Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Casseroles were made for shortcuts

At their core, a casserole is a great thing. It's about working with what you have, or like my mentor Tim Gunn says, "Make it work." And so with casseroles, we do, don't we?

So in this spirit we looked at Shortcut Cooking. Brace yourself.
Shortcut cooking
Don't let the appetizing, mouth watering cover photo turn you away. (The food stylist in me can't but help gawk at the drip of brown goo: that's a technique used to make your mouth water. Is it watering? I didn't think so.) Keep in mind the 1969 publication was at least using color photography to depict its creations, unlike many of the black and white photos seen in earlier cookbooks. Oh wait. Only the covers received the high-brow treatment because when we find our first casserole, it's all black and white, baby.
jackstraw casserole
And this one is Tuna Jackstraw Casserole. The photo caption reads...
When time's a-flying and the family is "starving," a can opener is your best friend! This casserole is as delicious as it is quick—it's bound to be a favorite!
This recipe uses 5 cans of products and 1/4 cup chopped pimiento. A casserole entirely made from cans. What's up next? Canned Casserole? Sssshhhhh. I'm sure that's quite possible. Technology and everything.

But does a casserole have to be nightmarish like this? Or course not. At its core, remember, is using what you have. And I did just that recently, and lucky for you, I'll share a very tasty recipe and my approach tomorrow. Hint: it includes homemade tomato sauce from a jar and lots and lots of vegetables...

Do you use fresh ingredients in your casseroles? Have you made up your own?

7 comments:

Kristina said...

I almost bought one the other day based totally on a product named something like Pro-tase. Seriously. These booklets are comedy gold.

A Lewis said...

I remember those canned hams!

Anonymous said...

Coming late to the casserole hotline, but ... love me some casseroles! Whatever is in the refrig: meats? leftover pasta? cooked veggies? various sauces or soups? Just add some sauted onions and/or garlic, turn it out into a casserole dish, top with buttered whatever crumbs (and maybe a little cheese). Usually yum. Once in a while, yuck! As far as the fresh ingredients vs. cans of stuff, it just depends on what I have handy ... and how desperate I am!
Lee Ann

Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather said...

I try to use as much fresh ingredients as possible in my casseroles but with canned beans and tomatoes it can be easy to use a lot of canned foods.

abigail @ Good to Think and Eat said...

I'm pretty obsessed with making unusual casseroles but I try to use all fresh or homemade ingredients to avoid the "ick" factor of the high sodium and other processing that occurs with using canned goods. I want the ease of casseroles of days of yore but the simplicity and goodness of natural foods.

Den Mother said...

We never ate casseroles growing up, so for me they seem like a complicated dish. I really love eating a good casserole. Mac and cheese is the obvious favorite, or tuna casserole.

I think my facsimile or go-to dish is making a pasta dish with whatever I have on hand. Somehow, putting it in the oven and calling it a casserole makes it feel fancier to me.

Den Mother said...

P.S. Tim Gunn really is great, isn't he? I love him so much.