It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Part 4: The Casserole

For my final holiday blog, I want to explore the world of casseroles. Although I’m not a huge fan of the casserole, who am I to mess with tradition? But first off, what is a casserole?

A casserole is an oven proof dish that the French developed to cook an entrée, usually containing meat and rice. The casserole really gained popularity in the 50’s. Oddly enough, the casserole is now called a casserole dish and the food in the dish is referred to as a casserole. Today, a casserole means any baked meal, usually prepared in a casserole dish, that contains protein and/or starch.

So how do you jazz up that old casserole recipe? Now you are speaking my language! Lets dive into the casserole dish and mix things up a bit …

Let’s start with my least favorite; sweet potato casserole. Yes, good ole sweet potato casserole – chucks of undercooked sweet potatoes covered with overcooked marshmallows. Well, I guess if I put it that way, it really doesn’t sound good does it? Don’t despair; we can still find away to utilize the sweet, starchy goodness that is the sweet potato. Instead of making a sweet potato casserole with sticky marshmallows, I recommend mashed sweet potatoes – just as sweet but with a more consistent texture.

You will need:
3 or 4 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds worth)
2/3 cup of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of molasses
Brown Sugar

Bake the sweet potatoes for about 1 hour and 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Once the potatoes begin to leak syrup, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. If you have a ricer, cut the potatoes in half and “rice” them into a bowl, removing the skin from the ricer between uses. If you don’t have a ricer, get one, or remove the skin from the potatoes, dice them up, and put them in a bowl. Add the cream, cinnamon, and molasses. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the mixture on high until it is smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt and / or brown sugar if needed. If it appears a little dry, you can add more liquid (cream or bourbon). It is best to serve it warm. If you must have a marshmallow topping, you can simply put some marshmallows on top and use a kitchen torch or the broiler to toast it.

One of the all time favorites for most is the green bean casserole. I must admit, I am a fan, but who needs all that fried onion on a holiday? I have an idea that will really mix things up. With just a few ingredient substitutions, we will take green been casserole to the next level.

You will need:
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
¼ cup of diced onions
1 cup sour cream
3 (15 oz) cans of French style green beans, drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup cracker crumbs
Preheat your oven to 350.

Combine 2 tablespoons butter and flour in a large sauce pan. Cook gently over medium heat until a blond roux has formed (about 3 minutes). Stir in the salt, sugar, onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sour cream and green beans and stir to combine. Place the mixture in a shallow casserole dish.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. In a small bowl, toss together the cracker crumbs and the butter (this will help deliver the golden brown color when cooked). Top the bean mixture with the cheese followed by the cracker crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble.

If you want to be adventurous, you can try animal crackers or Ritz crackers. If you want to be really adventurous, replace the green beans with asparagus. Have a little fun with it!

Let’s think outside the dish. Why does a casserole always have to contain vegetables? Why not get the starch from pasta? Good question. Let’s try to turn my crawfish pasta into a casserole. Okay, so if you don’t know what a crawfish is, or worse still, you are afraid of them, you can use shrimp instead.

You will need:
1 pound of linguine or Fettuccine
2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons of your favorite non-salt seasoning
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of cayenne
¼ cup dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound of crawfish tails (I use leftovers from crawfish boils) or peeled medium shrimp
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your broiler.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of a large quantity of heavily salted boiling liquid for about 8 minutes (al dente). For the liquid, I like to use chicken stock or white wine. You can use water, but it brings no flavors to the party. Any combination of the three will do. Drain the pasta, but reserve about ¼ cup of the liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the olive oil and reserved liquid. Cover and set aside.

In a large sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, your favorite non-salt seasoning, salt, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook over high heat until nearly all evaporated. Add the cream and lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced. Add the crawfish tails and cook, stirring, to warm through. If you are using shrimp, cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and parsley and cook for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook until the pasta is warmed through, about 1 minute.

Transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish and top with the cheese. Put the mixture under the broiler until the cheese forms a nice crust.

Okay, so that might be a little bit of a stretch, but hey, it’s in a casserole dish. Maybe you’re not ready to call seafood pasta a casserole. What about good ole mac and cheese? After all, who doesn’t like baked macaroni and cheese? And if you bake it in a casserole dish – there you have it. Okay, maybe it’s another stretch, but it works for me. How can you jazz up baked macaroni and cheese? Glad you asked (you did ask didn’t you?).

You will need:
1 pound of fettuccine pasta
2 ¼ cups grated Asiago cheese, divided
2 (8 oz) containers crème fraiche (or make your own – another blog)
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 ½ tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted liquid to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
In a large bowl combine 2 cups Asiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.

Hopefully, I have inspired you to look at casseroles from a different angle. Next time you think “casserole,” think, “how can I add my own flair?”