Not sure what a pitchin is. Since you mentioned work I initially though it a coy way of saying "bitch in" so 'casserole' threw me completely.
Come to that do we mean the same thing by 'casserole'? The other commenters reference to mac and cheese made me go @_@.
Here's what I mean by casserole: Turn the oven on to about 100 degrees C then take a deep sided heavy bottomed cast iron pan with a lid, add a splash of olive oil and two smashed garlic cloves, heat the oil. Add 4 chicken thighs, skin on, and let them brown wihile you chop onions/shallots, carrots, peppers, courgettes/zucchini, and mushrooms. Add those to the pan and turn every thing over to let it begin to brown a bit. Add a pinch of dried mixed herbs or, if you have fresh, a sprig of thyme and 2 bay leaves. Put a spoonful of cornflour in a cup and add a little water. Mix thoroughly til it's smooth. Into the casserole pan pour about half a pint of red wine[ it needs to come well up the sides of the pan to almost cover the contents]. Add the flour mixture and give it a bit of a stir then clap on the lid and put the pan in the oven for about an hour. Check every 20 minutes or so to make sure it's not getting too dry. If it does, add a bit more wine or water, if you'd sooner drink it. After the hour put some rice on too cook and by the time that is done the casserole will be as well. Serves 2 well, 4 if you add extra veggies.
Variations: If you believe that wine is for drinking not cooking you can use water instead but add a stock cube. You can use pork/cider or beef/guinness but roll the bits of meat in flour before you brown them and miss out the step with the flour in a cup. You can brown everything in a frying pan and transfer it to a ceramic casserole dish. You can not bother to brown the food first [though I think it tastes better if you do]. You can not use meat at all but add a can of beans for a bit of ballast. You can serve with couscous or potatoes or just a lump of bread and butter. 'Bits' of meat are better than joints of meat if you have the kind of household where people are likely to drop by at meal times - thin the sauce a bit and add a can of sweetcorn and you can stretch it to fill another plate.
LOL Well, for this particular workplace especially, "bitch-in" would be an appropriate term! But a pitch-in or carry-in or potluck is where everyone brings a different dish and there's a community meal. It happens a lot at Protestant Christian churches here Middle America, anyway. :D
The sort of thing you're calling a casserole isn't too related to what I mean, if I'm reading this recipe right. What I'm referring to usually involves eggs and/or cream of mushroom soup and is a muddle of ingredients shoved together and baked in a common dish.
You can make a casserole out of almost anything but the base is some kind of meat, a variety of vegetables all on one pan with enough liquor or whatever type to make a sauce, cooked fairly slowly in an oven.
I've used soup, not just mushroom but minestrone and chicken as well, but I've never put eggs in a casserole.
This is the sort of thing one needs a Brit/US picker for.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-07-31 09:06 am (UTC)Come to that do we mean the same thing by 'casserole'? The other commenters reference to mac and cheese made me go @_@.
Here's what I mean by casserole: Turn the oven on to about 100 degrees C then take a deep sided heavy bottomed cast iron pan with a lid, add a splash of olive oil and two smashed garlic cloves, heat the oil. Add 4 chicken thighs, skin on, and let them brown wihile you chop onions/shallots, carrots, peppers, courgettes/zucchini, and mushrooms. Add those to the pan and turn every thing over to let it begin to brown a bit. Add a pinch of dried mixed herbs or, if you have fresh, a sprig of thyme and 2 bay leaves. Put a spoonful of cornflour in a cup and add a little water. Mix thoroughly til it's smooth. Into the casserole pan pour about half a pint of red wine[ it needs to come well up the sides of the pan to almost cover the contents]. Add the flour mixture and give it a bit of a stir then clap on the lid and put the pan in the oven for about an hour. Check every 20 minutes or so to make sure it's not getting too dry. If it does, add a bit more wine or water, if you'd sooner drink it. After the hour put some rice on too cook and by the time that is done the casserole will be as well. Serves 2 well, 4 if you add extra veggies.
Variations: If you believe that wine is for drinking not cooking you can use water instead but add a stock cube. You can use pork/cider or beef/guinness but roll the bits of meat in flour before you brown them and miss out the step with the flour in a cup. You can brown everything in a frying pan and transfer it to a ceramic casserole dish. You can not bother to brown the food first [though I think it tastes better if you do]. You can not use meat at all but add a can of beans for a bit of ballast. You can serve with couscous or potatoes or just a lump of bread and butter. 'Bits' of meat are better than joints of meat if you have the kind of household where people are likely to drop by at meal times - thin the sauce a bit and add a can of sweetcorn and you can stretch it to fill another plate.
I really <3 casseroles!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-31 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-06 12:29 am (UTC)The sort of thing you're calling a casserole isn't too related to what I mean, if I'm reading this recipe right. What I'm referring to usually involves eggs and/or cream of mushroom soup and is a muddle of ingredients shoved together and baked in a common dish.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-06 07:04 am (UTC)You can make a casserole out of almost anything but the base is some kind of meat, a variety of vegetables all on one pan with enough liquor or whatever type to make a sauce, cooked fairly slowly in an oven.
I've used soup, not just mushroom but minestrone and chicken as well, but I've never put eggs in a casserole.
This is the sort of thing one needs a Brit/US picker for.