The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (46 page)

Pepper

¹
/
₂
cup fine dry breadcrumbs

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a shallow 2
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy skillet and add the drained hominy. Cook over medium-high heat until golden. Add the crabmeat, olives, bell peppers, and green chiles. Mix in the white sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small pan and stir in the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
   

Make two of these casseroles, freeze one, and you’ve got a tasty meal left over for a busy day. Add a crisp green salad and cut a crusty loaf of French bread into thick slices to sop up the juices.

•••••

¹
/
₂
cup (1 stick) butter, divided, plus extra for the dish

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

¹
/
₃
cup all-purpose flour

1
¹
/
₂
cups clam or chicken broth

1
¹
/
₂
cups light cream or half-and-half

Salt

Pepper

1
¹
/
₂
pounds fresh crabmeat, or 4 packages (6 ounces each) frozen crabmeat, thawed

1 cup
fresh breadcrumbs

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 1
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -quart casserole.
   
2. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer the mushrooms to the buttered casserole.
   
3. Melt 4 tablespoons of the remaining butter in the skillet over medium heat. Stir in the flour until blended. Remove from the heat and whisk in the broth and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to the heat and cook over medium-high heat until thickened and smooth.
   
4. Spread the crabmeat over the mushrooms in the casserole and pour the sauce over all. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and mix in the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the sauce and top with the cheese. (The dish can be assembled up to this point and frozen for up to 2 months.)
   
5. Bake the casserole until browned and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. (If frozen, do not defrost. Bake in a 325°F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.)
   

•••••

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.

Although the list of ingredients looks intimidating, this lasagna really comes together easily. Note that you don’t need to cook the noodles. There are special noodles on the market, called “no-boil noodles,” that are designed to go straight into a baking dish. But I’ve had good luck with regular dried lasagna noodles, too.

•••••

4 tablespoons butter

¹
/
₄
cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 cup fish or chicken broth or water

³
/
₄
cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese or low-fat cottage cheese

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

¹
/
₈
teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 package (9 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles (12 noodles)

1 package (12 ounces) frozen cooked shrimp (about 50 count), thawed

2 packages (6 ounces each) frozen crabmeat, thawed, drained, and flaked

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, and stir until blended. Gradually whisk in the milk and broth, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   cup of the Parmesan cheese, and set aside.
   
3. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta,
   ²
   /
   ₃
   cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the nutmeg.
   
4. Spread out a quarter of the sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with a third of the lasagna noodles, overlapping them if necessary. Top with half of the shrimp, half of the crabmeat, half of the spinach mixture, and a third of the remaining sauce. Repeat the layers once, starting with half of the remaining noodles, using all of the remaining shrimp, crabmeat, and spinach mixture, and half of the remaining sauce. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, and
   ¹
   /
   ₃
   cup mozzarella cheese. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the casserole.
   
5. Bake for 35 minutes, uncover, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining
   ¹
   /
   ₄
   cup Parmesan cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces and serve.
   

Gravlax is a Scandinavian specialty made with raw salmon, which is cured with a sugar and salt mixture. Typically, it is served thinly sliced as an open-faced sandwich. Gravlax is also a fine ingredient in creamy soups as well as casseroles such as this one.

•••••

1 tablespoon butter, melted, plus extra for the dish

6 medium thin-skinned potatoes

2 large onions

¹
/
₂
cup chopped fresh dill, or 2 tablespoons dried

¹
/
₄
pound gravlax, julienned

1 to 1
¹
/
₂
cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into
   ¹
   /
   ₄
   -inch thick slices and cut the slices into
   ¹
   /
   ₄
   -inch strips. Peel the onions and trim off the ends. Cut in half lengthwise. With the cut side down, cut each half lengthwise into
   ¹
   /
   ₄
   -inch strips.
   
3. Spread out the onions, dill, and gravlax in the prepared dish. Cover with the potato strips. Add just enough cream to cover the potatoes. Mix together the breadcrumbs and the 1 tablespoon melted butter, then sprinkle over the potato layer.
   
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the top of the casserole is browned.
   

Tilapia is a very lean fish that is aqua cultured around the world. This white, rather thin fish cooks quickly. Here, we’ve placed it on top of potato gnocchi, another convenience food that you can find in shelf-stable packages. If you are not bothered by the MSG and other ingredients in cream of shrimp soup, go ahead and use it. I prefer heavy cream for a delicious alternative.

•••••

2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra for the dish

1 pound frozen tilapia fillets, thawed

Salt

Pepper

1 package (1 pound) potato gnocchi

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

1
¹
/
₃
cups heavy cream, or 1 can (10
³
/
₄
ounces) cream of shrimp soup

¹
/
₄
cup grated Parmesan cheese

¹
/
₄
cup
panko
or fine dry breadcrumbs

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Rinse the tilapia and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
3. Spread the gnocchi in an even layer in the casserole. Add the Tabasco to the cream or soup and drizzle half over the gnocchi. Top with the fish fillets in one layer, overlapping if necessary. Spread the remaining cream over the fish. Mix the Parmesan, panko, and 2 tablespoons melted butter in a small dish and sprinkle over the fish evenly.
   
4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and the fish flakes.
   

•••••

NOTE:
Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are coarser than regular breadcrumbs and create a crunchier crust. Panko can be purchased in Asian markets, or in the Asian sections of large supermarkets.

Fish is a summertime food in Finland, and Finns have many ways to serve it. We have been served this casserole in Helsinki along with a lovely salad of fresh garden lettuce and sour rye buns.

•••••

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

1 pound salmon or rainbow trout fillet, skinned

3 medium potatoes (about 1 pound)

2 medium onions

1 cup heavy cream

¹
/
₂
cup milk

¹
/
₃
cup fine dry breadcrumbs

Salt

Pepper

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Remove any bones from the fish and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut into matchsticks. Peel the onions and trim off the ends. Cut the onions in half lengthwise. With the cut sides down, cut each half lengthwise into matchsticks.
   
3. Put the fish, potatoes, and onions in the casserole and pour the cream and milk over all. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, dot with the 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and the breadcrumbs are golden.
   

“Florentine” designates a dish made in the style of Florence. Usually it consists of fish or eggs presented on a bed of spinach and topped with a sauce.

•••••

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

3 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach

3 cups sour cream

4
¹
/
₂
tablespoons all-purpose flour

³
/
₄
cup chopped green onions (white and light green parts)

Juice of 1
¹
/
₂
lemons

3 teaspoons salt

3 pounds thin fillets of sole or flounder

Paprika for sprinkling

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Cook the spinach according to package directions. Drain, let cool a little, and squeeze dry.
   
3. Blend the sour cream with the flour, green onions, lemon juice, and salt. Combine half of this mixture with the spinach and spread over the bottom of the casserole.
   
4. Arrange the fish fillets on top of the spinach and dot with the 2 tablespoons butter. Spread the remaining sour cream mixture evenly over the fillets, leaving a border to show the spinach. Dust lightly with paprika. (The casserole can be covered and refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day. Add 10 minutes to the baking time.)
   
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the fish flakes when probed with a fork.
   

I received this recipe from a cousin, Marilyn Magee, who admitted that she substitutes a carton of cream of mushroom soup for the sauce. I tried it both ways and prefer the homemade sauce below.

•••••

4 tablespoons butter

¹
/
₃
cup minced onion

¹
/
₄
cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk, heated

1 cup light cream, heated

¹
/
₂
teaspoon salt

¹
/
₂
teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon chopped pimientos

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 package (6 ounces) frozen crabmeat, thawed, drained, and flaked

1 package (12 ounces) frozen small cooked shrimp, thawed

3 cups cooked basmati rice

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 2
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. In a heavy medium saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until blended. Gradually whisk in the milk and cream, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring, until thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in the salt, pepper, pimientos, water chestnuts, lemon juice, parsley, crabmeat, shrimp, rice, and half of the cheese. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Add 10 minutes to the baking time.)
   
3. Bake for 25 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese just before serving.