Tidewater Kitchen - November 2011

Casseroles Make Entertaining Easy!

by

Pamela Meredith-Doyle

These special and attractive casseroles give you a headstart on the holidays. With preparation and cleanup behind, invite guests for a meal that even the cook can enjoy!
For most of us, it is a priority during the busy holiday season to spend time with special people. But how many times have you bid farewell to dinner guests and realized you missed the visit?
All of these casseroles can be assembled ahead and chilled overnight, and some can be made a month before and frozen. Pair with an easy make-ahead salad and dessert, and your guests will enjoy both your attention and a great meal.

TURKEY CASSEROLE
Serves 6-8
1 8-oz. pkg. medium-size egg noodles, uncooked
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 T. butter
3 T. flour
3 cups milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. poppy seeds
Sea salt to taste
Dash red pepper
3 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 4-oz. jar diced pimiento, drained
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.
Sauté onion and green pepper in butter in a large saucepan until tender; add flour, whisking until smooth. Cook for one minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in noodles, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and next 4 ingredients; add pimiento and stir gently.
Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 9” x 13” baking dish. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
To bake, remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake covered at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over the top and bake for 10 more minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Note: Unbaked casserole may be frozen. To bake, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Follow the same baking instructions as above.

TURKEY or CHICKEN CASSEROLE with DRIED CRANBERRIES
Serves 6-8
This is a wonderful casserole to serve during the Christmas holidays!

1 box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice mix
4-1/2 T. butter
5 T. flour
3-1/3 cups chicken broth
3 T. shallots or onion
1 lb. baby portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 T. olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1-1/2 T. lemon juice
3 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cubed
1 cup dried cranberries

Cook rice according to package directions.
In a saucepan, melt butter, add flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken broth and boil for 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. While sauce simmers, sauté shallots or onions in olive oil for 3 minutes and then add mushrooms and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and shallots to sauce.
Stir in cream, nutmeg, lemon juice, cooked turkey or chicken, dried cranberries and cooked wild rice. Spoon into lightly greased 9” x 13” baking dish. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
To bake, remove from refrigerator and let stand for 30 minutes. Bake covered with aluminum foil at 375° for 20 to 30 minutes.
Note: Unbaked casserole may be frozen. To bake, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours and follow same baking directions as above.

CHEESE GRITS with SAUSAGE
Serves 8
Jane Brown shared this recipe with our family years ago and it is still a favorite!

4 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits, uncooked
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (if you can find Vermont Cabot - it is the best)
1/4 cup milk
2 T. butter
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, mashed
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. hot or regular pork sausage, cooked and drained
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in grits. Return to a boil; cover, reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add 2 cups cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in a small amount of grits mixture to beaten egg; add to remaining grits mixture, stirring constantly.
Spoon half of grits mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; top with sausage. Spoon remaining grits mixture over sausage. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
To bake, remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

SHRIMP-CRAB DIVINE
Serves 10
6 cups water
3 lbs. unpeeled large fresh shrimp
1 cup rice, uncooked
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. fresh mushrooms
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 pimientos, chopped (or 1/2 red pepper, chopped)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg (more if you like)
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup light cream
1 lb. special crab meat
Fresh parsley and paprika for garnish

Bring water to a boil; add shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well; rinse with cold water. Peel and devein shrimp. Chop half of the shrimp, leaving the rest whole. Set shrimp aside.
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.
Sauté green pepper, onion and celery in olive oil for 3 minutes and then add mushrooms. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes in a large saucepan. Combine rice, mayonnaise, cream, Worcestershire sauce, pimientos, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir the sautéed vegetables into the rice mixture. Gently stir in chopped shrimp and crab meat and spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9“ x 13” baking dish and garnish with parsley and paprika. Arrange whole shrimp on rice, cover and chill for 8 hours.
To bake, remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake covered at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

SCALLOPED OYSTERS
Serves 6
When we lived in Oxford, our waterman friend, Jimmy Lempke, would bring us freshly shucked oysters by the quart. I would make this routinely for our landscaping friend Ed Cannon.

1 qt. shucked standard oysters with liquor (oyster liquid)
2-3 cups fresh saltine cracker crumbs, coarsely crushed (1/4 box saltines)
1 stick butter
1/2 cups milk
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a greased 2-quart casserole, place alternating layers of oysters and crackers, dotting each layer with butter and sprinkling with salt and pepper. End with a layer of cracker crumbs. Add milk until liquid ALMOST reaches to top of the casserole. Dot with remaining butter. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
To bake, remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° until browned, 45-60 minutes.

SOPHISTICATED STEW
Serves 6
3 lbs. round or chuck cut into large bite-sized pieces
Paper bag of flour seasoned with salt and pepper
6 bacon strips
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 oz. brandy
1 lb. baby bello mushrooms
1 10½-oz. can beef consommé
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
12 small peeled white onions
8-oz. bag baby carrots
6 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 t. dried marjoram
1 T. fresh thyme or 1 t. dried

Shake beef cubes in flour, a few at a time, until they are well coated.
In a large saucepan, fry the bacon until it begins to brown but is not crisp.
Cut bacon into one-inch pieces after cooking. Place in an earthenware or heavy glass baking dish.
Cook the garlic and mushrooms in the bacon fat. Remove to the casserole.
Add the floured beef cubes to the saucepan and brown quickly on all sides, turning often. Remove the meat to the casserole dish.
Pour the brandy, beef consommé and one cup red wine into the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk to loosen browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the liquid into the casserole dish.
Add onions, carrots, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, parsley, marjoram and thyme to the casserole.
Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of red wine over the casserole. Bake, covered, at 300° for 2 hours.
Cover and chill at least 8 hours.
To bake, remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Spoon liquid from the bottom over the meat and bake, covered, at 300° for 60 minutes or until piping hot. Remove bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves before serving.

LASAGNA BEEF CROWNS with PESTO CREAM SAUCE
Serves 6
This is lasagna at its most elegant best! It is also a perfect covered dish for a potluck gathering.

1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
8 oz. baby bello mushrooms
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. Ricotta cheese
1-1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 T. dried parsley
1 16-oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 egg
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
Sea salt to taste
Pesto cream
1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

Pesto Cream:
1-1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups half and half

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 minutes and then add mushrooms and sauté an additional 2 minutes in a large saucepan. Add ground beef and brown. Drain off grease.
Combine ground beef mixture with remaining ingredients, except lasagna noodles, in a medium bowl. Blend well.
Spread 3-4 tablespoons of ground beef mixture down each lasagna noodle. Roll noodle up and stand each on end, side-by-side, in a lightly buttered 9” x 13” inch dish. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
To bake, remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese before serving.
Note: Unbaked casserole may be frozen. To bake, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Follow same baking instructions.
For Pesto Cream Sauce:
Place basil leaves, garlic and nuts in a food processor and blend well. Add cheese all at once and process until mixture becomes a paste. Drizzle oil in a very thin but steady stream through tube with processor running. Once all oil is incorporated, add half and half in same manner.
Note: Pesto Cream Sauce can keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. To freeze sauce, follow recipe to the point of adding the half and half. Pack pesto tightly in a container and float a thin film of olive oil over top. When ready to make the lasagna, bring pesto back to room temperature and pour off excess oil.