Fish Mornay

One of my mum's friends gave gave her this receipe a long time ago, when money was tight and people had to economise as much as they could. The more you had to feed, the more vegetables and sauce was added to make the food go around. Over the years we have modified it a little so that you don't lose the lovely salmon flavour by overcrowding it with too many other ingredients. I love the taste of corn so always add it to my recipe. If there is anything in it you don't like, just leave it out. As always, use only the best ingredients with your recipes and you will enjoy them so much more. If you are economising, just add more veges but always use good canned salmon or tuna in this receipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large can salmon or tuna - drained
1 small onion - chopped
1 small can corn kernels (fresh or frozen can also be used)
2 tablespoons peas (fresh or frozen are best)
1 small carrot - diced
2 - 3 handfuls of pasta shells, spirals or macaroni (not spaghetti)
2 tablespoons butter
2 large tablespoons plain flour
600 - 750 ml fresh milk (I use hi-lo)
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
250 g pkt tasty cheese - grated
squirt lemon juice

PREPARATION:

Cook pasta until still very firm and drain. Microwave or boil veges, including onion until about half cooked and set aside. In large saucepan heat butter over fairly high heat and when starting to boil, quickly add the flour, salt and pepper and continue stirring so it doesn't burn. Keep cooking for several minutes or until mixture starts to change colour to a golden brown. Very quickly pour in about half of your milk, while mixture is still on a high heat and stirring continuously. Add the rest of the milk while still stirring. Don't worry if it looks a little lumpy at first as it will become smooth as it begins to cook. You always should cook the flour first when making any type of sauce and by making it this way, you don't get lumpy sauce and it tastes so much better. Lower your heat to medium and continue to stir as the sauce is cooking. When it begins to boil, turn heat right down to simmer and add 3/4 of the grated cheese to the sauce. Put all your other ingredients into a very large bowl with a squirt of lemon juice and mix together until just combined with a wooden spoon. Pour 3/4 of the sauce over this and mix through. Pour all the mixture into a large casserole or lasagna dish then pour the rest of the sauce over and make sure it covers the mixture well, especially around the sides. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over your mornay and then sprinkle a little paprika over the cheese. This gives it a lovely colour when cooked. Cook in oven at a moderate to high temperature until cheese is bubbling and turns a lovely golden brown. Usually about 20 minutes will do. Serve with some lovely crusty bread and any other side vegetables that you like. Do not serve with starchy vegetables as you have enough in the mornay.