Category Archives: CASSEROLE RECIPES

SCALLOPED POTATOES

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Of all the side dishes that seem to be a favorite of everyone, scalloped potatoes must be near the top of the list. And really, what’s not to love? Thin slices of potatoes baked in a lovely cheese sauce. Well, I’ll tell you what’s not to love! The time it takes to bake most scalloped potato recipes. Holy cow, it’s holiday time and you already have several dishes that need anywhere from several hours in a slow oven to 45 minutes in a hotter oven to re-warm. So then comes along your big old lovely casserole of potatoes. How the heck are you going to make room for a dish that requires 1 ½ – 2 hours in a 350 degree oven? Well dear readers, I’m still slightly aghast that it took me until about 8 years ago before my internal incandescent light bulb, which I had always assumed had at least a wattage rating of 100, came on in my brain and shed some light, so to speak, on the subject. (Either my wattage is less than I originally believed it to be, or my wire filaments aren’t burning as hot as they should! And yes, I still have an internal incandescent light bulb. I was born way before there was an option to be hard wired with a CFL – Compact Fluorescent Lamp)! So if you are looking for a simple way to make an old favorite, give this recipe a try. There is no flavor lost when you partially cook the potatoes ahead of time. And the peace of mind from knowing that your potatoes won’t possibly be crunchy when you are ready to serve is worth more than you’ll save from switching from incandescent to CFL or LED (light-emitting diode) lighting!

  • 1 lb. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
  • 1 T. butter
  • ½ tsp. paprika, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • 1 c. whole milk
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 c. shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, aged Gouda, etc.)

Peel potatoes and cut in half. (And yes I peel my potatoes for this recipe, because boiled potato skins tend to become tough.) Then slice each half potato into 1/3-inch slices. Place in a covered pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add a goodly amount of kosher salt, cover and cook until just about tender. (You don’t want mushy potatoes, so watch carefully). Drain. Meanwhile, brown butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add paprika and cornstarch and let burble in pan for about a minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the cheese. Adjust seasoning. (The sauce will be very thick.) Carefully add the cheese sauce to the potatoes. Scoop mixture into a lightly buttered casserole pan and sprinkle lightly with additional paprika. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is starting to brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the casserole dish. Let sit a few minutes before serving. Note: Don’t be afraid to mix and match the cheeses for this recipe. This dish is a perfect way to use up those bits and pieces of cheese that aren’t aging gracefully! Also, this recipe doubles and triples beautifully.

BRAISED GREEN CABBAGE

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I just can’t begin to tell you how wonderful cabbage is when it is braised with carrots and onions. All three veggies lose their own distinct powerful flavor and become this lovely amalgam that is ever so delicious. And then when served as an accompaniment to corned beef, with maybe a side of Champ (mashed potatoes with green onions), you have a meal fit for the loftiest Irish dignitary (the President) to the most mischievous leprechaun and everyone in between. So do yourself a favor this St. Patrick’s Day, plan a meal that will bring out the Irish in your family without having to spend a pot of gold. But don’t be surprised if a little old bearded man, clad in a green coat and hat shows up at your door. If that happens, by all means invite him in. Wishes are his specialty.

  • 1 medium sized green cabbage (about 2 lbs.)
  • 1 lg. yellow onion, cut in half and then sliced into thick half moon pieces
  • 2 carrots, cut into ¼-inch rounds
  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes to taste
  • Fleur de Sel or coarse sea salt

 

Remove any bruised outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. Keep the core attached so the wedges stay intact during the long cooking process. (Don’t worry; the tough core will get super tender too.) Place the cabbage pieces in a single layer in a lightly greased 10×16-inch gratin or baking dish.  (A 9×13-inch pan will work. A little overlap is okay.) Scatter in the carrot and onion pieces. Drizzle veggies with the oil and stock. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, pepper, and the pepper flakes. Cover tightly with foil or lid, and bake in a pre-heated 325 oven for 1 hour. Remove pan from oven and gently flip the cabbage wedges with a pair of tongs. Return to oven and bake for another 30 minutes or so until cabbage and carrots are very tender. Just before you are ready to serve, remove the foil or lid, turn the heat up to 400 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the cabbage is just starting to brown. Serve hot or at room temperature lightly sprinkled with Fleur de Sel or any other nice finishing salt. Fabulous served with corned beef.

 

TAMALE PIE

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Pictured: Tamale Pie, upper right, Refried Beans, and Cheese Enchiladas

OK, I absolutely adore a good tamale. (That old starch addiction of mine, I’m sure.) But I am not about to do the whole corn husk thing, especially when I want to serve tamales to a crowd. (Thank goodness there are actually times when my better judgment and survival instincts work together to save what little bit of sanity I have left.)  So, where does that leave me when I want to serve tamales to the masses, or just want tamales for Mr. C. and myself? Well, of course, Mr. C. and I can always pop off to a Mexican foodatorium, but darn, you only get at the most 2 little tamales stuffed with not even enough meat to upset your average vegetarian. So when I went in search of an easy way to make tamales I stumbled onto this recipe on a site entitled “Please, don’t pass the salt!” I really enjoyed the author’s comments and of course I had to give the recipe a try. So off to the store to buy masa mix I proceeded. I thought I would have a difficult time, but even my local grocery store on the island carried what I needed. (So very nice when that happens.) So armed with nothing more than a burning desire for a tamale and my new found knowledge, I set about making myself (and Mr. C. of course) some tamales for dinner. It turned out that the dough recipe from the site was basically the same recipe as on the Instant Corn Masa Mix bag, but the technique for building the tamale pie was what I found most informative.  So after carefully following the recipe instructions, except for the filling (I chose to use my own recipe because I knew I liked it), my tamale pie went into the oven. As I pulled it out of the oven (carefully by the way), I knew I had a winner. It smelled just like a good tamale should smell. And when I finally bit into the tamale pie, I was immediately lifted to Mexican food heaven. And so what if I didn’t have a sticky corn husk to peel off before eating! (After all, most restaurants don’t serve tamales in their corn husk skins anyway.) Instead, I had a big old lovely piece of tamale pie, thick with meat that was ever so lovingly encased in a flavorful masa crust, and drizzled with a fabulous chili sauce. Final analysis, did I miss the whole corn husk part of making tamales? Not in the least!  (That’s like asking if I miss mosquitoes when I go hiking in late fall? Same answer!) There are just some things in life that are better off not experiencing. I figure corn husk manipulation is just one of those experiences I will gladly forgo.

Tamale Filling (aka Mexican Shredded Meat):

  • 1 lb. lean pork or beef cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. granulated garlic
  •  1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 small onion, chopped fine

Put the chunks of meat into a stockpot and add all of the remaining seasoning ingredients, except for the onion. Cover with water plus about a half inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Add more water if necessary. Add the chopped onion and continue simmering, covered, for an additional hour. Uncover, stir to begin breaking up meat and continue simmering until liquid begins to reduce and meat shreds easily, about 1 more hour. Let cool.

Tamale Pie:

  • 2 ¼ c. Instant Corn Masa Mix for Tamales (Maseca for Tamales)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 c. lukewarm broth (I use “Better than Bouillon reduced sodium chicken base” carried by Costco)
  • ½ c. vegetable oil

Combine masa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add warm broth and oil. Stir together until dough is thoroughly combined. Cover and let rest for at least 15 minutes so the masa can thoroughly absorb the moist ingredients. Butter a 9 x 9-inch square ovenproof casserole dish. Press a little more than half of the tamale dough into the casserole dish. Using your hands (best tools in the kitchen) press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the dish, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Using a slotted spoon, scoop a generous amount of the filling evenly over the dough, being careful not to spoon in too much gravy. (Remaining liquid can be thickened and served over tamales.) Carefully spread the remaining tamale dough over the filling, trying to make the top portion the same thickness as the bottom.  Fill a large roasting pan with about 2 inches of very hot water and put the uncovered tamale casserole in the water bath. Cover both the casserole and the roaster with 2 layers of regular or 1 layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. Carefully set the roaster in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until the masa is set. Remove from oven, uncover and let cool a few minutes before serving.  Serve warm with Green Chili Sauce with Pork, Red Chili Sauce, or gravy made from the filling liquid. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onions, salsa, or whatever your little heart desires. Leftover meat mixture is great for tacos, as a filling for enchiladas or burritos, or to top tostadas. And it freezes beautifully. To fancy things up a bit, try making individual “tamales” in muffin tins.

 

CHEESE ENCHILADAS WITH RED CHILI SAUCE

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Pictured: Cheese Enchiladas, bottom left, Tamale Pie, and Refried Beans

For years, all I would order when we dined at Campo’s Mexican restaurant in Seattle’s University district (long since closed unfortunately) was their bean dip and cheese enchiladas. Their bean dip was better than any other bean dip I have ever had the pleasure to taste, and the cheese enchiladas, well frankly they were simply divine. But since this restaurant closed (and I will never forgive them for closing without my permission and more to the point, without sharing their recipes first) and I can’t get my monthly fix of their bean dip and cheese enchiladas, I have been forced to make my own. (And no, I still don’t have the perfect bean dip recipe to share with you. I keep experimenting, but nothing I’ve tried so far even comes close to what Campo’s served all warm from the oven, in its own little brick red container and surrounded by warm tortilla chips. I’m really still in mourning over that bean dip, and will probably always feel a little pull on my heartstrings for the bean dip that was. Sigh.) But cheese enchiladas, well that’s a different story. I received this recipe from a friend probably 40 years ago and have been making it ever since. The enchiladas themselves are made with only 3 ingredients – corn tortillas, a little vegetable oil for frying, and Monterey Jack Cheese. But what makes this dish amazing is the Red Chili Sauce. The sauce is easy to make and can be used in many different ways. It’s also great drizzled over refried beans, tamales, any other type of enchilada, or as an ingredient in a perfect burrito. So if you too love cheese enchiladas, give these babies a try. And kid friendly, oh yah! (You might want to skip the fresh onion garnish on your kid’s portion however, but on your own serving, go for it! After all, onion breath is better than no breath at all!)

Cheese Enchilada:

  • 1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese
  • vegetable oil
  • 12 corn tortillas

Red Chili Sauce:

  • 4 T. unsalted butter
  • 3 ½ T. flour
  • 3 ½ c. water
  • 5-6 tsp. beef base (like Superior Touch brand “Better Than Bouillon” – beef base)
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 4 T. mild chili powder (yes, tablespoons)
  • 1 tsp. granulated garlic
  • 4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

  • chopped onion, opt.
  • sliced black olives, opt.
  • crisp shredded lettuce, opt. 

Red Chili Sauce Preparation: In a medium sized covered sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook on low for about 5 minutes to get rid of the “raw” taste of the flour. Add water, beef base, paprika, chili powder, garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and pepper. Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat, cover pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Serve over your favorite Mexican dish.

Cheese Enchilada Preparation: Grate Monterey Jack cheese; set aside. Fry 12 corn tortillas is a small amount of oil. Swab fried tortillas in Red Chili Sauce, fill with cheese, roll, and place in a shallow oven proof baking dish. Drizzle with a small amount of the Red Chili Sauce. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with finely chopped onion, sliced black olives, and crisp shredded lettuce. Serve with additional sauce. Note: You will probably have some leftover sauce. Try drizzling a wee bit on your scrambled eggs the next morning. Just add a tiny bit of salt to your eggs however, as the sauce itself tends to be a bit salty.

 

OVEN CHICKEN FRICASSEE

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There are just those days when it feels like the culinary spirits are conspiring against me. I know I’m headed for one of “those days” when for example, I break the yokes on our morning easy-over eggs, which not coincidentally I have over seasoned, and the toast is 2 shades darker than I would like. Those are the times when I know I’m going to have to be extra careful with anything I touch in the kitchen. So when I begin my day with less than confidence in my culinary aptitude, I prepare this easy chicken dish. I know for a fact that no matter which poltergeist is trying to mess with my kitchen karma that day, it can’t mess up this recipe. This dish is just too unsophisticated for even the lowest in the poltergeist hierarchy to consider it worthy of their efforts. So If you too ever feel like you’re in for a day like I described above, or you know that work is going to be horrendous, and dinner needs to be as simple to prepare as possible, try fixing this ever so easy and foolproof comfort food.  While the chicken is baking, throw some rice in your rice cooker (a must by the way for busy cooks) and open a package of frozen petite peas. (I pour the peas in a small covered casserole, add a dab of butter and a sprinkle of seasoned salt and nuke them for about 2 minutes. You aren’t really cooking the peas; you’re just hotting them up.) Serve the chicken over the rice with the peas on the side, and relax. You might even want to have a glass of wine with dinner. Or, if you really want to make life better, you might have a glass while you prepare dinner and then enjoy another one with dinner. After all, if it was good enough for Julia, it should be good enough for us mere mortals! Oh, and one other little helpful hint. Don’t forget to take the chicken out of the freezer before you leave for work or get otherwise distracted. Having to stop at the store before you get home, or after a hard day of gardening, for example, is just not going to make life better. That’s the wines job!

Oh, and just for the record, this is not a true French fricassée; this is really just an all American fricasee. And yes, there is a difference!

  • 3 T. butter, melted
  • 3 T. flour
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. poultry seasoning or more to taste
  • ½ tsp. paprika + more for sprinkling
  • 6-8 pieces of chicken (I use boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts)
  • 1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup

Blend melted butter, flour, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and ½ teaspoon paprika together. Place chicken in a shallow buttered baking dish. Spread one half of the butter mixture on top of each piece. Flip over, and spread the rest on top of each piece. Bake uncovered, in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile whisk the evaporated milk and soup together. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with paprika, and continue baking for 30 minutes or until chicken is very tender.

Side Dish Suggestions: steamed rice or mashed potatoes, simple green veggie or salad

Wine Pairing: a not too oaky Chardonnay or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc