I need a cooking icon.
Growing up, my dad would make a casserole of hamburger, rice, and mushrooms with cream of mushroom soup. It's one of my comfort foods, and I haven't had it in years. I've been craving it lately, so I spent this evening working to recreate it. Of course, I'm using fresh mushrooms instead of canned, fresh onion instead of dehydrated minced, and actual garlic instead of powder. It's in the oven now - I couldn't remember if dad cooked it all on the stovetop or not, but everything I found online said to bake it in the oven. We'll see.
First attempt:
Hamburger-Mushroom-Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced (I really like garlic)
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 lb hamburger (approx - my package had 1.2 lb)
4 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup rice (approx - I used what I had left, a bit more than a cup)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a 5 qt (or larger) saucier over medium-low heat, sweat onions with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add garlic, stir, then add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown. Add hamburger, stirring until it's browned. Grind on some black pepper and add thyme. Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer. Stir in mushroom soup, return to a simmer. Stir in rice.
Pour the whole mixture into a greased 13x9" Pyrex baking dish. Cover with foil and put in oven. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; drop heat to 300 and bake for another 30 minutes (I did this because it was bubbling briskly when I checked on it, and I was afraid it would boil over).
Removed foil, and as a further experiment, I sprinkled grated parmesan over 1/3 of the dish. Put back in the oven uncovered. After 30 minutes, it looks golden brown and delicious. Another sign I've been watching too much Good Eats? I used my probe thermomenter to check the internal temperature (177 degrees). Now it must rest for half an hour.
...to be continued. (DUN!)
And... Diagnosis: Delicious!
I don't remember any crispyness, so if my dad put it in the oven, he kept the lid on the entire time. The part without cheese was a bit bland (what, I grew up in the Midwest!), so I might add some garlic powder next time to amp up the flavor. The side with the cheese was great - that will be a permanent addition to the recipe. Oh, and was it close enough to the comfort food I remember? Absolutely.
Verdict: Win!
First attempt:
Hamburger-Mushroom-Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced (I really like garlic)
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 lb hamburger (approx - my package had 1.2 lb)
4 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup rice (approx - I used what I had left, a bit more than a cup)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a 5 qt (or larger) saucier over medium-low heat, sweat onions with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add garlic, stir, then add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown. Add hamburger, stirring until it's browned. Grind on some black pepper and add thyme. Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer. Stir in mushroom soup, return to a simmer. Stir in rice.
Pour the whole mixture into a greased 13x9" Pyrex baking dish. Cover with foil and put in oven. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; drop heat to 300 and bake for another 30 minutes (I did this because it was bubbling briskly when I checked on it, and I was afraid it would boil over).
Removed foil, and as a further experiment, I sprinkled grated parmesan over 1/3 of the dish. Put back in the oven uncovered. After 30 minutes, it looks golden brown and delicious. Another sign I've been watching too much Good Eats? I used my probe thermomenter to check the internal temperature (177 degrees). Now it must rest for half an hour.
...to be continued. (DUN!)
And... Diagnosis: Delicious!
I don't remember any crispyness, so if my dad put it in the oven, he kept the lid on the entire time. The part without cheese was a bit bland (what, I grew up in the Midwest!), so I might add some garlic powder next time to amp up the flavor. The side with the cheese was great - that will be a permanent addition to the recipe. Oh, and was it close enough to the comfort food I remember? Absolutely.
Verdict: Win!