Bechamel/cheese sauce

This one is always in demand when I say pasta. All my friends, especially the little boys, get this glint in their eyes and OOF has burnt his fingers many times trying to taste it too early.

This is a combination of a bechamel, and some sort of cheese sauce we used to eat with macaroni as kiddies. It usually serves 4, and is lovely in lasagna or with mushrooms. It also is the base for the veggie pasta sauce I make, with spinach ground into the sauce to turn it green.

• 3 tbs wholewheat flour (the more flour you use, the thicker it is, so if making croquetas, use twice or even three times this amount)
• 300-500ml milk, cold (again, this varies the thickness)
• 5-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 - 1 cup grated cheese
• 2 tbs butter
• salt to taste

Warm the butter in a saucepan, and cook the flour in it. Taking it off the heat, add the milk, still cold, little by little, stirring all the time. once it's all in there, put the pan back on the fire, and add salt. Keeping it on a very low flame, bring it a boil while stirring frequently. When I say boil, I mean little bubbles along the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the cheese in and stir it till it melts. Bring to a boil again. This time I mean till it gets this delectable frothy top layer. 

The more it cools, the thicket it gets. Once again, for croquetas, let it coooool!

Variations: 

1. Use dried basil and/or oregano for a delicate flavour. 
2. Fresh basil to approximate a pesto cream sauce. 
3. Mushrooms sautéed in garlic, folded in once the sauce is done.
4. Spinach and onions, cooked with garlic and spices, and pureed and folded in.

You see how it goes?