Bechamel Sacue with Veggies and Shrimp

I am a huge fan of bechamel sauce and have tried many different variations overs the years attempting to get it just right and finally ended up with this combinations. It's so simple and the best part of this sauce is that you can add various components to switch up the flavor, but keep the same simple, creamy base. Plus, unlike a red sauce which cooks for many hours to sweeten the tomatoes, this bechamel sauce can be made in under 30 minutes and tastes great! But the red peppers do take some time to roast, so skip be sure to put those in the oven before you start your sauce.

Sauce:
2 tbsp flour or Wondra
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Extras:
2 large red peppers
1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets.
1 lb medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb cooked pasta

Sauce:
1. To make a bechamel sauce, start by making a roux. Heat butter and flour in medium saucepan over low heat stirring continually. Be sure to cook the roux for about 3-4 minutes while the butter melts and mixes with the flour to eliminate "floury" taste in the sauce.

2. While the butter and flour are cooking, heat milk, heavy cream, and garlic cloves in a small pot on low heat just until hot. Be careful not to let either the milk or the roux burn.

3. Slowly stir the hot milk mixture into the roux. Add in black pepper, lemon juice, salt, and nutmeg and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 15 minutes, remove the garlic cloves from the sauce with a slotted spoon.

4. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and cheese. Toss with cooked pasta. Your sauce and pasta are ready! You could call it quits right here, sit and enjoy a bowl of pasta. Continue reading if you want to see the extras added to this dish.......

Extras:

There are so many ways to dress up this dish. For this particular meal, I used broccoli, red peppers and shrimp. Roasting the peppers takes awhile, so you want to begin by roasting them before you make the sauce. You can roast them while you work on the other steps.

1. Simply put two red peppers in the oven on 425 degrees on a baking dish. Let the peppers roast for 35-40 minutes, turn 2x throughout the cooking time to ensure even charring on all sides. Remove from oven and let cool thoroughly. Then remove the charred skins and cut into strips. Be sure to avoid seeds on the inside.

2. Next, blanch the broccoli. This step is quick and can be done closer to finishing the sauce. Boil water in a pot and add broccoli florets. Prepare a bowl with ice and cold water and set aside. Let broccoli cook on a boil for 2-3 minutes, just until slightly tender, but not soft. Remove from water with slotted spoon or spider and place in ice bath for 2 minutes and then remove.

3. Toss in the fresh roasted peppers strips, cooked shrimp, and broccoli to the warm bechamel sauce and pasta. This is one yummy meal sure to please everyone!

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