The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (64 page)

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24 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 to 6 ounces each)

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cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 pounds mushrooms, sliced

1 recipe
Caramelized Onions

1
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cups green onions, chopped (white and green parts)

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cup dry white wine

1
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cups chicken broth,
homemade
or prepared

6 red bell peppers, roasted and quartered (see
Roasted Peppers
)

24 fresh basil leaves

24 slices mozzarella cheese

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1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
   
2. Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry. Combine the flour, salt, and paprika in a shallow dish and coat the chicken with the mixture evenly. Arrange in two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes or one 12-by-20-inch baking pan. Set aside the remaining seasoned flour.
   
3. Melt
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   cup of the butter in a small skillet and drizzle the chicken breasts with the butter. Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are browned. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
   
4. While the chicken breasts brown, melt the remaining
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   cup butter in a large skillet over high heat and add the mushrooms, caramelized onions, and green onions. Cook until the mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved seasoned flour over the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms are evenly coated. Whisk in the wine and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes until thickened.
   
5. Pour the mushroom and onion mixture over the browned chicken breasts and top with the roasted pepper pieces. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Then proceed with the final baking.)
   
6. Return the chicken to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through. Top with the basil leaves and cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
   

Translated literally from the French, choucroute garni means “garnished cabbage”! The success of this dish depends on the quality of the sauerkraut, so use a good one, preferably the kind that comes fresh in a bag and not the canned variety—unless, of course, you make your own!

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2 pounds fresh sauerkraut

2 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

4 slices bacon, diced

6 black peppercorns

6 juniper berries

1 cup dark beer

12 smoked pork chops, or 2 pounds smoked ham, cut into
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-inch-thick slices

12 garlic-flavored smoked sausage links (about 3 pounds), such as kielbasa

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cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish

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1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
   
2. In a heavy 5-quart casserole, layer the sauerkraut, apples, and bacon. Sprinkle with the peppercorns and juniper berries and pour the beer over all. Cover tightly and bake for 2
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   hours. Arrange the pork chops or ham on top. Cover and bake for another 30 minutes.
   
3. Cut the sausages diagonally into 3-inch-thick slices. Tuck the sausage slices into the sauerkraut mixture in the casserole. Cover and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the sausages are heated through.
   
4. To serve, spoon the sauerkraut onto a rimmed platter and arrange the meat and sausages over the sauerkraut. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
   

A couple of years ago, I was privileged to visit a half dozen dude ranches in Colorado. I even learned to ride a horse! The ranches ranged from very rustic to very posh. But the one thing they had in common was the pork and beans on their buffet menus. Maybe it was because beans have an important place in early American culinary history and live on as the mainstay in the diets of the cowboys. And they really wanted to turn me into a cowgirl! Go ahead and visit the dude ranches in Grand County, Colorado, where you’re likely to be served a dish of beans like this one.

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4 strips bacon, cut into
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-inch pieces

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 pounds lean pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups chopped onions

3 large cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

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teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cans (14
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ounces each) diced tomatoes with their juice

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cup water

3 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Cornbread squares for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. In a heavy Dutch oven, brown the bacon over medium-high heat. Drain the bacon on paper towels and pour off the bacon fat from the pot.
   
3. Add the oil to the pan and stir in the pork cubes. Brown the meat, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook over high heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes with their juice, and water.
   
4. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Stir in the beans and add more water, if they seem dry. Bake for 30 minutes longer, or until the pork is very tender. Add the bacon. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
   
5. Serve with squares of cornbread.
   

Tian is a French word that describes both a shallow earthenware casserole and the food it contains. The most common tian is a dish of gratinéed vegetables (topped with breadcrumbs or cheese). This one makes a pretty spectacular presentation.

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3 firm large eggplants (about 3
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pounds total), cut crosswise into
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-inch-thick rounds

2 to 3 tablespoons kosher salt

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cup olive oil, divided, plus extra for the baking sheet

1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

6 cups packed spinach leaves

Salt

Pepper

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into
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-inch-thick slices

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cup grated Parmesan cheese

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1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and arrange the eggplant in a single layer on top. Sprinkle with 1
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   teaspoons of the kosher salt. Turn over and spread the other side with another 1
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   teaspoons of kosher salt. Cover with a layer of paper towels and top with another layer of eggplant, sprinkling with kosher salt in the same way. Continue in this way until you’ve salted all the eggplant slices. Let stand for 20 minutes, or until the paper towels have absorbed the liquid from the eggplant.
   
2. Preheat the broiler.
   
3. Oil a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and top with one layer of eggplant. Broil 3 inches from the heat until pale gold, about 3 minutes. Turn the eggplant over and broil until pale gold and tender, about another 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked eggplant to a platter and broil the remaining eggplant slices the same way.
   
4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil
   over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and pale gold; transfer to a bowl. Add the spinach to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Toss and turn the spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and stir into the onion.
   
5. In a blender, puree the basil, garlic, and 6 tablespoons of the oil until smooth. Season the basil mixture with salt and pepper an transfer to a bowl.
   
6. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Brush an earthenware casserole or soufflé dish, about 10 inches in diameter, with oil. Line the bottom and sides of the casserole with a layer of eggplant. Brush with some of the basil mixture and top with a layer of the spinach mixture. Add a layer of tomato slices, and brush with more basil mixture. Repeat the layers with the remaining eggplant, basil mixture, spinach, and tomatoes, ending with the tomatoes.
   
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool in the dish on a rack for 1 hour. Invert the tian onto a serving dish with shallow sides (some liquid will drain from the tian). Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and cut into wedges to serve.
   

This recipe has many virtues: it can be made ahead, served to a crowd, and anything left over tastes even better the next day! To soften the cabbage leaves, you can blanch them, as described in step 1. Or you can freeze the cabbage whole, then thaw it just before you plan to use it. When thawed, the leaves separate beautifully and are flexible enough to encase the filling.

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24 large green cabbage leaves, separated, and coarse ribs removed

1
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cups pearl barley or rice

1
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cups water

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra for the dish(es)

3 teaspoons salt

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teaspoon white pepper

1
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pounds lean ground beef

1
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pounds lean ground pork

1
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pounds onions, diced

1
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cups diced red bell peppers

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 cup dark corn syrup

About 4 cups boiling water

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1. If you choose not to freeze the cabbage (see headnote), blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water to cover until they become soft and bright green; remove from the water and pat dry with paper towels.
   
2. Peel off as many large leaves as possible from the cabbage head and set aside for filling. The center will be a tight ball of leaves too small to fill. Shred this part of the cabbage and set aside.
   
3. Combine the barley or rice and water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover and simmer until most of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and cover; let stand for 10 minutes.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 12-by-20-inch baking pan with 2-inch sides, a 7
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   -quart casserole, or two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes.
   
5. Spread the shredded cabbage in a single layer on the bottom of the dish(es). Sprinkle with half the salt and pepper and drizzle all the melted butter over the cabbage evenly.
   
6. In a large bowl, mix the cooked barley or rice, ground beef, ground pork, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and the remaining salt and pepper.
   
7. Place an egg-sized ball of the meat mixture onto the stem end of a softened cabbage leaf. Wrap the leaf around the meat, tuck in the sides, and roll up. Place, seam side down, on top of the shredded cabbage. Fill and roll up the remaining cabbage leaves and place on the shredded cabbage.
   
8. Brush the rolls with the corn syrup. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover the casserole and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, pour the boiling water over, and bake for another hour, or until the filling is cooked through.
   

For this you will need a lasagna pan with straight sides, at least 14 inches long. Lasagna pans vary in size, but they are all at least 3 inches deep. If you use a standard 9-by-13-inch baking pan with sloping sides, you will find that you can’t fit all the noodles and filling in it. If that’s all you have, reduce the number of noodles to 9, or make a second, smaller lasagna in a smaller dish.

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2 cups chopped onions

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chopped zucchini

2 cups chopped yellow squash

2 cups thinly sliced carrots

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 teaspoons salt, divided

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons flour

3
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cups milk, heated

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided