Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

It was a good idea.  I was looking for an easy to assemble casserole that was tasty and would feed a crowd.  This may be that very thing, but you see, sometimes I can’t leave a recipe alone.  The recipe was on Epicurious.  It was called  My Favorite Mexican Casserole.  It won a blue ribbon from Parade Magazine.  It is made from shredded cooked chicken ( a chance to use a rotisserie chicken ), canned kidney beans, garbanzo beans and corn.  It uses crushed tortilla chips instead of corn tortillas.

I made some good changes to the recipe.  I used frozen corn instead of canned corn.  I used black beans instead of garbanzo beans.  For the final layer I mixed crushed tortilla chips with the last of the cheeses.  But my big mistake was using two layers of corn tortillas where there was no call for them.  It made the casserole too dry.  The only tortilla chips called for were a layer on the bottom.

I will give you the recipe as written and if anyone tries it without messing with it, I would like to know about it.  Not everything we make can be a success.  Now I have to figure out what to do with this huge casserole when there are only the two of us to eat it.

MY FAVORITE MEXICAN CASSEROLE

1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 pound shredded cooked chicken meat (from a small roasted chicken)
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) corn kernels, drained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce (I used enchilada sauce)
1 cup prepared salsa
1 cup chopped red onion
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese
6 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Garnishes:
2 cups diced (1/4-inch) ripe tomatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish, then scatter the crushed tortilla chips evenly on the bottom.

2. Combine the chicken, beans, corn, tomato sauce, salsa, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place half the mixture evenly in the baking dish. Combine the cheeses, then sprinkle half over the mixture.

3. Cover with the remaining half of the chicken-and-bean mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

4. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve the garnishes in bowls, so guests can top their portions with diced tomatoes, sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.

One of my favorite side dishes has always been a rice pilaf.  I saute rice in a saucepan with melted butter, then add chicken broth and cook on low heat until done.  It is seasoned with tarragon if I am serving it with chicken.

I was on the pasta aisle of the supermarket recently and saw the bags of orzo; small rice shaped nuggets.  Hmmmm – why not cook it like a pilaf?  That is just what I did and I loved it.  My basil plants are huge this time of year so I seasoned it with a big handful of fresh basil and slathered it with grated Parmesan.

This made a perfect side dish to the stuffed 8 ball zucchini squash that I posted about on Sunday.  I have also served it with grilled chicken.  I think it would also be wonderful with a veal Parmesan.  It is going on my list of everyday meal rotations because it is so easy and I can always have the ingredients in the pantry.  It is a fun way to eat pasta without having to twirl it around a fork.

ORZO PASTA WITH PARMESAN AND BASIL

2 Tablespoons of butter
1 cup orzo pasta
1 14 ounce can chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add orzo and stir in butter.  Cook until orzo is evenly coated with butter and is beginning to brown.  Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover saucepan.  Cook on low heat until orzo is cooked through and chicken broth is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove lid and add chopped basil, grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 4.

If you have leftovers, you can use them in those cute 8 ball zucchini squash.  I cooked 1/2 pound of ground beef until done, drained the fat, added chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning and cooked until the tomatoes released their juices.  Then I added the orzo, stirred the mixture together and used it to stuff the zucchini and the small red peppers that I got from the market.   I topped it with buttered breadcrumbs and baked it for about an hour.  The possiblities are limitless.  Because the 8 ball squash tops are so cute I baked them along side the squash and peppers.  I just oiled the underside so that they would not stick to the pan.

Printable recipe Orzo

We have been gone for a week visiting our family in Cary, NC.  As much as I love our Farmer’s Markets in the mountains, nothing can compare to the Farmer’s Markets in Raleigh.  My DIL Kristen and I spent a morning strolling the aisles there.  There was everything from fresh bread from La Farm Bakery to these adorable eight ball zucchinis.  There is no doubt about what to do with these cute little spheres.  They are perfect for stuffing.

Kristen is very creative about coming up with ideas for recipes.  Later in the day we visited her local butcher shop and came away with some chicken chipotle sausages.

We also had some Round of Hungary sweet red peppers that we picked up at the market.  These peppers are sweet and also suited for stuffing, but in this case we used them as part of the stuffing for our zucchini.

I had already decided on making an orzo pasta dish (which I will blog about later), so our stuffing did not include rice or pasta.  But it did include Manchego cheese, the sausage, peppers, zucchini, and a topping of fresh corn, panko crumbs and more cheese.  It was as good as it gets.

STUFFED EIGHT BALL ZUCCHINI SQUASH

1 pound sausage of your choice
1 yellow sweet pepper,chopped
1 red sweet pepper, chopped
chopped flesh from hollowed out zucchini (about 1 cup)

1 cup shredded Manchego cheese

8 eight ball zucchini squash

Topping:
1 ear of sweet corn, cooked and kernels removed from cob
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup Manchego cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Hollow out eight ball zucchini squash with a melon baller reserving the flesh.  There will be extra which can be saved for another purpose.

Saute sausage and peppers in a skillet until sausage is cooked.  Drain off grease. Add 1 cup of reserved chopped zucchini and shredded Manchego cheese.

Stuff zucchini shells with the mixture.  Place on baking sheet and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Mix topping ingredients together.  Top each zucchini with some of the mixture and return it to the oven.  Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until topping is browned.  Broil for a few minutes if topping is not browned.

Printable recipe

ORZO WITH PARMESAN AND BASIL

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed about 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix in chopped basil and Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a shallow bowl.  Garnish with basil sprigs.  4 servings.