The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (63 page)

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

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cup tomato salsa (mild, medium, or hot)

1
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teaspoons ground cumin

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14
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ounces) diced tomatoes with their juice

12 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, divided

TOPPINGS:

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Chopped fresh tomato

Diced avocado

Sour cream

Tomato salsa (mild, medium, or hot)

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. Coat a large skillet with the vegetable oil or cooking spray. Place over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 4 minutes, or until tender. Add the red and green bell peppers and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the salsa, cumin, black beans, and diced tomatoes with their juice. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
   
3. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1
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   cups of the bean mixture into the baking dish. Arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer over the bean mixture. Top with 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon the remaining bean mixture over the cheese. Arrange the remaining 6 tortillas over the bean mixture.
   
4. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover the casserole and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and top with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Let stand for 5 minutes and cut into squares to serve. Set out the toppings so people can help themselves.
   

When our whole family is together, this is the perfect solution for a no-stress breakfast. It’s best to use fresh blueberries for this seasonal dish; frozen berries will discolor the casserole. In a commercial oven, you can bake this in a 12-by-20-inch pan with 2-inch sides. I have found, however, that in a home oven, it is best to divide the recipe between two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes so that the center of the food gets cooked evenly.

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36 slices thick-cut crusty white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cubed

4 cups blueberries

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

36 large eggs

4 cups milk

1 cup pure maple syrup

FOR THE BLUEBERRY SAUCE:

3 cups sugar

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cup cornstarch

3 cups water

3 cups blueberries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter

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1. Butter 2 shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dishes.
   
2. Scatter half the bread cubes in the bottom of the pans. Scatter the cream cheese and blueberries on top evenly and sprinkle with the orange zest. Top with the remaining bread cubes.
   
3. Mix the eggs, milk, and maple syrup in 1 or 2 large bowls and pour evenly over the ingredients in pans. Cover with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray and refrigerate overnight.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until puffed, browned, and set.
   
6. While the casseroles bake, make the sauce: Blend the sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Add the water and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture boils, thickens, and becomes clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in the blueberries and simmer until the berries burst. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
   
7. To serve, cut each pan into 12 squares. Serve warm with warm blueberry sauce spooned over each serving.
   

Brazil’s national dish is loaded with black beans and a variety of meats. It’s a great party dish, and is not difficult to make. It does require hours of unattended long, slow cooking, so you need to plan your time accordingly. Feijoada is served with toasted manioc, which is ground cassava root, the same substance that comprises tapioca. Feijoada is sometimes served with stewed kale or other greens or garnished with sliced oranges.

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1 pound dried black beans

1 teaspoon salt

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teaspoon pepper

8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

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pound salt pork, rind trimmed off , and diced

1 ham shank (about 1
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pounds)

1 corned beef brisket (3 to 3
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pounds) with the spice packet, if desired

1 can (28 ounces) whole or stewed tomatoes with their juice

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4 cups water, plus extra as needed

1 pound spicy sausage, such as linguiça or Spanish chorizo

Sautéed Greens
for serving

FOR THE BUTTERED MANIOC:

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup manioc flour or uncooked farina

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cup chopped fresh parsley

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cup light or dark raisins

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cup sliced stuff ed green olives

Hot cooked rice for serving

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1. Put the beans in a 3- to 4-quart casserole. Add water to cover (by about 4 inches) and soak overnight. Drain the beans.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
   
3. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, salt pork, ham shank, beef brisket, tomatoes with their juice, onion, and the 4 cups water to the beans.
   
4. Cover tightly and bake for 4 hours. Check occasionally, adding more water to keep the mixture moist, if necessary.
   
5. Uncover and stir in the sausage. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour longer, or until the liquid is thickened.
   
6. Slice the sausage and beef. Remove the meat from the ham hock and cut it up. Stir the beans and arrange the meats on top. Make the Sautéed Greens and transfer to a serving dish. Keep warm while you make the buttered manioc.
   
7. To make the buttered manioc: In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the manioc flour or farina. Stir so the grains stay loose and dry and turn golden. Stir in the parsley, raisins, and olives.
   
8. To serve: Sprinkle some of the buttered manioc over the dish and put the rest in a serving bowl so people can help themselves. Spoon rice around the edges of the feijoada dish. Or put the rice in a serving bowl and spoon the feijoada over individual servings. Offer the Sautéed Greens on the side.
   

SAUTÉED GREENS

SERVES 12 TO 15

Feijoada is traditionally served with couve à mineira, or sautéed greens. This dish can be prepared with broccoli rabe or green cabbage, but the most popular choice is kale.

2 pounds kale

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

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1. Wash the kale and bunch it together in 2 or 3 bunches. Take each bunch, roll it up tightly, and cut crosswise into thin strips. Wash the strips and drain thoroughly.
   
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, then cook the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the kale strips and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes so until the greens are soft, but still retain their bright green color. Serve hot.
   

We all know that broccoli is healthy, but how do you make it more interesting? Why, with some sour cream, Cheddar cheese, and sweet onion. Be sure the broccoli is fresh. If it smells strong, it will taste even stronger after cooking. I am always careful to check expiration dates on bags of fresh broccoli.

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2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra for the dish

1 bag (20 ounces) fresh broccoli florets

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

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cup minced sweet onion

1 teaspoon salt

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cup seasoned fine dry breadcrumbs

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 3-quart casserole.
   
2. Cook the broccoli in salted boiling water to cover for 3 minutes, then drain. In a large bowl, mix the broccoli with the sour cream, cheese, sweet onion, and salt. Transfer to the casserole dish. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to 1 day.)
   
3. Mix the breadcrumbs with the 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole evenly. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are browned and the casserole is heated through.
   

Think of cauliflower and broccoli as siblings in the cabbage family. A characteristic they share is that they should not be overcooked. Cheese and a bit of ham transform them into a convenient main dish.

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1
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pounds cauliflower florets

1
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pounds broccoli florets

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cup (1 stick) butter, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk, heated

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cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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teaspoon salt

3 cups chopped cooked ham

3 cups
fresh breadcrumbs

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the cauliflower and broccoli in boiling salted water to cover, just until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
   
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until blended. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the cheeses and salt and stir over low heat until the cheese melts.
   
3. Transfer the cooked vegetables to an ungreased 3-quart casserole and scatter the ham on top. Pour the sauce over all.
   
4. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a small skillet and stir in the breadcrumbs. Make a border of buttered crumbs around the edges of the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
   

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NOTE:
To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear 1 or 2 slices of fresh bread into pieces and put in a food processor with the steel blade in place. Process with on/off pulses until the bread is broken down into crumbs.

Here’s a tasty candidate for a family reunion buffet or to tote to a potluck. Depending on availability and the adventurousness of your guests, try substituting wild mushrooms for common white button mushrooms. For a more complex flavor, add a little truffle oil to the sauce.

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3 chickens (3 pounds each), cut into 8 serving pieces per chicken

2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

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cup (1 stick) butter

2 pounds mushrooms, sliced

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cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth,
homemade
or prepared

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cup dry sherry

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.
   
2. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, and brown on both sides, removing them to a dish as they are done.
   
3. When all of the chicken pieces are browned, add the remaining butter and the mushrooms to the Dutch oven and sauté until browned. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and add the chicken broth, sherry, and rosemary, stirring until blended. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until thickened.
   
4. Return the chicken to the pot. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and bake, covered, for 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked through.
   

Although this is a relatively simple casserole, the caramelized onions, paprika, mushrooms, wine, and roasted bell peppers add up to a richly flavored chicken dish. To complete the menu, add a vegetable casserole, a salad, and crusty artisanal bread.