Casseroles. Whether you love them or hate them, the reality is that they have played an integral part in culinary history. Listen in as Kim and Leigh take a trip down casserole memory lane.
Casseroles
When you have the winter doldrums, nothing warms the stomach – or the soul – quite like a casserole. Easy to make and easy to serve, casseroles have brought people to the dinner table for hundreds of years and certainly form the backbone of American “family-style” cuisine since World War II.
Even so, the dish is not a particular favorite of ours but we felt that this culinary phenomenon deserved some attention.
Where Did the Word “Casserole” Come From
As We Eat starts our survey of casseroles with the word itself. Casserole (from Old French via Greek and Latin) describes both the vessel and the dish cooked within it. While we start to see the casserole emerge in receipts and cookbooks in the 18th Century, the reality is that the dish is found in every food culture around the world. Its ease of use is its unifying factor – tougher cuts of meat and sturdy vegetables grow tender when cooked in a hearth for several hours. As the dish ingredients grew finer, so did the casserole dishes standing as a valued kitchen tool.
Casserole As In the Cookware
As World War II concluded, CorningWare™ brought its “Pyroceram” heat-resistant glass and ceramic technology into the family home allowing casserole dishes to easily move from the freezer to the oven to the dinner table.
Campbell’s Role in Casseroles
Simultaneously, companies like Campbell’s Soups™ celebrated the end of rationing by creating collections of recipes utilizing its brand – like canned creamed soups and vegetables – to inspire American homemakers to buy/use their products. Through these marketing efforts, several “classic” dishes like “Noodle & Tuna Fish en Casserole” were reimagined and home cooks started using Cream of Mushroom soup instead of the once traditional white sauce. Ironically, Helen Evans Brown – the person most responsible for popularizing Campbell’s version of Tuna Noodle Casserole – regretted its impact on West Coast regional cuisine as cans of highly processed foods supplanted fresh ingredients. Whether modern cooks will embrace making the casserole with its original, non-processed food versions remains to be seen.
Casseroles and Communal Eating
We survey other favorite casserole dishes and dive into the history of several special favorites, such as green bean casserole, funeral potatoes or tater tot hotdish, Chicken Divan, and tamale pie. Although vastly different in terms of ingredients and flavor profiles, each of these casseroles have deep connections to communal eating, feeling comforted by the simplicity and flavors of the dishes, and by the sense of community gained when everyone at the table is eating the same meal.
The Cassoulet
As We Eat concludes our casserole adventure by touching on one of the most famous casseroles and the vessel namesake – Cassoulet. This dish originating from southern France still follows an elemental casserole structure (and sometimes the same base) as it has for centuries. The marriage of white beans, duck or goose confit, rustic cuts of pork, mutton, or sausages creates a medley of warm flavors – perfect for sharing with your family on a cold winter’s night.
In our next episode, As We Eat addresses everyone’s favorite vegetable – the bold and beautiful potato.
Casseroles Transcript
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Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode
Books We Think You’ll Enjoy Reading
West Coast Cookbook - Helen Evans Brown
The Joy of Cooking - Irma S Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, et.al
The White House Family Cookbook, Henry Haller
Mediterranean Food - Elizabeth David
Recipes You Really Need to Try
Tater Tot Hot Dish- Mom on Time Out
Tuna Noodle Casserole - Skinny Taste
Tamale Pie - Delish
Green Bean Casserole - Campbells
Breakfast Casserole - Sally’s Baking Addiction
Chicken Macaroni - Taste of Home
Chicken Divan - Spend with Pennies
Lasagna Roll Ups - Pooks Pantry
Italian Sausage Lasagne - Pastry Chef Online
Cheesy Rice and Cauliflower or Broccoli - Minimalist Baker
Three Bean Taco Casserole - Chez Us
Vegetarian Mexican Casseroles - Fearless Dining
Beef and Potato Dumplings - Chez Us
Funeral Potatoes - Tastes Better from Scratch
Chicken Pot Shepard's Pie - Family Spice
Potato Kugel - OMG! Yummy
Jimmy Dean Casserole - All Recipes
Monte Cristo Breakfast Casserole - Reluctant Entertainer
Episodes We Think You’ll Like
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Casseroles