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Seduction by casserole

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Hailing from the Ozarks, Addie Broyles expanded her cooking (and eating) skills on the West Coast and Spain before settling in Austin, mainly for the aguas frescas at the taco stand down the street from her house where she, husband Ian, son Julian and blue heeler Shiva call home.

Relishing food is about taking time to enjoy what has become the often hurried and mundane task of nourishing our bodies. Relish Austin is Addie's search for things that make her go "mmmm." High brow, low brow. Fast food, slow food. In Central Texas. On the Web. On the streets. In your kids' lunch box. In your refrigerator and on your dinner table.

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The entry titled "Seduction by casserole."

Home > Relish Austin > Archives > 2008 > September > 15 > Entry

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By Addie Broyles | Monday, September 15, 2008, 01:13 PM

Because the cool(er) weather in Austin has everybody jumping for joy in their wool socks and trying to remember where they stashed the tea bags last February, I thought a killer casserole dish might be a good way to honor the break from the Texas heat. (I made the mistake of baking last week, forgetting that it raised the temperature of my entire house by about 10 degrees.)

This dish is from “Casserole Crazy: How stuff for your oven” by Emily Farris, a fellow Missourian — complete with a state of Missouri tattoo — who now calls Brooklyn home. Seduction is Farris’ signature casserole. “I started making casseroles for myself and I wasn’t necessarily excited about sharing them with other people,” she says. But after a Martha Stewart-released-from-jail party where her Mac and Corn dish was such a hit that people were begging her to make more, she decided to host a casserole party. One casserole party turned into another, then some media attention and a book deal, all before November’s 4th annual Casserole Party. “Casserole Crazy” comes out October 7th, and you can pre-order it on Amazon.

Seduction

1 pound cavatelli pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic (you might want to skip if you’re actually trying to seduce someone)
1 large white onion
1/2 cup milk (low fat or skim is fine, not that it really matters at this point)
1/2 pound sharp cheddar, cubed or shredded
1/2 pound white cheddar, cubed or shredded
1/2 pound Gruyere, cubed or shredded
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 bag (10 oz) Cascadian Farm frozen organic sweet corn
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parboil the pasta, drain and set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the onions begin to brown, reduce the heat to low, add the milk, and stir. Add both of the cheddars and the Gruyere while continuing to stir. When the cheeses begin to melt, add the pasta, stirring until the pasta is well coated. Add half of the Parmesan (1/4 cup) and stir. Add the corn while continuing to stir (it should go in frozen). Salt and pepper to taste. Add the mozzarella and stir.

When thoroughly mixed, transfer to a 2 3/4-quart buttered or greased casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from oven and cover with the sliced tomatoes and the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 15 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before eating.