béchamel Sauce - How to make a basic white sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour ( gluten-free flour would work too)
1 shallot (diced small)
4 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste (approx. ½ teaspoon each)

Procedure:

In a pre-heated sauce pan melt better completely. Sauté shallots until transparent.

Add flour to make a roux & cook for 2 minutes to cook the flour. Add milk and whisk while milk heats up.

This sauce takes about 10 minutes to come up to the boil. Reduce the heat and continue to cook while whisking to prevent burning.

If a smooth sauce is desired, strain through a wire mess strainer.

This is a perfect sauce to pour over steamed potatoes for scalloped potatoes, or for a home-made macaroni & cheese dish (just grate cheese into the sauce and stir until melted), or to garnish poached fish or steamed vegetables.

Complementary Wines: Chianti, Petit Syrah, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc

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