Paisano: Lamb Casserole

Casseroles get a bad rap, and many of them deserve it. But I happen to love them. You mix up a bunch of stuff (avoiding any canned soup mixes, which are the single greatest reason for the bad rap) dump it in a casserole dish, and bake it for 30 or 45 minutes. The result is something often easy to make, typically fairly cheap, capable of serving 4 - 6, and delicious. It's genuine kitchen magic.

The word "casserole" comes from the Old French casse, which meat "ladle" or "pan." It was first introduced into English as the word for a kind of stew pan (in fact, a modern French synonym for casserole is daube, which means "stew.") Over time the food made in a casserole came to be called cassroles and the form of the pan morphed into what we're familiar with today. Note: the terra-cotta dish pictured is from Spain and is called a cazuela. Coincidence? I suspect not. 

Casseroles are also a great way to stretch meat by adding pasta or rice, and veggies (thawed, most frozen vegetables will cook completely while the casserole is in the oven). And often you can combine leftovers in the mixture, cutting down on the number of biology experiments in your refrigerator.

A few days back I made stuffed peppers for a client and I had half a pound of lamb left over -- unusual as I buy carefully to manage my food costs, but in this case I had to buy more than I needed. I didn't have any more peppers to stuff though, although I did have the tops of the peppers I'd prepared for them. So I decided to make more of the pepper stuffing, cut up and add the pepper tops, and make a casserole instead.

In this case, because I was essentially duplicating my stuffed pepper recipe, there was a bit of prep, but still, it only took me 30 minutes to get it into the oven.

Lamb Casserole

Serves 4.

 

1/2 lb lamb

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion -- diced

1/2 - 1 c diced bell pepper
2 cloves garlic -- chopped
1/4 c diced sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 oz feta cheese -- crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 c cooked rice
2 tbsp red wine
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat oven to 400F. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, remove from heat, and add sun-dried tomatoes. Allow to rehydrate.

 

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add half of lamb, season with salt and pepper, and brown -- breaking up into small chunks. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and brown remaining lamb.

 

Pour out excess oil and fat, return skillet to medium heat, and sauté onion and bell pepper until onion is transculent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add mixture to meat.

 

Add remaining ingredients to meat and thoroughly combine. Scoop into a casserole dish and, if desired, top with a few slices of tomato. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

Ciao! 

In an alternate life, the Paisano is Kevin Weeks: a Gather food correspondent, personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" the column focuses on peasant dishes from around the world,Paisano the character is fictional. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog, Seriously Good, is read by 75,000 cooks a month. Kevin is also a consultant with ChefsLine.com.