How To Cook In A Casserole
from Italian Traditional Food

Advice on how to cook in a casserole

Here is some useful advice on how to cook in a casserole. Casserole cooking is allied to pot roasting. The difference is that the ingredients are cooked in a liquid or sauce, and the meat or poultry is cut up or jointed before the final cooking - not left whole as in pot roasting. Other additions, such as mushrooms and tomatoes, are cooked with the main ingredients.

Types of casserole dishes

A casserole is cooked in the dish in which it is served, and as this was usually made of earthenware suited only to cooking in the oven, the food used not to be browned first.

Today, there are many types of flameproof casserole on the market so that meat or poultry can conveniently be browned on top of the stove before cooking. The great advantage of casserole cooking is that once in the oven, very little or no last-minute attention to the dish is necessary.

Here is a recipe for Rabbit and Bacon Casserole.

1 rabbit
dash of vinegar
2 tablespoons dripping
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon flour
1 pint stock
bouquet garni
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1 clove garlic (chopped)
salt and pepper
4 oz streaky bacon
12 shallots

1. Joint rabbit, trim and soak overnight in salted water with a dash of vinegar. Drain and dry well.

2. Brown joints slowly in hot dripping in a thick casserole.

3. Add chopped onion, sprinkle in flour. Turn joints over to coat them in mixture and fry for 1 minute.

4. Then draw aside, add enough stock barely to cover, add bouquet garni, puree and garlic.

5. Season lightly, cover pan tightly and cook for 30 minutes in oven at 350F (175C) or Gas Mark 4.

6. Meanwhile, cut bacon into short strips, blanch with shallots (put in cold water, bring to boil). Then drain and add to rabbit.

7. Continue to cook for 1 hour or until all is tender.

8. Remove bouquet garni, serve in casserole.

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