An Ode To The Casserole

[Cornelia]

This less-than-wintry winter we’re having here in New England has got me thinking about how to fake winter – at least the indoors part – with warming, savory foods.  Part of the fun of winter is holing up inside, keeping cozy, and cooking a pot of something good. Casseroles are something good. Retro in style, usually creamy and easily portable (if one chose to leave the house). So here is my ode to the casserole. My virtual potluck church supper. Enjoy!

 

Julia Child’s Coq au Vin (courtesy of Smitten Kitchen)

Retro classy. Tweed-jacket classic. Soooooo good. You’ll need to be housebound for several hours in order to accomplish cooking this epic dish.

 

Jansson’s Temptation (Jansson’s Frestelse) (courtesy of Epicurious)

On first glance this evoked an “ew” from me. Upon further investigation and imagination…potatoes…onion…salty, briny anchovies (I love anchovies!) and heavy cream. OK… I can do that! Apparently this is a big dish with Swedish folk around the Christmas holiday time. Winter casserole – check!

 

Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions (courtesy of Brown-eyed Baker and The Pioneer Woman)

I’m transported to the church basement. A line of folding tables, covered with red-checkered plastic, brimming with homemade one-pot meals. There were always at least three green bean casseroles on those tables. This recipe does not require canned cream-of-something soup, and this is a recipe for crispy onions not from a can.

 

Corn Casserole (courtesy of Chaos In The Kitchen)

I’ve long used up my frozen sweet corn from the summertime, but this cheesy, toothy concoction using two whole jalapenos might just be enough to give glow to my cheeks.

 

Sharing only two Macaroni and Cheese recipes is showing incredible restraint on my part. I could eat mac n cheese pretty much every day. For fun, here is another old school classic recipe from the no-nonsense Fanny Farmer Cookbook. To get really serious about this dish, I turn to Martha and her Perfect Macaroni And Cheese recipe. Yes, she uses one stick of butter and three kinds of fancy cheese… Is there a problem with that?? Nope.

 

Yes, they’re not the healthiest dishes in the world, but, with family-farm, local, organic-sourced ingredients, I’m helping keep the planet healthy and farmers growing. Viva la casserole!

What is your favorite casserole? Wait, what, technically IS a casserole?

 

 

Simple enough...Share your recipes here!

 

 

[Marianne Smith]

I make what I call Mexican Casserole.  I've made it so many times I don't really use a recipe.  Here's one that's similar from allrecipes.com

My additions are Jalapenos, Cilantro, onions, bell peppers and cooked and shredded chicken.  I also use homemade black beans instead of refried beans.

YUM!

[Amanda Mantone Linehan]

I have a few -- sweet corn casserole that I make at the holidays, brussels sprouts gratin that I've made with my CSA veggies, and a cheesy kale & pasta casserole that I love (again with my CSA kale, tomatoes and onions!) Also, who doesn't love the Martha Stewart Mac n' Cheese recipe? It's classic!