This post includes “my” Broccoli Casserole recipe. But I can hardly claim that I created it – my mother clipped it out of a newspaper decades ago, and then set about tweaking it over time.
(Note to my readers on mobile – I was challenged by the graphics in this post. They look much better if you rotate your screen – sorry!)
So, how does one go about making a recipe one’s own? Cooking is like music to me, in that there are only so many notes, yet endless riffs are possible. Yes, sometimes there’s a direct quote of something that came before, but more often it’s a nod, an acknowledgment of inspiration or appreciation. Recreating the memory of something that echoes. Not even Coltrane created music in a vacuum. Food memories echo as well. I love taking a family recipe and making it new, making it mine.
When I started this blog I was concerned that the recipes that I’m sharing aren’t completely original, but I’ve come to believe that nothing is. So often I don’t even remember where I found a recipe. When I do remember, and when I make something that’s completely faithful to the source, I don’t take credit for it. I’ve listed these recipes on My Favorite Cookbooks page or my Blog and Website Recommendations page. I’m compiling everything that’s in rotation in my kitchen, so these references can’t be omitted.
Sometimes the recipes I post are my attempt to recreate a dish that I had a a restaurant. Figuring out the flavor profile and techniques that result in something so, so good. More frequently, though, I’m riffing on family dishes that I grew up with, like my Nan Nan‘s Zucchini Casserole or my mother’s Skillet Macaroni. Or I’m adapting a recipe given to me by a friend, like Amy‘s Spicy Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing. Most often, I’ve stumbled upon a recipe in the New York Times or in another blog and I think to myself – that’s a great idea. And I improvise from there. We all do it – my friend Cathy tells me that she considers a recipe to be merely a suggestion. I get that!
“My” Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh broccoli (florets and stems)
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 4 T butter (divided)
- 2 T King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- 1 cup milk
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sourdough bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Prep the veg and shred the cheese – Remove the florets from the stem. Remove the leaves and peel or shave the dry ends of the stem(s). Chop the stem(s) and the florets into bite-sized pieces. Destem and slice the mushrooms. Shred the cheese and set it aside. Toast the breadcrumbs by heating them in a pan, stirring until they start to brown.
- Cook the broccoli and sauté the mushrooms – Plunge the broccoli into a pot of briskly boiling, salted water for 6 minutes, then drain and set aside. Add the mushrooms to a dry pan and cook until the mushrooms release all of their water, and continue cooking until all of the water has evaporated. Add 2 T butter to the pan, and once the butter is melted, add the broccoli. Sprinkle the mushroom and broccoli mixture with the flour and stir to coat. Continue stirring and slowly pour in the milk. Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened nicely.
- Assemble the casserole – Preheat the oven to 350℉, convection bake setting. Butter your baking dish. Spread the mushroom and broccoli mixture in the dish, and top with the shredded cheese. Melt 2 T butter and combine it with the sourdough bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the casserole.
- Bake – Cover the casserole and bake it for 20 minutes. Uncover and broil until the top is nicely browned. Let rest for about 10 minutes, and serve.
COOKING NOTE: I use both florets and stems in this recipe – the whole crown. I like “My” Broccoli Casserole to be vegetable-forward. I also try to use any stems that are left over from a prior meal where I used only the florets. Broccoli salad for example. So this recipe calls for 2 pound of broccoli by weight, however you get there.
My approach in the kitchen has been inspired in great measure by Eugenia Bone’s The Kitchen Ecosystem: Integrating Recipes to Create Delicious Meals. All of Eugenia’s books, which I’ve listed on My Favorite Cookbooks page, are interesting and informative. She writes about so much more than cooking.
My Broccoli Casserole is a tip of the hat to my mother’s version, but the broccoli in my version doesn’t get lost. The combination of the Ritz Crackers, creamy mushroom soup, and fully cooked broccoli in my mother’s version is something else – the individual elements are unrecognizable. We used to laugh that this dish tasted like oysters! It was incredibly indulgent, so even for our family, it was reserved for special occasions.
