Casserole 101

Casserole 101

Sometimes I think the casserole has gone the way of Plum Pudding -- not too many people are cooking them anymore.  A lot of people think "casserole - 1970's - Betty Crocker" but, that's crazy because casseroles are usually easy to put together, flexible, and you can do them ahead so you aren't scrambling around in the kitchen at the last minute.  

The definition of a casserole is "flexibility".  It is a one pan meal cooked in the oven, usually with a brown and crusty top, and may consist of (part 1) rice/grain, potatoes, or noodles, combined with (part 2) vegetables, (part 3) meat or beans, and (part 4) some type of sauce.  Measurements in a casserole may be approximations. For example, you've got 2 cups of cooked rice or 2 1/2 cups, throw it in, as long as the ingredients are somewhat proportional there is no exact science.  I'm going to give you a "flexible" recipe to experiment with.  Let me know how it goes for you and what you did to make it your own.  By the way, if you aren't feeling inventive, it's ok if you just follow what I did because it was delicious!

Casserole 101

Part 1:

For my casserole I used rice.  I was in a bit of a hurry so I used jasmine rice, but I could have used quinoa, or brown rice, or any cooked grain.
I cooked 1 cup of rice in 1 3/4 cup of water and put that as the base in my oil sprayed dish.

Part 2:
We love brussel sprouts and I had picked up a large bag from the co-op for the holidays.  I cleaned and boiled them until they were still bright green, but almost done.  I could have used lightly steamed broccoli, or chopped and sauteed kale, and I could have added sauteed onion to any of these.

Part 3:
OPTIONAL for vegetarians or those who don't want meat, use your favorite protein - be it beans or tofu and it's perfectly ok to skip the meat layer in any casserole.  I had a little left over ham so I diced that up for my meat layer.  It ended up being about a cup of diced ham.  This could have been chicken, beans, ground beef, prosciutto, or none of these.

Part 4:
The sauce.  I chose to make a simple white sauce.  Place 4 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour in a skillet stirring constantly over low heat to make a roux.  

Making the roux.

For a white sauce, you do not want to brown the roux. When it's bubbly as shown in the picture, add 2 cups of milk all at once while stirring until it comes back to a boil and has thickened to a nice consistency.
 Add salt and pepper to taste 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt and a dozen grinds of fresh black pepper.  Herbs make a nice addition to the sauce as well.

Putting it all together.

After you have layered up part 1-2-3, pour your sauce evenly over the dish.



Regarding the sauce, once you have created that, you could add grated Cheddar, Parmesan, or Asiago to the sauce and allow that to melt before pouring.  This would combine well with a pasta layer to make a layered mac and cheese type casserole.


I wanted a lighter flavor for this version, so added a sprinkling of Asiago cheese mixed with a tablespoon of bread crumbs to the top of the casserole for a crusty-cheesy-browned top. 

Everything in the casserole is cooked so the baking time is just to heat it through and bring everything together.  Bake the casserole in a 375 degree oven for 30 - 45 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly.  If you've made it ahead and had it refrigerated, it might take a little longer to heat through. Allow 60 minutes. Let the casserole cool slightly before serving big squares.

It came out just as tasty as it looks.  Served with a little spinach side salad, it made an impressive and delicious dinner.

I turned leftover ham and brussel sprouts into an entirely new dinner dish.  I could have reheated them and thrown them on a plate with the rice, but this was so much more appetizing and it made that little bit of ham stretch into 4 meals and no one felt slighted.

Here's a couple of ideas for different versions you might want to try for Casserole 101:

Mexican - rice - well drained, diced tomatoes - taco seasoned ground beef and/or black beans - top with a sauce to which has been added a cup of grated cheddar or a Mexican cheese mix - finally top with tortilla chip crumbs.

Broccoli/Cheddar - pasta of your choice, spirals or elbows work well - top with a layer of beans (can be white, red, or black) - lightly steamed broccoli - cheddar cheese sauce, made by adding a cup of grated cheddar cheese to the white sauce - top with bread crumbs.

Quinoa/Kale - quinoa - saute 1 bunch of kale, 1 sweet onion, 2-3 cups chopped green cabbage - optional meat layer of ham or Italian sausage - simple white sauce with 1 tsp dried basil added when it is finished - top with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese mixed with 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs and 2 tablespoons of fresh bread crumbs.

Please feel free to share your 4 part combinations to inspire everyone.
Enjoy!

 

Pork Roast with Apples, Carrots, and Asian Plum Sauce

I just got finished putting a pork roast in the crock pot.  I thought I’d better start documenting it before I forgot the measurements.  If you’re reading this post, it turned out awesome! 

As I was having coffee this morning, I was thinking about what to do with the roast that I had thawed in the frig.  I just bought a big bag of organic apples and just yesterday I peeled a bunch of my small carrots from the garden.  Supplied with adequate caffeine, the brain began spinning.........  Let’s put it all together in the crock pot and see what happens!!!

For some reason, all my creativity was used up on the ingredients today and I could not come up with a super snappy name for it.  If you have any ideas, let me know.  Here’s the details:

Pork Roast with Apples, Carrots, and Asian Plum Sauce

2 ½ - 3 pound pork roast - I used a sirloin tip roast, a loin roast or any meaty roast would be good

4 cups peeled carrots, cut into 3" long by 1" thick pieces
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 large apples, cored and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1 cup Asian Plum Sauce* - purchased or homemade - my recipe follows
* Don't have Plum Sauce?  Here is a perfect alternative - an equal amount of whole berry cranberry sauce.

Rinse and pat dry the roast, then brown it on all sides in a little olive oil over a moderately high heat.

Browning the meat adds lot of flavor.

Once the roast is browned, remove it, turn the heat down to low, add a little more olive oil and the chopped onions.  Caramelize the onions over low heat until they are translucent and a delicate brown color.  Sprinkle the salt, thyme, and sage into the onions.

Lightly caramelize the onions and add the herbs

 


I put my carrots on the bottom.  Then put the roast on top of the carrots, poured the caramelized onions over the top of the roast, and then added the chopped apples on top of that.

Carrots-roast-onions-apples

After I dumped the onions into the crock pot, I put the Asian plum sauce in the skillet to warm and to continue deglazing the skillet.  I wanted every little bit of flavor from the browning, caramelizing, and the herbs into the crock pot.  

Top it off with the sauce

Once everything else was in the crock pot, I poured the Asian plum sauce over the top and turned the dial to high to give it a kick start.

After about an hour, turn the crock pot down to low and let it cook for about 5-6 hours or until you are ready to serve.

This would be equally good served over a bed of wide noodles or rice.  I chose to make the rice today.

As mentioned above, whole berry cranberry sauce will make this dish equally as good and there's no need to search the stores for plum sauce.  This recipe made enough for a family meal or if you're only one or two, generous left overs.  It had a delicious sweet flavor with the mingling of the sweet carrots and apples.  A perfect compliment to the pork roast.

Enjoy!




Here is my recipe for the Sauce:

Asian Plum Sauce

This is a condiment that you can purchase at your local co-op or grocery in the ethnic food section, but it is easy to make if you have a supply of plums.  Plums seem to be abundant in the Missoula valley in the fall and last year someone gave me a bucket full.  I had already made more jam than I knew we would eat in several years so I decided to make plum sauce.  We have enjoyed it with many dishes, including stir fries and just over noodles.

 8 cups plums, pitted and chopped - skins on
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup apple juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

In large heavy saucepan, bring plums, onions, garlic, and apple juice to boil a over medium heat - reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender.

Add sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices and continue to simmer until it reaches the desired sauce consistency.

Fill and seal canning jars and process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, or freeze in ½ pint containers.

The Glory of the Harvest

 It’s the time of year when we count every night that passes without a frost as a bonus.  Here on the side of the mountain northwest of Missoula, we live in a special little micro-climate that affords us many weeks longer growing season than our neighbors in the valley.  I’m grateful for every growing day I get.

I have a bumper crop of tomatoes that are ripening on the vine.  Soon I’ll be canning marinara, harvest soup, and eating them for breakfast - lunch - and dinner, knowing it will be a long dry spell for fresh tomatoes.  The onions and garlic are already harvested and drying, the potatoes and carrots will be next.

Beautiful Millionaire and Prosperosa Eggplant

Today I harvested a few eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and some peppers to make my ratatouille.  Ratatouille is just another word for a vegetable stew.  Mine is simple and only takes a few minutes to prepare a big pot to enjoy for at least a couple of meals.  This stuff is so delicious that I also can it in quarts for use all winter.
   
Ratatouille
2-4 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 Medium sweet onion
1-2 Medium eggplant
1-2 Medium red or green bell peppers

Large diced veggies

3-4 Medium green or yellow zucchini
4-6 Cloves of garlic
A handful of fresh basil and oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
3 14oz cans of diced tomatoes (canned tomatoes are ok to use as they come in the can without draining) or 4-5 cups of fresh garden tomatoes that have been peeled, seeds removed, and excess water drained off.  If using fresh tomatoes, just do them first and let them drain in a 
colander while preparing the rest.

Begin to saute the veggies

Wash and dry the vegetables.  When it comes to the vegetables, there is no exact measurement, this is just a stew.  I say 1-2 Medium, but in general each vegetable ingredient equals about 3 - 5 cups more or less, when chopped. 

 Put the olive oil in a large pot and start with the onions.  Chop the onions and begin to saute them over medium heat.  As soon as they start to soften, turn the burner off and begin to add all of the rest of the vegetables that are chopped into large 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces.

 

Mince the fresh herbs and the garlic and add that to the pot as well.  Turn the heat back on to medium and stir and begin to cook the vegetables together.  Add the tomatoes and salt and bring to simmer.  Simmer for 60-90 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.

 

Add the chopped and drained tomatoes

Yummmmm!

As the ratatouille is ready, taste it for the appropriate amount of salt and sweetness and adjust to your taste with more salt or sugar.


I serve this over rice or pasta with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese as a hearty main dinner dish.   Enjoy!