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

Recipe Title:  Creamy Seafood & Mushroom Pasta Casserole, made with a basic Béchamel Sauce. (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe) 

Creamy Seafood & Mushroom Pasta Dish

By: Miriam Borys

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups dry pasta of choice (in this video I am using Cellentani  Italian Pasta) par boiled, drained & held for later use

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)

1 ¼  cup seafood medley (including 1 tallapia fillet) [I buy a bag of 'seafood medley' from the local Asian grocery store...very convenient & a great price to keep in your freezer]

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. chives - fresh for garnish

½ cup flat leaf parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup pasta water if needed

Procedure:

Cook pasta until el dente (just done). Drain (reserving some of the pasta water) and hold.

In a sauté pan melt butter in olive oil.

Chop mushrooms and add to butter mixture to sauté until slightly browned. 

Dice up anchovies & chilli and add to mushrooms.

Sauté for 1 minutes to help infuse the flavours.

Add béchamel sauce and continue to heat until white sauce is hot. Do not overcook at this stage or the bechamel sauce will burn. 

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

Place cooked pasta to the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

Carefully pour the mushroom seafood cream sauce over the pasta. Add 1/2 cup if of pasta water.

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.

cellentani cork-screw Italian pasta

Béchamel Sauce - How to make a  basic white sauce. (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe) 
Yield: 3 cups 

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. 

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com