Asparagus and Pea Casserole

  

This is a retro recipe, as it is a casserole from the 70s. It is one my mother used to make, and everyone quite enjoyed it. Because it’s from the 70s, it contains the trifecta of things that are bad for you: canned vegetables, condensed soup, and Velveeta cheese. Despite this, it’s tasty, freezes and reheats beautifully, and makes a nice addition to any buffet. And, let’s face facts, with all of the mercury in fish, the toxins in the air, the poisons sprayed on fresh vegetables to act as a retardant, it’s not the condensed soup or the Velveeta cheese that is going to take you out. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Asparagus and Pea Casserole

1 15-oz. can Del Monte asparagus, well drained

1 15-oz. can Le Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas, well drained

1 8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, well drained 

1 10.5-oz. can cream of mushroom soup

½ soup can of milk

  About ½ loaf bread,* crust removed, cut into thirds

Velveeta cheese

 4 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350° F.

 Spray a 9” x 13” casserole with PAM. Layer asparagus, peas, and water chestnuts. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Whisk together soup and milk, and spread over vegetables. Cover with 1/4” thick slices of Velveeta cheese. Dip cut bread pieces into melted butter and place on top of cheese. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until bread is nicely toasted.

I used Aldi’s Seedtastic bread because that’s what I had on hand, but I think the bread of choice here is good old Wonder bread.

  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Pasta with Spinach, Olives & Feta

I have been a journal keeper for the past 30 years, maybe longer. You can imagine how many spiral bound books of all shapes, types, and sizes, that I have filled throughout the years. The other day, while cleaning a bookcase, I decided to take a number of them down (comprising the years 1997 through 1998), and read them. I was struck by how frantically busy my life was at that time, wondering how on earth I managed to get everything done that I did, and still stay sane (although that is open to debate). I had written about an evening that the late Mr. O-P and I spent with friends. We used to socialize with two other couples. Sadly, of the six of us, I am the only one left. Our best friends at the time, I suppose, were Lenny and Stef. They were fun, whimsical, and serendipitous. I remember one afternoon Steffie called, said she wanted to try a new recipe, and invited us over for dinner. Two hours later we were relaxing with cocktails on their patio while she stirred up a pasta dish in the kitchen. I had forgotten all about that evening until I read about it in my journal. I also wrote that I loved the dish and wanted to ask for the recipe, but upon learning that Mr. O-P didn’t care for it, I didn’t pursue it.

I had described the recipe as pasta with spinach, olives, and feta. I got to wondering about that, so I googled those ingredients and came up with a number of different recipes. This one is a combination of all of them, and while I don’t remember at all what that dish tasted like in 1997, I will say that I quite enjoyed it when I had it last night.

Pasta with Spinach, Olives & Feta

8 oz. farfalle
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic
1½ T. capers
½ c. kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 4-oz. container feta
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. Stir in capers, olives, spinach, feta, and black pepper. When pasta has finished cooking, drain and immediately dump it into the bowl with all of the other ingredients. The heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach. Toss to coat, and serve immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated to enjoy later.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Pesto Lasagna

 One of the things that I really enjoy about summer is growing basil. It’s easy to grow, super easy to propagate, the smell is fresh, heady, and wonderful, and I am a sucker for good pesto. I like it so much that I could eat it with a spoon and, just between you and me, I have.

When I saw this recipe for pesto lasagna, I knew that I had to give it a try. I had pesto in the freezer from last summer, and was saving it for something special, and this was it. I altered this recipe slightly, because I am not about to boil lasagna noodles. The first time I ever made lasagna, it was a total disaster, and the noodles were to blame. Once bitten, twice shy. Now I am a fan of the no boil variety, and use them in every kind of lasagna that I make. I do tend to make it a day ahead of time, cover it, and stick it in the fridge, so that the noodles get a good opportunity to soften up. You don’t have to, that’s just my preference.

If you’re looking for a wonderful main dish for meatless Monday, this is it. Cheesy, light, and delicious, I do believe this is one that the whole family will enjoy.

Pesto Lasagna

Slightly adapted from threeolivebranch.com

 Béchamel Pesto Sauce

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

3 c. whole milk

½ t. salt

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

Few gratings fresh nutmeg

1½ c. basil pesto*

Cheese Mixture

15 oz. ricotta cheese

⅓ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

½ T. dried basil or 2 T. fresh, chopped

½ t. garlic powder

½ t. salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

 Lasagna

6 No Boil Lasagna Noodles (approximately)

3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

6 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 Make the Pesto Béchamel Sauce

In a medium or large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When melted, add the flour and stir to combine. Cook 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the milk, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens, approximately 7-10 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Add the pesto and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

 Prepare Cheese Mixture

In a medium bowl, combine all of the cheese mixture ingredients. Season to taste with salt, basil, and pepper.

 Assembly

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F.

Spread ½ cup of the pesto sauce across the bottom of a 9” x 9” baking dish.

 Lay three strips across the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping. Break noodles in thin strips to fill in the edges. Dollop 1 cup of the cheese mixture over the noodles, and gently spread across the noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella on top of the cheese mixture, followed by 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan. Scoop and gently spread 1 cup of the pesto sauce across the cheeses.

 Repeat another layer of noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella, Parmesan, and pesto sauce. You should be out of the ricotta cheese mixture at this time.

 Prepare the top layer by laying out the third layer of noodles. Top with the remaining pesto sauce, approximately 1.5 cups (unless you want to save some for serving).

 Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan.

 Cover with foil and bake for approximately 50 minutes. The edges of the dish should be bubbling and the top cheese melted. Remove the foil and finish baking 10-15 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. (Want a darker top? Remove the cover earlier or turn on the broiler for a few minutes).

 Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

 *Homemade is best, but this one is decent in a pinch.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Grilled Cheese Mushrooms

Lately I have been trying to lower the intake of carbs in my diet. I am not particularly a sweet eater; my downfall tends to be bread and pasta. So when I found this recipe by London chef Antonina Parker on Instagram for a bread-less version of grilled cheese, I knew that I had to try it. I did not miss the bread one bit in these deliciously hearty open-faced, knife-and-fork, grilled cheese sandwiches.

Most definitely company worthy, these would make a wonderful dish at a brunch, lunch, or a nice starter for a sit down dinner.

Grilled Cheese Mushrooms
Adapted from Antonia Parker

4 Melissa’s portobello mushrooms, gills and stems removed
4 T. olive oil
½ c. grated cheddar
½ c. grated Parmesan
2 small garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Persillade Sauce
¼ c. flat leaf parsley
Zest of one lemon and the juice of half
½ small clove garlic, minced
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place mushrooms on a foil-lined baking tray and drizzle each with about a teaspoon of olive oil and scatter with salt and pepper. Roast, stem side up, for 6 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the two cheeses, grated garlic, and lots of pepper. Remove mushrooms from oven and divide cheese mixture between them, mounding on top. Bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.

While they are cooking, place all of the persillade ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. Plate the mushrooms with the sauce drizzled around them.