Hot Tomato Bechamel
A versatile, hot tomato-cream sauce.

Recipe by Paul Mayville

I use this sauce a lot. I put it on eggs (Frittata and Red Pepper Eggs), Meat Loaf, baked potatoes, all kinds of things. Creamy and spicy, it's a completely different kind of tomato sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 (10 oz.) can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, make a pale rue with the butter and flour (melt butter and mix in flour until a smooth, bubbling, paste develops). Add milk, blend well, and bring to a boil. Blend in all remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Yields 3 cups