Ingredient: pinch of ground ginger

That expression, ‘what’s old is new again’, definitely can be applied to so many things in today’s world. Very often, when you think you have come up with a new idea its really just a modernized version of an old one.

As I’ve probably mentioned before, Brion & I really enjoy casseroles. I happened to recall a casserole that was published in Good Housekeeping in 1958. My mother made a version of it at that time. Being mostly vegetables, it had such a nice flavor. It was called Seven Layer Casserole consisting of vegetables, rice, tomato soup and sausage or ground meat.

With that ‘taste of a memory’ in mind, my recipe development turned into a savory layered casserole. I used vegetables, rice, cheese and ground pork with a layer of puff pastry. When you prepare it, the sheet of puff pastry is on top so it gets crispy, but when it is baked, you flip it over and it becomes a bottom crust.

Of course, we are talking about frozen puff pastry here. It seems it has become a supermarket staple, delivering all the glories of puff pastry without all the hard hours of work. This is a convenience food that’s perfectly useful for cooks of all skill and commitment levels.

All this talk of frozen puff pastry probably seems odd coming from someone who has made a living in the food industry. But lets face, to make it from scratch is either a labor of love or a sign of madness depending on who you are. So here’s my remake of that vintage 7-layer casserole.

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Savory Layered Puff Pie

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Rating: 5
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Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American, European

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 454 gm ground pork
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
• pinch of ground ginger
• 284 ml mushrooms, sliced, drained
• 300 gm cheese, shredded ( I used a combo of mozzarella, Parmesan & cheddar)
• 100 gm young green beans, frozen
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg plus 1 Tbsp water, beaten for egg wash

Course Main Dish Cuisine American, European Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 cup cooked rice 2 Tbsp butter, divided 1 medium onion, diced small 454 gm ground pork 2 Tbsp water 1 tsp salt 1 tsp rubbed sage 1/2 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed pinch of ground ginger 284 ml mushrooms, sliced, drained 300 gm cheese, shredded ( I used a combo of mozzarella, Parmesan & cheddar) 100 gm young green beans, frozen 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg plus 1 Tbsp water, beaten for egg wash

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Cook rice. In a skillet, saute onion in 1 Tbsp butter for a few minutes. Add ground pork, water & seasonings; scramble-fry until cooked. Drain well & remove from skillet. Add another Tbsp of butter to skillet & saute drained mushrooms then blot on paper towel.
2. Grate cheese combo of choice. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line casserole baking dish with foil & butter.
3. Start layering with mushrooms, cheeses, rice, meat/onion combo & frozen green beans. Top with puff pastry. Cut a few slits in the pastry for vents. Brush with egg wash.
4. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until pastry is golden. Remove from oven & allow to stand for about 15-20 minutes then invert on a serving plate. Remove foil paper & cut into serving pieces. If you wish, serve the casserole with a brown gravy.

   
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