The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (7 page)

Variation:
Try this with cauliflower, and substitute shredded Cheddar for the Parmesan.

These are satisfying little bites of omelet spiked with chiles and hot pepper cheese. You can make these squares ahead of time, wrap them well, and refrigerate. Reheat just until warm before serving.

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8 large eggs, beaten

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pound mushrooms, sliced

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles

4 slices bacon, cooked and diced, or
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cup diced cooked ham

1 cup shredded spicy pepper cheese

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a shallow 1-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mushrooms, chiles, bacon, and cheese and pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until set. Cool and cut into 1-inch squares. Serve with toothpicks.
   

Here is a slightly different take on a curry. You can serve these mushrooms as a vegetarian main dish as well as a first course.

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4 tablespoons butter

2 cups chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped celery

1
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pounds mushrooms

1
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teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

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teaspoon dry mustard

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teaspoon ground cloves

2 large cooking apples, such as Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith, peeled and chopped

3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

3 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Crisp toast rounds or toasted pita triangles for serving

Sliced or slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish (see
Toasting Almonds
)

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to a 2-quart casserole and add the celery. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop the stems. Stir the stems, mushroom caps, and salt into the casserole.
   
3. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes or until the mushrooms have released their juices.
   
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, mustard, and cloves. Stir into the mushroom mixture and add the apples, tomatoes, coconut, honey, and lemon juice. Return the casserole to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until all the ingredients are just tender; do not overcook. Cover and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Spoon onto crisp toast rounds or pita triangles and garnish with toasted almonds.
   

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NOTE:
To toast the almonds, spread them out on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly browned.

The nutty flavor of Jarlsberg cheese, melted into a baked spread, goes equally well with bread, crackers, or sliced fresh apple. The last time I made this, I thought I had Jarlsberg in the fridge, but it was actually a Swedish fontina. I used it anyway, with excellent results.

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2 cups shredded or diced Jarlsberg cheese

2 tablespoons minced red onion

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cup mayonnaise

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a shallow 1-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. In a medium bowl, mix the cheese, onion, and mayonnaise and spread in the bottom of the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
   

Provide a small container of toothpicks and some crusty French bread for serving these delicious, cheesy mushroom tidbits. If the mushrooms are large, cut the slices into quarters; if they’re medium-size, just halve them. Tiny button mushrooms can be left whole.

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1 pound mushrooms, sliced

4 large cloves garlic, sliced

7 tablespoons butter, plus more for the dish

1 teaspoon kosher salt

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teaspoon pepper

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cup grated Parmesan cheese

Slices of French bread for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow 1
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   -quart casserole.
   
2. Arrange the mushrooms in the casserole in an even layer and top with the sliced garlic. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with the cheese.
   
3. Serve the mushrooms with slices of French bread.
   

For a tasty filling that is relatively low in fat, use evaporated milk. Don’t use skim, though—a little fat carries flavor!

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FOR THE PASTRY:

1 cup all-purpose flour

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teaspoon salt

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cup vegetable or canola oil

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

FOR THE FILLING:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

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cup chopped onions

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cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (not oil-packed)

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cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 large eggs

2 cups light cream or evaporated milk

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teaspoon salt (optional)

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teaspoon ground nutmeg

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1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
   
2. To make the pastry:
   With a fork, stir together the flour, salt, and oil in a medium bowl until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in enough milk to moisten the flour and form moist crumbs. Flatten into a disk and place between sheets of waxed paper. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll out the pastry into a 9- or 10-inch square to fit an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan, preferably with removable sides. Transfer to the pan and crimp the edges. With a fork, pierce several holes in the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. If the dough has puffed up, gently press down.
   
3. To make the filling:
   Melt the butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened.
   
4. Spread the onions in the bottom of the partially baked crust. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.
   
5. Whisk the eggs, cream, salt (if using), and nutmeg in a medium bowl and pour over the onion mixture. Bake the quiche for 15 minutes at 425°F. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until set and the tip of a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.
   

In this easy and delicious casserole, the ricotta bakes down into a creamy cheese sauce. It makes a perfect appetizer for a buffet-style meal.

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1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon salt

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teaspoon pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

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cup chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, rosemary, and thyme

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cup heavy cream

12 slices French bread, toasted or grilled, for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
   
2. Coat a 1-quart casserole with the olive oil.
   
3. In a large bowl, stir the ricotta together with the salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, and cream. Transfer to the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is creamy and hot. Serve with the French bread slices.
   

Put these ingredients together in a pretty little casserole dish so that it will be ready to pop into the oven 15 minutes before your guests arrive.

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1 bag (9 ounces) fresh spinach leaves

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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cup regular or low-fat mayonnaise

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cup regular or low-fat sour cream

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried basil

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teaspoon salt

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teaspoon cayenne pepper

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cup pine nuts

Slices of crusty French bread or freshly cut vegetables for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow 1- to 1
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   -quart casserole.
   
2. Put the spinach in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Press the leaves down into the water until they wilt. Drain the spinach well and squeeze out all the liquid.
   
3. Combine the spinach, Parmesan, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, basil, salt, and cayenne in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the spinach is finely chopped, but not pureed. Alternatively, chop the spinach by hand and combine with the remaining ingredients except the pine nuts and bread slices. Spoon into the buttered casserole and sprinkle with the pine nuts. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Add 5 minutes to the baking time.)
   
4. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve hot with the bread or vegetables.
   

Each slice of this beautiful meat loaf reveals a round of white chicken breast, surrounded by a puree of spinach and herbs. It is absolutely perfect for a summertime dinner party and ideal because you can make this terrine up to 3 days ahead of time. It needs to be chilled so that it can be cut into slices for serving. To save time, you can skip steps 1 and 2 and buy a rotisserie chicken breast from the supermarket. The recipe is a little fussy, but really worth the effort!

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1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)

1 lime, halved

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

3 cups baby spinach leaves, divided

Leaves of 8 sprigs fresh tarragon

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cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

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to 2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound sliced bacon

FOR THE EXOTIC FRUIT SALSA:

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cup fresh orange juice

1 cup finely diced mango

1 cup finely diced papaya

1 cup finely diced pineapple

1 Scotch bonnet chile, stem and seeds discarded, minced

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cup finely diced red onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper

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1. To roast the chicken, preheat the oven to 400°F. Or preheat a charcoal grill and bank the coals for indirect heat.
   
2. Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Squeeze lime juice over the chicken and in the cavity. Put the lime halves into the cavity along with the onion. Dot the chicken with butter. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 1
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   hours, or until a leg jiggles easily and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 185°F. Or grill for 1
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   hours, covered. Melt the butter and brush the chicken 2 or 3 times while grilling. Remove from the oven or grill and cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (or preheat the oven if you were grilling the chicken).
   
3. Remove the breast meat in 2 big chunks and set aside. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken carcass and put the meat into a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
   Add the roasted onion, 1 cup of the spinach leaves, the tarragon leaves, cream, eggs, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth.
   
4. If you have one, line a narrow, loaf-shaped terrine with a tight-fitting lid with bacon slices. Otherwise, line a regular loaf pan. Spread 1 cup of the remaining baby spinach leaves evenly over the bottom of the terrine, covering the bacon.
   
5. Spread half of the pureed mixture over the spinach layer and top with the breast meat (tear into smaller pieces if necessary), so that there is a continual strip of the breast meat from one end of the terrine to the other. Top with the remaining pureed mixture. Spread the remaining 1 cup spinach leaves over the top.
   
6. Lap the ends of the bacon pieces over the top (they will not entirely cover it). Cover the top of the terrine with a strip of parchment or waxed paper. Place the cover on top to seal the terrine, or cover tightly with foil.
   
7. Set into a large roasting pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine or loaf pan. Bake for 2 hours.
   
8. Meanwhile, make the Exotic Fruit Salsa:
   In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Combine the mango, papaya, pineapple, chile, onion, and olive oil in a large bowl and stir in the juice. Season with salt and pepper.
   
9. Cool the terrine completely, unmold, and cut into thin slices. Serve with spoonfuls of the salsa.