BS: American Casserole

Subject: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 17 May 14 - 04:11 AM

Another food thread for those of you across the ocean.

In the UK and other parts of the world, a 'casserole' is a large, round, deep-sided, heavy pan with a lid that goes in the oven; it can be made of cast iron, stainless steel, or be enamelled.

Typically a casserole is used to cook rich meaty stew like dishes such as 'lamb casserole' or 'beef casserole' which - as you may gather - are named after the cooking dish itself. See here: British style 'beef casserole'

Since using the internet for recipe searches I've discovered that in the US, a casserole means something very different to you folk. They appear to be baked in wide, shallow, lid-less 'gratin' dishes and are comprised of stuff like eggs, cheese and bread.

I'd like to understand more of what makes an American style casserole.
And what in particular is a 'breakfast casserole'?
Any family favourites or anecdotes to share?

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 17 May 14 - 09:40 AM

In our house (not in America) a breakfast "casserole, called a strata here, consists of eggs, milk, cubes of bread, sliced cooked sausage or bacon and grated cheese. It is made the night before and popped into the cooker first thing in the morning. There are a number of variations of this to be found on youtube.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 May 14 - 11:36 AM

Usually an "American Casserole" (or "hot dish" in some places) consists of a meat thing (ground beef, for example), a starch thing (noodles, pasta), a vegetable thing (canned peas and carrots if you want to gag your guests) and a cheese thing (canned cheese sauce to really make them sick and never come back for another meal you cook).

For example: tuna packed in water and well drained, an undiluted can of cream of celery soup, with crushed potato chips ("crisps" to the you UKers) sprinkled liberally on top and baked.

They were developed as meals which could be made quickly and cheaply -- and they can and are also be made from fresh ingredients. "Strata" is also made here.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 17 May 14 - 12:18 PM

I have seldom seen baked dishes done with tinned soup, usually a white sauce or cheese sauce is made. Also, I think it is only in America where Lasagna is made with cottage cheese, but I could be wrong.
While we are on the subject of cooked breakfast, here is a popular one where I live, it can be done in the oven but most people do it in a cast iron pan..saute onions and tomatoes and a wee bit of garlic, add salt and pepper to taste, when the tomatoes have broken down, crack four eggs into the pan..do NOT break the yolks...gently move tomatoes away from the eggs..cook until yolks set and the eggs are "poached". Some people put this in the oven when the eggs are added. If you do this , watch it carefully.
oh, I am way off track...sorry.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 17 May 14 - 12:30 PM

Even worse, you can spray the cheese on.....

I live in The UK but have spent quite a bit of time in The US, and I find lots of casseroles, usually called hot pots or even just stews (but resembling what I would call a casserole) around Boston MA.

Quite possibly due to the Irish connections.

Crushing crisps and sprinkling on top... I had a girlfriend whose lasagne had a layer of crushed ready salted crisps in it. She reckoned it was a traditional thing in Wales. I pointed out so is Pot Noodle.

Nowadays, although I will buy stewing steak and make a Guinness casserole from time to time, most slow cook meals tend to be curry in one form or another. I'm about to marinade some lamb chops overnight to make a recipe from Rick Stein's Indian Odyssey tomorrow.

Anyway, Hull are winning so more important things to do. I've got £20.00 at 12/1 to be winning at both half time and full time.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 17 May 14 - 12:59 PM

Ah, so a 'breakfast casserole' is more correctly called a 'strata'; which presumably describes how the dish is layered? Sounds intriguing, maybe I'll try it for brunch one weekend. A sort of baked frittata or savoury bread pudding.

I much prefer savoury breakfasts over sweet, we had a huge fry up this morning with hash browns, fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and a tin of those mini sausages in baked beans (veggie style), bread and butter - and somewhat unsurprisingly haven't eaten since (though I do have a spud baking in the oven for my supper later.) Another favourite is buttered toasted English muffins (brown for preference) piled with steamed spinach and topped with wobbly yoked poached eggs - I can't bring myself to make the fiddly hollandaise though. And (this will make the hardened carnivores gag) scrambled tofu; sauteed with onions and courgettes and seasoned with chilli powder or garam masala. Oh yes, and I also have a great fondness for vedgeree/kitcheri (or kedgeree without the smoked fish.)

Not really getting too enthused by the idea of a tuna casserole with crisps and tinned soup. I guess it's the kind of thing you might have to do when living in a 'food desert' without access to anything fresh - I've read that due to it's size and spread quite a number of areas within the US suffer from lack of access to fresh food - on other fora I've heard of people talking about driving for over an hour just to go to do a grocery shop, which here in the densely populated UK would be hard to imagine (though if you don't drive and live in a rural area it gets more complicated.)

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 May 14 - 01:02 PM

I always thought casseroles were American-Canadian. Glad to see that they have them in the isles across the sea.

Here's one I like. The flavor can be strong (hot) or weak, depending on your courage. I think I got this from a California recipe book.

1 pound green chili peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces.
1/2 pound old cheddar, shredded.
1/2 pound Monterrey Jack or other semi-soft cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon pure Hatch or Chimayo chili powder (to taste- hot or mild depending on amount)
2-3 eggs, beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup milk
2-3 tablespoons flour

Grease casserole dish. Heat oven to 350F. Layer half of green chili on bottom.
Sprinkle on half of mixed cheese. Add rest of green chili.
Mix eggs, milk and flour, mixed, and pour on top.
Bake 30 minutes, take out and add tomato sauce. Bake a further 15 minutes.
Add remaining cheese, heat in oven a couple of minutes. partly melting the cheeses.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 May 14 - 01:16 PM

HiLo, I've made a strata just like you describe here in California, except that we call in "breakfast casserole." It works very well for breakfast for large groups.
Keep the recipes coming HiLo, and don't worry if you stray a bit off topic in a BS thread. We Americans will just turn your recipes into casseroles.
As for me, I live almost entirely on casseroles, since I'm the only carnivore in the family. I make a casserole for dinner, and then eat leftovers every night for a week.
I confess that I often use Hamburger Helper or Rice-A-Roni, heavily augmented, in my casseroles. Stroganoff Hamburger Helper is a standard in my repertoire - augmented with fresh onions and broccoli. I cook most of my casseroles in the microwave.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 May 14 - 01:18 PM

Forgot-
Mix in chili powder with eggs-milk-flour. The 1/2 teaspoon will make it pretty strong. I suggest you use 1/4. The chili powder in the spice racks is mild; it has a lot of filler stuff. If you cannot find pure red chili powder, it will have to do.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 May 14 - 01:35 PM

I think of a casserole in English as pretty much anything that is cooked in the oven in a single pot combining starch, meat and veg, with or without the lid, cheese optional on top for the "au gratin" (in English, again). In French a casserole is the pot itself, and "au gratin" means made crunchy, not cheesy, on top. You can cook in a casserole (in French) on top of the stove, but a casserole (in English) has to be cooked in the oven, I think, you don't stir it while it's cooking like you would if it were on top of the stove.

Are we making sense yet?

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 May 14 - 02:14 PM

Joe, we like this for leftover use. Not a casserole, more like a hot pot stew, but good for non-cooks.

4 cans pinto beans (short-cuts the dried bean delay)
1 pound cured ham shoulder, cut in small pieces
One large yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon pure chili powder (Hatch, Chimayo)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon white pepper
1-2 teaspoons oregano
Chopped celery
1-2 chopped carrots
Water or beef broth to cover. Adjust water to get thickness you like.

Brown the chopped onion. Add rest of stuff and cook till it bubbles.
Add some chopped bell pepper for color. Serve with a good bread.

Store leftover in yogurt containers (we size for about 3 servings) and freeze.
The containers, when needed, can be thawed for a day and contents put in a pot and heated.
Garnish with chopped chives, fresh young onions, etc.

In our garden, we grow an oregano we got from New Mexico, dry and store in jars. The Greek has a different flavor.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 17 May 14 - 02:36 PM

Well, 'in my day' (groan) just after the War, a casserole in England was (and still is in our house anyway) some meat (eg chicken quarters, or cheap-cut of lamb or stewing beef) put into a pot (ours is Pyrex). Add chopped onion, diced carrots, any other veg you may have, especially any that are getting a bit old like me. Add stock (a science in itself, but you can get a stock-cube nowadays) to cover, and a little salt and pepper. Add cubed potato or barley to thicken, put on the well-fitting lid and (most important) it must go in the oven on a very low heat for quite a long time. The beauty of it is, it can sit there in the oven for ages if the diners are late getting home. And reheated the next day it's even more tasty. I have been known to pop in a tiny spoonful of cooking sherry, but that's what my old mum would've called 'messing about with the food'. Post-War cooking was very simple and plain, since many things were still 'on the ration'.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 May 14 - 04:17 PM

Note that I didn't say I ate that sort of casserole! There are many more recipes that are far, far better!

Now as for distance to food: I live in a "rural" area. But I went to the farmers market this morning (nothing much, too early), then to the store where I bought fresh pastry, meat for sandwiches, and similar items. While I have tinned stuff in the cupboard there isn't much of it but the freezer is full of Good Stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Penny S.
Date: 17 May 14 - 05:31 PM

I generally use my slow cooker for casseroles now, rather than the oven. Brown the onions, toss the meat in seasoned flour and brown that, sweat the other veggies - usually root ones, possibly add potato, cover with stock and cook long and slow. Possibly add some red lentils and barley, but if so add more liquid. At the end, about half an hour before serving, I could add dumplings and turn the heat up a bit. Make the dumplings with flour, baking powder, suet and water. Possibly a few herbs. If the meat is venison, I usually add red currant sauce and a slosh of red wine with the stock.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 17 May 14 - 09:25 PM

Google "PWT food" .

American flavorings excell the bland UK "toad in the hole" seasonings.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Give me French for cooking ... in the classic joke about heaven and hell ... there is a founded reason why Hell has cooks from Britain.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 18 May 14 - 02:19 AM

UK cooking is bland, but that's how it always was. No spices or fancy flavours. My husband can't bear the lack of strong flavour, and (to my utter disgust) sprinkles chilli flakes and curry powder all over his meal if it was cooked by me. When he cooks (3 or 4 times a week) he adds a host of spices and strange peppers such as Scotch bonnets (!) and if you dare to put a tiny bit of his meal on your lips they'd burn and sting for ages. How his stomach copes with it I don't know. I find good plain English casseroles very digestible and healthy, which is a factor if you're elderly and get heartburn!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 18 May 14 - 03:14 AM

The story about your husband's seasoning kit, made me smile Eliza! You must have seen the infamous 'going for an English' sketch: "What's the blandest thing on the menu?"

Off topic ramble..

I like simple and I like spicy, both are good
their own way. Plain foods are good when the basic ingredients are good - and when those good basic ingredients are treated simply but well.

Roast potatoes are plain, but do them lovely and golden crispy on the outside and steamy and creamy in the middle and they are fab. Mine are like toffee apples (deep gold and crunchy) because I let the par-boiled spuds rest in the oil for a while before roasting (par-boil spuds, drain and return to pan, drizzle over cooking oil (I use Cartino) and replace lid for up to half an hour prior to roasting.) It must make them horribly fatty of course, but not in a grim oozy way, more like a deep fried way. We only have them once a month at most, probably less. Bread is plain, but fresh baked crusty loaf is also amazing, with room temp butter. One of my favourite vegetables is spring greens, just de-ribbed shredded and steamed, and served with black pepper and a dot of butter, one of the best things going, and plain as you like.

Then I also love curry. And chilli and tagines. We could eat curry three to four times a week.

Today I'm making home-made pizza margherita - which is one of our regular weekend treats - with fresh home-made bread base baked extra thin and crispy, topped with homemade pizza sauce (did that yesterday) and lashings of mozzarella. I'm not sure where Italian food sits in the plain to spicy spectrum - probably somewhere in the middle - but I did add a couple of little chillies to the sauce which will amp it up a bit ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: sciencegeek
Date: 18 May 14 - 05:48 AM

LOL... memories of tuna casserole back when Fridays were "meatless"...

canned tuna mixed with cream of mushroom soup (Campbell soup company gave out recipes to encourage using their cream soups instead of making your own sauce or gravy)
and then added to cooked egg noodles.
Put into a glass baking dish, sprinkle with bread or cracker crumbs ( or French's Fried Onions if you were going "fancy")and bake til the topping browns.

Haven't touched it in 40 years... lol

Now... baked macaroni & cheese casserole can be pure heaven if done right.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 18 May 14 - 11:45 AM

Ok. Let's see what we can make for tea..

Egg rolls
Ham rolls
Cheese rolls
Jam rolls
Casseroles
Rissoles
&
Arseholes.


I reckon I'll get a Chinese chuck away instead.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 18 May 14 - 11:52 AM

What about a Black Hole, Musket?

My husband calls my attempts at making curry a 'fruit salad', as I put far too many sultanas in to kill the heat a bit.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST
Date: 18 May 14 - 12:00 PM

The closest piece of kitchen hardware to as casserole in the American arsenal seems to be the Dutch Oven (and that too has a second meaning, so don't go researching it without prior fortification). They do tend to be much larger, though - a casserole will typically hold 2-3 litres.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 18 May 14 - 12:04 PM

I love sultanas but I tend to pick them out of savoury dishes.

A Jamaican friend gave us some of her home made reggae reggae sauce.

Now... If I made a dish and called it black hole, that would be served with it. It drags all other flavours to it....

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: sciencegeek
Date: 18 May 14 - 12:27 PM

here in the US, casserole dishes are usually glass or ceramic - Corningware or Libby can be found everywhere - especially yard sales... lol

a recipe that would show up at potluck suppers was summer squash and other vegetables mixed with bread stuffing, moistened with broth & a can of "cream of whatever" and then baked. not bad...

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 18 May 14 - 01:24 PM

As I said on gnu's thread about pans, I like Le Creuset because it's rock-solid and lets things cook without any burning. However, one needs a mortgage to buy their stuff. When I lived in the Hairy North (Scotland), my landlady had a gorgeous Aga stove, and one could cook wonderful casseroles in it because the heat was steady. The slow oven (not the roasting one) was excellent. I just use good old Pyrex, in our electric stove, but it's not the same.
No-one has mentioned making your own stock. Do people do that nowadays? I always feel a good stock is the secret of a really lovely casserole. My mum used to get bits and bones off the butcher (everyone did then) and boiled them up for ages. She also had a pressure cooker which made stock a bit more quickly. It was excellent for soups too. That way, we used up absolutely everything in the larder (no fridge) to prevent waste. I can't bear to hear of the dreadful waste nowadays of a THIRD of all food bought ending in the bin. Good grief!!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 May 14 - 01:25 PM

Guest who suggested the Dutch Oven was closest to an American casserole obviously knows nothing of North American cooking.

This chicken and rice casserole from Pinch of Yum is excellent, and worth posting here. I have added our revisions.

CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE

1 POUND BONELESS CHICKEN BREASTS
2 1/2-3 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH
1 1/2 CUPS MILK
3/4 CUP FLOUR
1/2 TEASPOON ONION POWDER
1/2 TEASPOON GARLIC (FROM THOSE LITTLE JARS)
1 TEASPOON SALT
1 TEASPOON WHITE PEPPER
1 TEASPOON CROSHED OREGANO
1 1/2 CUPS UNCOOKED BROWN RICE
1/2 TEASPOON HYS SEASONING SALT (OR A LITTLE CHILI POWDER)
1 CUP WATER

Combine chicken broth and 1/2 cup milk and bring to boil in large saucepan.
Whip seasonings, flour and rest of milk to make a smooth mixture, using a bowl.
Pour into saucepan and simmer while stirring, then whisking until mixture smooth and thick.
Oven heated to 375F. Butter a 9-inch baking dish, heavily on the sides.
In a bowl, combine the rice, the 'soup' mixture from the saucepan, and water.
Pour into baking dish.
Arrange the chicken pieces and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of mixed seasonings.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for additional 45 minutes (Check progress to see that cooking is thorough). More water may be needed.
Top should be slightly browned.
Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes.
Shred chicken and stir to combine with rice.

Serve topped with shredded cheese, chopped chives, etc.























Stir to combine with rice.
Serve with s

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 18 May 14 - 01:36 PM

Just turned our Aga off for the summer. The bottom oven is wonderful for casseroles, stews, curry. Chilli etc. We tend to use a non stick double handled wide pan with lid. Start things on the top and transfer into the oven for a few hours.

For smaller dishes we use Pyrex though. The big pot won't fit in the " summer " oven so a ceramic Denby stock pot gets used.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 18 May 14 - 02:14 PM

We have a stock day every few months. We get very good marrow bones and such from our local butcher. I bake them in the oven for 45 minutes or so before simmering low and steady for about six hours...wonderful for soups and stews. Yes, I also wonder how many people do this anymore. Oh I do love these food threads, so very interesting. Thanks for starting it.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 04:26 AM

One of my favourite derivations of the casserole is the cassoulet. Delicious - Especially with our local butchers pork and black pudding sausage.

I must say that I am quite surprised at the discovery that people still consider British food bland, or even bad. We have hosted a few people from the USA, Australia, Canada, Poland and Germany and all have commented how good the food is. I understand that while the American servicemen were here during the war they did find the food bland and of poor quality but that was mainly down to rationing. Nowadays, with influences from all over the world and no shortage of good quality ingredients, I think that the cuisine in the UK is generally pretty good. Of course there are exceptions but they exist equally elsewhere. I have eaten in a Country Buffet in Illinois and suffered cheese in a can :-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 04:32 AM

BTW - Don't like this version of the song. So, bye-bye Miss American Casserole just doesn't seem to scan :-)

D.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 19 May 14 - 05:11 AM

It's true Dave that we do indeed have all the international foods and flavourings at our disposal, but my bet is that people nowadays are tired from work and prefer to buy ready-cooked meals to pop in the microwave. These are often spicy and flavourful. But I'd bet most folk younger than me (ie nearly everyone!) haven't a clue about ordinary English cooking (eg post-War plain dishes) or economical use of leftovers etc. They could do batch cooking of casseroles, soup and stews, then freeze them up for reheating after work, but I expect they can't be bothered. But I'm so proud of my husband; he goes into the Bangladeshi and Asian delis and gets all the exotic and hot spices and powders he needs, and creates wonderful food with them. And in Cote d'Ivoire, a man wouldn't be seen dead at the cooking pot, so he's very brave.
The most important thing is getting the best quality ingredients, even the cheaper cuts must be of a good standard. My old mum would say, "Let the food do the talking and don't mess it about with fancy stuff like garlic!" My parents seemed to think garlic was the ultimate in ghastly and horrible things to have in the larder!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 05:40 AM

I cook a lot with garlic. No-one has ever told me I smell of it, but I suspect that I must sometimes surely reek of the stuff with the quantity I eat - especially after a home-made curry or pasta sauce. As I eat so much I'm basically immune to it, so wouldn't have a clue :-/

As to cooking, I taught myself when I was a teenager. Starting with things like vegetable soups, lentil rissoles, and "TVP" bolognaise - TVP was one of those ingredients that you would find on recipe leaflets from the Vegetarian Society back in the day (ie: 1980's.) In fact I can still remember the first actual meal I ever cooked; it was a very simple 'sweetcorn soup' and the recipe came on one such leaflet - I was probably about thirteen or so.

My mum bless her, really just stuck to simple stuff, it was boiled potatoes and frozen peas with pretty much everything: including sausages, pork chops, battered fish portions and fish-fingers.

Now I do a quite a bit of 'big-batch from-scratch' cooking, mainly whole-food and vegetarian. There's always portioned up bags of veggie chillie or curry in the freezer. I also do what my dad calls 'burglars' which are patties of some kind or another, usually involving a mix of kind of pulse or grain and veg, mashed up, shaped and breaded ready to pan fry. Right now there's a couple of lasagne's in there that have been made up with a mushroom and lentil ragu (surprisingly meaty) and a simple bechamel sauce. All 'good brews' as my auld fella calls it.

Though I mainly cook with wholefood staples like beans, rice and veg, my food-cupboard is also a storehouse for all kinds of weird and fancy stuff like ground flax, quinoa, tofu, miso, hemp oil, giant couscous, sun dried tomatoes, capers, pine nuts, gram flour etc., and my spice rack is home to all number of whole and ground seeds and masala mixes. Or in other words I heart hippy-food.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 19 May 14 - 05:41 AM

Good point regarding the cassoulet Dave.

I make one with stewing steak and mushroom as the main meat, crumble in black pudding etc, shallots mushroom, use borlotti beans and have a slice of belly pork roosting away in it..

Fairly French by both name and style.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:13 AM

Re: Cassoulet, does anyone do that thing with the breaded crust on top?

I think traditionally the French cassoulet dish would be wider on the top than the bottom and the top of the dish would be coated in buttery breadcrumbs which form a crust while the dish is in the oven; to serve you have to break into the crust with a spoon (at least I think that's right, though I'd need to look it up to be sure) to get at the meat and pulses within. I've sometimes thought about trying a veg version, though am not sure where one would start, any thoughts?

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:16 AM

Ah, Dave's link shows the dish, but no mention of a crust..

White beans would seem to be the starting point for a vegetarian version too.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:25 AM

I'm not sure if most people would pick ready meals, Eliza. I have only limited experience of what other people eat but my Son and Daughter in Law, who both work and have 2 children, would not dream of using ready meals and generally prepare fresh vegetarian meals for all of them. When I was working away a lot and living Mon-Fri in a flat, the temptation was to use ready meals and I found that, like with anything, you get what you pay for. The more expensive ones were tasty and nutritious but the cheaper ones were pretty poor. In the end I decided that it was often as cheap to eat out. Trouble with that was it was generally pubs and while the meals were OK, the beer that went with it did nothing for my health :-) So in the end I found it easy and quick to do meals with proper ingredients with the added bonus that any leftovers went for breakfast or lunch the next day.

Anyroads. Back to topic. This was when I discovered how quick and easy a sausage and bean cassoulet was and how easy it was to prepare something for the next day and pop it in a very low oven before I set off for work. Alternatively I would, as you suggested, cook too much and keep half for later in the week. I rarely froze anything but found it kept fine in the fridge for a couple of days.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:27 AM

CS - Standard Norther categories. No crust - Stew. Crust - Pie :-)

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:36 AM

Many cassoulets have a large fatty cut of another meat on top, as in my belly pork, to let the fat drip down and add flavour. Breadcrumbs might not work so well.

Where I make a vegetarian bake of what could be a casserole I tend to use aduki beans. They are a little small for providing the bean content in a cassoulet but as a meat substitute in their own right, they are great. I particularly like using them for a lasagne.

One cassoulet I make that could have a crust, and thinking on I may try it, is a garlic chicken one. It is basically a jointed chicken, on the bone, with lots of garlic cloves, mushroom, carrot and shallots, borlotti beans (I love using them in many dishes) and a white wine &chicken stock sauce, thickened by frying the chicken pieces off first, covered in flour. I occasionally add small potatoes, unpeeled, for a one pot meal but most of the time, I serve it with mash and a green veg.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:48 AM

More Cassoulet wisdom here on Felicity's 'blog' at the Graun, I quite like reading her column as she endeavours to take the best bits from a variety of well-regarded sources:

How to cook the perfect cassoulet

Nice tip on the haricot beans if you haven't pre-soaked. Bring to the boil and sit for forty mins before proceeding with cooking. Will use that. For a veg version I'm thinking lots of garlic and thyme so the beans get well infused with flavour.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 19 May 14 - 08:50 AM

I make casoulette with a breadcrumb topping which I add for the last bit of cooking. also use white beans and pork...very good stuff. I may go away now and hurl one in the oven..thanks for the reminder.
   I have never found English food to be bland just less spicy than some. There are many things that British cooks do better than anyone...all down to cultural differences I guess.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 19 May 14 - 08:54 AM

Dunno about bland food. I was brought up on it of course and post war austerity didn't help the national diet.

But with the heritage of the Raj etc, spicy food was never far away from the national palate.

There are more Michelin star restaurants in The UK than in France.......

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 09:27 AM

So far my vegetarian cassoulet I'm thinking on a mix of 2/3 haricot beans and 1/3 butter beans (for a variety of texture) improvident quantities of garlic, whole shallots instead of onion (again for texture) carrots and celery, red wine (for added body), tomatoes, a bit of smoked paprika (for some of the flavour component the smoked bacon would bring), a decent amount of olive oil for richness, boquet garni, and a breadcrumby crust. Is there anything else I should bung in there? (I know... duck, sausage, black pudding etc.)

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 19 May 14 - 09:38 AM

Black pudding will give a salty depth and thicken the sauce.....

Seriously, for a veggie option, look at the aduki beans. They are smaller than the ones you are using, (puy lentils are another option, and are cheaper at Sainsburys labeled as lentil verte, despite the dark red colour....). Either small pulse will thicken the sauce and give a meaty depth.

Similar to my Mum's generation putting pearl barley in stews and casseroles.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 10:08 AM

Pearl barley itself could work - Black Puddings contain it so you are halfway there :-) From a Wiki clip on Black Puds -

Black pudding is the native British version of blood sausage. It is generally made from pork blood and a relatively high proportion of oatmeal. In the past it was occasionally flavoured with pennyroyal, differing from continental European versions in its relatively limited range of ingredients and reliance on oatmeal and barley instead of onions to absorb the blood. It can be eaten cold, as it is cooked in production, but is often grilled, fried or boiled in its skin.

There you go, Oatmeal and Barley to soak up the fluid and Pennyroyal for flavour. - How about making the veggie version using red wine instead of blood. Works for me :-D

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 10:12 AM

Oh - And if the idea takes off, just send me some (Penny)royalties :-)

D.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 10:17 AM

A mix of adzuki, haricot and butter beans it is.

DtG - I hear you can actually buy a veggie versions of black pudding, but how would you they those tasty little lumps of fat in veggie form? I'm also a bit unsure about pennyroyal, as it's an 'abortifacient' - though I guess that may be not such a big deal for someone like me who doesn't actually *want* children.. o-O

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 10:21 AM

"Oh - And if the idea takes off, just send me some (Penny)royalties :-)"

Oh dear... And we were doing so well until then!

>the audience boos and throws things<

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 10:32 AM

Hehehe - I'll get my coat...

There are veggie versions of Black Pudding but, like you, I wonder about the fatty bits. Mind you the Bury Black Pudding Co do fatty and non-fatty versions I believe. Never tried them. May as well be hung for a fatty pig as a lean one!

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 19 May 14 - 10:35 AM

one of nicest perks about the draft horse club I used to belong to were the potluck suppers that always included a giant roasting pan full of scalloped potatoes and ham. yum!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 19 May 14 - 12:44 PM

You are right. There is a Z in it.....

I have tried veggie black pudding, but it was as useful as a one legged bloke at an arse kicking contest.

Here's a tip from America (if you recall, we were discussing American versions at one time). Homer Simpson said that if God doesn't want us to eat animals, why does he make them taste of meat?

A dinner party at Chez Musket tends to have vegetarians, Halal, gluten free and the resident omnivore. It isn't the first time we have had to accommodate the lot... I even keep the pans for Halal in the utility room and wash them in the sink in there.

I mention this because Farage was on the wireless today saying your average British bloke isn't multi cultural. I'm average in everything except beer belly and willy thank you very much..

Sorry. I'm sure veggie black pudding as an ingredient is fine. Not much good under scallops though.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 01:27 PM

I spell it 'adzuki' from habit, though I don't think it actually has to have a Z in it, aduki and azuki are also used, though I think the latter is more akin to the Japanese? I also use the more complicated spelling of 'yoghourt' over 'yoghurt/yogurt' though all are correct, habit again.

On a more personal note, Musket, I'm sorry to hear that you have a small gut; I recommend more ale and pies to address that particular insufficiency.

As for God, Simpson version or otherwise, I tend to think he is a bit of a sadistic old bastard (at least if you read his memoirs) so I'm not terribly surprised that he made the tastiest food suffer fear and pain - why didn't he just make steak trees instead? It would have made life for sensitive folk so much easier.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 19 May 14 - 02:01 PM

I wish the Good Lord had made crumpet and pork pie trees.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 May 14 - 02:06 PM

We are using the oven less and less, except for biscotti, pies, etc. As we get old, we want easier recipes.

We use the hot pot which sits on the stove top instead for stews, dishes with casserole ingredients, etc. A saucepan is used to brown some ingredients.

We freeze leftover stews, etc.

Here is a fairly easy recipe for beef-

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds good beef cut in 1-inch pieces
2 large yellow onions. chopped coarsely
1 parsnip, chopped
2 carrots, cleaned but not peeled; chopped
3-4 sticks celery
3 cloves crushed garlic, or use garlic from one of those small jars
30 or so ounces canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped (they break up in cooking)
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth or stock

Heat olive oil (about one tbsp.) in saucepan. Cook beef, high heat, in batches, with part of onions, to brown. remove to plate.
Reduce heat and add more oil, the remaining onions, parsnip, carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring while cooking.
Return beef to pan, add tomatoes, wine and broth. Bring to boil, then simmer, with cover, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Serve with chopped chives

Freeze leftover- we use yogurt containers, enough for a meal in each.


Goes well with your choice of potatoes.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 19 May 14 - 02:29 PM

Eliza, I'm becoming concerned. I think you mentioned 'crumpets' virtually every time you post. Are you out of control? Crumpet Snafflers Anonymous is there to help ..if you're willing and ready?

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 May 14 - 03:40 PM

Call for crumpet vigilantes! No admittance!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 May 14 - 03:58 PM

If we split your sentence up, Eliza, he did!

I wish the Good Lord had made crumpet

:-P

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 19 May 14 - 04:42 PM

I'm relying on Auld Nick inventing crumpet.

God would have called them pikelets.

I must eat some to build my belly up eh ?

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Gurney
Date: 19 May 14 - 08:20 PM

American Casserole. First catch your American.

I read that in a recipe.

Or was that rabbit stew. ??

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,michaelr
Date: 19 May 14 - 08:37 PM

DtG -- English cooking's bad rep is not just down to wartime food rationing. When I was in Manchester as an exchange student in 1970, the missus of the house submerged a whole leg of lamb (or perhaps mutton) in a huge stock pot full of water and proceeded to boil it. Breakfast was canned Spaghetti-Os (or something like it) on toast. Still gives me the willies to think of it.

Eliza -- I make stock anytime I have bones. So much better than store-bought broth.

CS -- I made cassoulet just recently, with the legs from a duck we roasted the day before, and some nice kielbasa sausage. And yes, of course you want the breadcrumb crust on top!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 20 May 14 - 02:52 AM

LOL!!! Crumpets Anonymous! I do so love them, I admit.

Regarding people buying ready-made meals, whenever we go to Tesco's, I notice the aisle with the microwave meals (fridges both sides) is extra-wide, and always thronged with trolleys. These meals are very expensive in my view, but I can see that tired folk coming home at night would find them handy.

michaelr, I'm pleased to hear you make stock, it's the secret ingredient of any soup or casserole, and very cheap to make. One can even freeze small tinfoil pots of it. I notice on TV the're now manufacturing 'flavour pots' of various kinds. I reckon all these fancy cooking programmes are watched by millions, who then go and microwave a ready-meal for their dinner!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 May 14 - 03:03 AM

Boiled leg of mutton is more likely - And also likely to be quite tasty if served with the stock or, to come back to the thread, as a casserole or hot pot :-) SpaghettiOs on toast for breakfast is a bit strange. I think that was just down to your landlady and as said canned food was American in origin I am at a loss as to why this would indicate English cooking was bad.

Still, as an aside and not doubting your experience at all Michael, I find it quite interesting to see how limited personal experience can help reinforce the negative stereotype that the English are a nation of bad cooks! If I was to review American food on the basis of MacDonalds, Budweiser beer and spray on cheese I think I would be insulting an awful lot of good American cooks.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 20 May 14 - 05:23 AM

This bug is catching...

I have promised Mrs Musket that on Saturday I am doing a cassoulet, full on French style.

Confit of duck. (Waitrose sell large tins of confit de canard. As it is preserved anyway, the irony of the tin is irrelevant and be buggered to making the confit myself.)

Belly pork.

Borlotti beans

etc

etc.

I got this particular recipe from Rick Stein's French Odyssey.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 May 14 - 11:25 AM

Boiling green vegetables seems to be an English habit which unfortunately spread to the new world. It removes all flavor and all of the vitamins.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 May 14 - 12:17 PM

Boiling green vegetables is not a bad thing. Boiling them too long is! Drop them in Boiling lightly salted water for a couple of minutes and they retain their flavour and nutrients.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 20 May 14 - 01:33 PM

nothing worse than green beans cooked until they're grey and mushy...

blanch in boiling water or oil to make them tender and bright green... or a quick saute to keep the crunch. or just a few minutes in the microwave and be sure to remove them quickly or they'll keep steaming.

the newspaper had an article about lost cooking skills... and the $40 book written about it... yeesh!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 May 14 - 01:48 PM

blanch in boiling water or oil to make them tender and bright green Spot on Mr Geek! Sprouts at Christmas were the worst - If they were not put on the boil in mid-November to be ready on Christmas day they just weren't cooked. No wonder we didn't like sprouts as kids. Love them now. Apart from some unfortunate side effects... :-)

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 20 May 14 - 02:07 PM

LOL.... grey brussel sprouts turned to stinky mush... or poor broccoli that has been tortured on the steam line....

tooth tender is what's best... steamed sprouts - best when allowed to go through a frost to turn them sweeter- with a light vinegrette

I turned the hubby from a broccoli hater to a lover- especially with a squirt of fresh lemon. lol

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,CX
Date: 20 May 14 - 02:23 PM

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 May 14 - 06:36 PM

We steam Brussels sprouts and broccoli, but often serve the florets of the latter raw in a fresh vegetable salad.

We understand Europeans cook the broccoli stalks, but we never use them; we buy the florets on the final branches, and any coarser stalks go to the compost.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 21 May 14 - 06:02 AM

Other than the sweeping "we" and the even more sweeping "Europeans" I would agree that those who like broccoli tend to like the stalks too, and these are very woody if not steamed or boiled to the extent that the floret is soggy.

Catch 22

Me? No fan of the thing in the first place.

Still, if our cousins don't like the alleged boiled veg, they can always spray cheese on it in an artistic manner eh?

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 21 May 14 - 11:35 AM

Alot of stalks, Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower make excellent soups. We never throw them out and we always have a few vegetable soups on hand. These things are easy to make and very tasty.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Penny S.
Date: 21 May 14 - 04:03 PM

I have a theory about the overboiling of veggies, based on the origin of the culinary cabbages in the form of seakale. Seakale is thick leaved and would be really impossible to eat without extensive cooking.

On the other hand, I have seen in passing and not referenced some idea based on the theory of humours, which made the removal of greenness and crunch absolutely essential. This from people who believed in bleeding patients.

Here's some of the logic.
Terence Scully, in his book The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages, has this to say about the preparation of vegetables:

"Most vegetables, whether leaves or roots, were chopped, ground and cooked by boiling. The logic of this cooking method lay in the tendency of vegetables, being products of the earth, to be dry in their nature (the exceptions being vegetable marrows, melons, & chard, all three of which were held to be rather moist); the action of stewing vegetables lent them the moisture they lacked by their nature. Members of the onion family, however, being moist in the third, and even fourth - or most dangerous (even mortal) - degree, were usually fried, thus removing a little of their superfluous moisture."

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 21 May 14 - 05:44 PM

The beauty of the casserole is that you can cook a full meal for the family without having to worry too much about boiling vegetables within an inch of their lives! My boys when they were small were more likely to eat vegetables as part of a casserole rather than vegetables prepared and cooked separately. I could add the kind of vegetables that at the time they would not have considered eating like peppers, tomatoes, lentils, the dreaded sprout, parsnips and spinach.

Viva la casserole!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 May 14 - 07:54 PM

Had to look up sea kale. Don't think I have ever seen it.

I agree with Patsy, casseroles, hot pots, etc. are one way to sneak some vegetables into children's diet.
However, we often had stuffed peppers, and they were accepted.

No problem with tomatoes as long as they were in the form of sauce in pizza! Tomato soups were accepted, as well as the small raw tomatoes we grew.

Parsnips work well in stews, etc., but I won't eat them solo.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Mrr at work
Date: 21 May 14 - 09:00 PM

I am reminded of the Hungarian recipe for Gypsy-style chicken paprikas - first, steal one chicken.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 22 May 14 - 09:52 AM

"Parsnips work well in stews, etc., but I won't eat them solo."

I've seen recipes for matzah ball soup that uses parsnip, but I prefer them solo... or maybe mixed with tender young carrots. Mainly because they are so sweet... just steam them or use a light glaze.

On St. Patrick's Day one of the local inns serves a corned beef buffet with cabbage, boiled carrots, potatoes, parsnips and turnips and a really nice mustard sauce to top them off. Now if they would only get some nice ales or porter on tap...

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 22 May 14 - 11:25 AM

Sliced parsnip, roasted in goose fat.

You know it makes sense.... (Not to mention the roast potatoes and carrots roasted with them. )

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 22 May 14 - 12:09 PM

there's a Nobel Prize for whoever figures out a way to breed parsnips with a nice uniform size... LOL it's the peeling of those pesky devils that drives me nuts... then go to work on celeric and horseradish...

if summer ever comes, I love to make small foil packets filled with thinly slice yellow squash, zucchinni & onion - add a pat of butter, sprinkle of salt & pepper and fresh dill weed.... place on the back of the grill while the rest is cooking and let it turn into melt in your mouth goodness. It's lunchtime here... can't you tell... :)

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Musket
Date: 22 May 14 - 12:40 PM

Size can be variable, but I seed them in plastic pipes and ensure only very small pebbles, no large stones. You get long straight parsnips with few knobbly bits, fairly easy to peel.

There again, I love parsnips roasted. Funnily enough, as a casserole or stew addition, I think they have a too strong a taste so I prefer to bulk out with turnip.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 22 May 14 - 02:49 PM

I once visited a prisoner from Liverpool and he told me all about 'Scouse' ( which is where the term Scouser comes from) It's a kind of soupy casserolly thing which has its origins in the Irish immigrants who arrived in Liverpool during the Famine. Most interesting. But only the old folk in Liverpool eat it nowadays; everyone else has forgotten how to make it. This prisoner chap's old dad lived alone and practically survived on Scouse!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 22 May 14 - 03:01 PM

Scouse also possible Baltic or North German origin. Wiki says it is served in Liverpool pubs.
Recipes on Google.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 22 May 14 - 03:03 PM

Tell you what Eliza, when I was involved in prison healthcare, no matter where I visited, the footwear that is standard cell issue is known as...

Scouse slippers.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 22 May 14 - 03:08 PM

Hahahaha Musket!! I've never heard that one! I once visited an inmate in the Hospital Wing, but he wasn't in a fit state to joke about his footwear (drug overdose) I did learn that stripey prison shirts are very much sought after on the Out, and discharged inmates smuggle one or two out to sell. Interesting places, prisons...

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST
Date: 22 May 14 - 04:23 PM

"There again, I love parsnips roasted. Funnily enough, as a casserole or stew addition, I think they have a too strong a taste so I prefer to bulk out with turnip."

My mom limited her additions to onions, carrots, celery & potatoes. I like to add rutabagas & leeks if I find them... I'm on the fence about adding turnips... they taste like radishes to me.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Penny S.
Date: 22 May 14 - 05:12 PM

I've seen seakale down on Dungeness, growing in the shingle. It's practically a succulent. But tough - it needs to be, of course.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 22 May 14 - 06:00 PM

We have a lovely local delicacy here in Norfolk UK, it's called samphire. It's a kind of coastal plant. You boil it briefly then strip the flesh off the leaves with your teeth. Very tasty and full of vitamins. Regarding all veggies, I pop them into briskly boiling water for just a couple of minutes. They must still be bright green, not in the least pale or yellowy. If so, they've been in too long. I cut carrots into thin strips like matchsticks, and cut sprouts in half. Like this, all the veggies can go into one large pot and boil quickly together. I'm naughty and use real butter on them when they've been drained. And salt. Tut tut!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 22 May 14 - 06:44 PM

My beef stews used to stretch through the week in different forms, it would start off as a beef stew saving some aside. Part of this would become an 'Italian' concoction to serve with pasta mid-week and then the remainder would become a curry or a mild chili with rice towards the end of the week. So I suppose it was like a kind of scouse lasting through the week with the addition of sweetcorn, peas, baked beans or tinned kidney beans to make it go further.

The cost of ready meals are expensive in comparison and until recently you could not even be absolutely sure of the origin of ingredients in it. The ones I hate are the so called cheaper range of ready meals that contain 'shaped meat' that thought alone conjures up all kinds of horrors to me.

My 86 year old mum watches all of the cooking programmes and she delights in all of the culinary expertise and is quite the critic too bless her but I really think it is because she secretly fancies Raymond Blanc!

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 23 May 14 - 02:37 AM

I love samphire. It gives a salty edge to white fish dishes. Eliza's East Anglia tastes ever so slightly different to the East Yorkshire variety our butcher sells which is less strong than that we had on the east coast of Scotland the other week.

Mrs Musket always buys some when visiting her family in Suffolk. Just for a slight different taste to our normal. (Make a bed of samphire and kale be light on the seasoning, and place pan fried halibut on top. Sheer ruddy heaven.)

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 23 May 14 - 02:45 AM

You're right, Patsy. You just can't be sure what's in these ready-made things; horsemeat (which may or may not be acceptable, but if one was expecting beef, then beef it should be!) chemicals, E numbers, dodgy stuff. Shaped meat indeed! Grooo! I too can make a large casserole last several days with adaptations. If we're a bit short of money (often happens!) it reduces the food bill by miles and is still nourishing and tasty.
I never realised Musket, in my ignorance, that samphire grows elsewhere.
Curly kale and spring greens are my all-time fav veg. I swear I feel very perky after eating them, so they must be very very good for you.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 23 May 14 - 04:48 AM

Your samphire is very much a local thing. The differences are small but enough to be different. I always have a week on holiday in Southwold Suffolk. On the creek fish store, I can get local samphire at a very reasonable price. In a deli in town, they sell that plus Notthumbrian samphire which is stronger on taste but less salty. The locals seem to think horses for courses. There again, some cracking restaurants thereabout.

I grow purple carrots and purple sprouts, yet it is slightly novelty value as they taste no different to the high yield cheap seeds I buy for the "normal" ones. So much for that experiment.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 May 14 - 02:47 PM

Three or four genera of samphire; one is found on marshy coasts in Florida and Texas.
From articles, it seems to be growing in popularity in the UK. I have never had an opportunity to try it.

Colorful vegetables- We grew several varieties of potatoes- purple, banana, yellow, etc. when we had a little farm. We got 'seed' potatoes from the Ukrainian farmers in the area. The purple and banana were very good- firm and flavorful. The purple are sometimes available in stores here.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 23 May 14 - 02:58 PM

On the BBC programme about the Chelsea Flower Show last night I saw a completely jet black tomato, very smart. Would look nice sliced in a salad.

Subject: RE: BS: American Casserole
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 May 14 - 04:15 PM

Edmonton (Canada) Potato Growers Ltd. give this casserole recipe.

MEDITERRANEAN POTATO CASSEROLE

1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
10 ounces stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon *ground cloves
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Saute onions until transparent. Combine half the onion with mashed potato, flour, salt and pepper. Press mixture (1/2 inch) in bottom of 9x9 inch baking pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan, add flour and blend. Add stewed tomatoes, rest of onion, green pepper, bay leaf, cloves and oregano.
Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and *cloves. Spoon sauce over potato mixture and top with cheeses.
* I don't think they mean ground cloves.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Four-six servings