There's absolutely nothing high-brow about a casserole. This ubiquitous, endlessly adaptable Midwestern potluck dish is comfort food, pure and simple! Emily Farris, author of Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff For Your Oven, was on Good Food this past week telling us all about her favorite dish.
Good Food with Evan Kleiman: Casserole Crazy
As anyone who grew up attending potluck dinners and church picnics knows, resistance is futile when it comes to the casserole. You may take one look at the goopy, starchy, cheesy dish and think that think, "Uh-uh, no way," but then you'll somehow find yourself coming back for seconds. Even the worst-made casseroles somehow still exert a magnetic power over our forks.
According to Farris, for a casserole to truly be a casserole, it needs to have two or more solid ingredients, it needs a binder of some sort, and it needs to be mixed instead of layered. Think of the most famous casseroles and you'll understand what she means:
Tuna Noodle Casserole = Tuna + Noodles + Mushroom Soup
Green Bean Casserole = Green Beans + Mushrooms + White Cream Sauce
Turkey Tetrazzini = Turkey + Mushrooms + Noodles + Cheese Sauce
And the basic process for all of these dishes is "mix and bake." Get the picture?!
Farris also points out that casseroles give us permission to use certain pre-made ingredients that have fallen out of style in recent years. These are foods that were considered pantry staples not too long ago like cream of mushroom soup, French-fried onions from a can, and cheese whiz. In fact, one of Farris's favorite versions of tuna noodle casserole includes "Salsa Con Queso"-style Cheese Whiz!
Do you have fond - or otherwise! - memories of casseroles?
• Hear the the full interview with Emily Farris and get a recipe for her Tuna Noodle Casserole on the Good Food website.
• Buy a copy of Farris's book Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff For Your Oven for $10.85 on Amazon.
Related: Recipe: Modern Green Bean Casserole
(Image: Flickr member africankelli licensed under Creative Commons)
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Roundup - Food Radio, Inspiration, Holidays - Thanksgiving, Holidays - Christmas, Entertaining, Frugality, casserole, Evan Kleiman, Good Food, KCRW, MidwestRelated Links
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I still love making casserole with a box of mac & cheese, a can of tuna, a can of cream of mushroom, and some peas. The entire thing costs 4 or 5 bucks, is do-able even if I get home late for work, and is truly a comfort food. I can also buy all of these ingredients at Walgreens, which is closer to my apartment than the grocery store.
view corrie's profile
Tuna cassarole with Kraft Dinner is the best comfort food there is. I haven't had it in years because my boyfriend hates tuna, mushrooms, and peas. ALL THE COMPONENTS OF Tuna Cassarole!!
I must make it for myself one of these days. It's so good on a chilly day. Yum.
But don't forget to bake it with a breadcrumb topping. That crunchy bread and the creamy noodles? Awesome.
view revolution9's profile
tuna noodle casserole used to be my potluck meal of choice- everyone loved it!
I would bring it to the host house fully assembled, pop it in the oven once I got there; and then by the time it was done people were ready to eat- it was perfect.
view jillrenee in boston's profile
MY very very favorite version on casserole is King Ranch Chicken and classic Texas style amalgamation of chicken corn tortillas chiles and cream. Oh I am homesick!
This is a great link to the whole story of King Ranch Chicken and two fantastic recipes.
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/10/king-of-casseroles-king-ranch-chicken.html
view NYCtexan's profile
I love casserole. I make a broccoli casserole with cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup, sauted mushrooms, lemon juice, and mayo topped with bacon - a Thanksgiving staple in our house. I'm also a sucker for tuna casserole with peas and potato chips on top. Another family fav is pumpkin casserole with italian sausage and apples, great for fall.
view fmktjod's profile
starch protein vegetable cream of something = casserole
view Aimi's profile
that didn't post right. it took out my plus signs...
starch (plus) protein (plus) vegetable (plus) cream of something = casserole
view Aimi's profile