Reuben Mina and a Cute Story

Jeremy loves Passover, but not for any spiritual reasons.

First of all, there are sodas made with pure sugar, since corn - and thus corn syrup - is forbidden during the holiday.  (I almost never buy soda, but it's an annual holiday tradition.)  Secondly, my friend Michele makes the most amazing coconut chocolate chip macaroons; she generously gives me a supply each year.

And Passover is also when I serve my Reuben Mina [MEE-nuh], a lasagna-ish dish made with matzah instead of noodles.  This isn't kosher, since it mixes meat and dairy products, but it's incredibly good!  Let me tell you a little story to show just how good.

As faithful readers know, Jeremy is a connoisseur of Reubens.  He will order one if he sees it on a menu, and can rate and rank every one he's eaten in terms of flavor, portion size, tenderness of meat, generosity of ingredients, etc.  Just ask, and he'll tell you which ones are his favorites; he'll also tell you which one was the very worst ever (which would surprise many people, but he could rant for days about how it was overpriced and overrated, virtually inedible).

So one day, years ago, when I found rye matzah sitting among the Passover groceries at the store, I bought a box.  I had instinctively thought of a Reuben casserole.

I layered the matzah, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese and corned beef; I poured egg over it all to bind it together.  I baked it until it was golden, melted, and luscious.  I served it to Jeremy and to his friend Doug.  They loved it.

Then I told them there was some more left in the kitchen, and that they could help themselves to seconds.

Jeremy and Doug looked at me and then looked at each other.  The leapt up, they ran to the kitchen.  They managed to get stuck in the narrow space between one kitchen wall and the extended countertop.  They pushed.  They shoved.  They were laughing, but they still fought to see who would get to the casserole dish first.

Like something out of a cartoon, they went "pop" past the blockade and ricocheted to the stove.  They split the generous quantity of leftovers which would, frankly, have likely offered third helpings.  They were happy.

And so, although I couldn't find the rye flavor this year, I had to make a Reuben Mina while using up the leftover matzah now that Passover has ended.  How could I not?  I approximated the rye flavor with a sprinkling of caraway seeds; it's the caraway  flavor that people seem to associate with rye, anyway.  And this can be made year-round with plain or egg matzah, which is available at any time.

This dish is easy to make, rich, and satisfying.  Trust me - my son is a Reuben expert, and he says "This is (friggin') delicious!"

Reuben Mina

1 cup Egg Beaters
4 plain or egg matzot (plural of matzah)
1-1/2 pounds sauerkraut, drained
8 ounces Thousand Island dressing
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
4 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese, divided
1/4 pound thinly sliced deli corned beef, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease an 8"x8" baking dish.

Pour 1/4 cup Egg Beaters into the prepared baking dish.  Place 1 matzah plus 1/3 of another matzah into the bottom of the dish.

Combine the sauerkraut, dressing and caraway seeds; place 1/3 of the mixture onto the matzah and spread it out.

Reserve half of the Swiss cheese for later.  Chop the remaining cheese and combine it with the corned beef. Distribute 1/3 of this mixture over the sauerkraut.

Pour another 1/4 cup Egg Beaters over the corned beef.  Place 1 matzah plus 1/3 of another matzah on top.

Place half of the remaining sauerkraut over the matzah and spread it to the edges.  Distribute half of the remaining corned beef mixture over the sauerkraut.

Pour 1/4 cup Egg Beaters over the corned beef.  Place the last matzah and 1/3 portion of matzah on top.  Spread the last of the sauerkraut over the matzah, and top with the last of the corned beef mixture.

Pour the last 1/4 cup Egg Beaters over the casserole, and top with the reserved Swiss cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden and casserole is set.  Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into 4-6 portions.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Hot Dog Hotdish for the Minnesota Game

Minnesota is noted for its cold weather and for hardy residents who speak with cute accents. The severe winters don't keep people huddled indoors, though; folks continue to go ice fishing, skating, and socializing.

But after venturing out into the frigidness, a warm meal is warranted. And Minnesotans are famous not just for casseroles, but specifically for what they call "hotdish."

According to Wikipedia:

"Hotdish is a variety of baked casserole that typically contains a starch, a meat or other protein, and a canned and/or frozen vegetable, mixed together with canned soup."

In honor of Saturday's game - Minnesota vs. Michigan - I thought I would pay tribute to this culinary tradition. But I was not going to resort to using the infamous condensed soups.

That is, until I read the following:

"Cream of mushroom soup is so ubiquitous in hotdish that it is often referred to in such recipes as 'Lutheran Binder,' referring to hotdish’s position as a staple of Lutheran church cookbooks. The soup is considered a defining ingredient by some commentators."

And so, I realized that I would be dishonoring the very essence of the hotdish if I tried to make it more sophisticated. It is consummate comfort food, and part of its charm is its hominess and ease of preparation.

So I took as my basis the famous green bean casserole, and added a few tweaks to make it an entree rather than a side dish. It's perfect food for a football game, as it's hearty and substantial and ideal for fall.

Hotdish is so integral to Minnesota culture that Sen. Al Franken even welcomed the state's Congressional delegation to participate in a hotdish competition this past January. The winner did not feature another Minnesota product, the lovely wild rice. It didn't feature venison bratwurst, or any other enobling ingredients. Nope - the winner was Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whose Taconite Tater Tot Hot Dish was a combination of ground beef, creamed soups (mushroom and chicken), tater tots, and Pepper Jack cheese.

Hotdish may be lowly, but you know what? Even with its simple ingredients and lack of elegance, it's really, really good! My Hot Dog Hotdish was devoured when I served it, and will be a hit if you serve it for Saturday's game. Jeremy loathes green bean casserole, but he loved this so much that he actually ate more helpings than anyone else!

University of Minnesota at University of Michigan
Saturday, October 1 at 12 p.m. EDT
GO BLUE!!!

I was THRILLED to see that this post was found and discussed thoroughly on Serious Eats the other day: "Hotdish Casserole"!!! And I was equally happy to find that everyone had lovely things to say about, and memories of, hotdish ... regardless of whether it's called a casserole or a covered dish or whatever around the country ... :)

Note: Today is the first full day of Rosh Hashanah. My friend Debbie Vanni at The Culinary Cellar very graciously invited me to write a guest post for the holiday. Thank you, Debbie, for the fabulous honor!

So go visit her fabulous site devoted to recipes and cookbooks, and you'll find us celebrating the new year and reviewing the past one while sharing a sweet treat: Apple Almond Kugel. 'Cause it's not a Jewish party without kugel, after all - a traditional creamy noodle pudding with a crunchy, cinnamony topping.

I've baked a lot of kugels over the years, but Jeremy told me that this is "the best one you've ever made!" Pretty high praise ... :)

Shana Tovah!!! [shah-NAH toh-VAH]

May you have a sweet new year!


Hot Dog Hotdish

4 wieners, cut into 1/2" slices
1 10-3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
half of a 10-3/4 ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup milk
several splashes cayenne pepper sauce
1 pound frozen green beans, defrosted
1 cup fried onions
45 tater tots
4 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8"x8" baking dish.

Heat the wieners over medium heat in a medium skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine soups, mustard, salt, milk and pepper sauce. Stir in wieners, green beans and fried onions; pour into the prepared baking dish.

Place the tater tots in rows over the green bean mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

Place the cheese over the tater tots, and bake for another 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Serves 8.

The Glory of Green Bean Casserole

Yeah, I know everyone is thinking "I already know how to make this!" and "Didn't we already eat Green Bean Casserole over the holidays? She's kinda late on this post, isn't she???" But one of my favorite foods ever is Green Bean Casserole, and I ate it for dinner -- not with dinner, but for dinner -- recently. And so, I had to honor the lowly dish because we all know we adore it!

My mother never made it, so I'm a latecomer to its charms. But I have actually been known to make a batch of it all for myself, since Jeremy has never liked it (gasp!), just so I could have portions of it to take to work each day to treat myself for lunch.

I consider this to be one of the glories of the White Trash culinary world, like fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches. There is nothing glamorous or nutritious about it, and it has no sophistication whatsoever. And yet, it is a thing of true beauty.

Now, I have to clarify that I say "White Trash" with great affection here -- I am not willfully insulting any group of people; in fact, I'm heralding the cuisine! I've tried to improve the health quotient of Green Bean Casserole by using fresh green beans and even soy-based mushroom soup. And I am here to attest that these are not acceptable substitutions! You lose the creaminess, the saltiness, the "je ne sais quoi" that is inherent to Green Bean Casserole if you tinker with it. Do the "dump 'n' stir"! Watch that soup come out of the can in a gigantic glop! Feel the grease of those canned onions! And wallow in comfort food extraordinaire!!!

The history of Green Bean Casserole is very simple: it was created in the Home Ec division of the Campbell's Soup Company. And we all know it sells lots of green beans, condensed soup and fried onions at the holidays! But it's also a perfect meal for a cold Winter evening, served as the main attraction with simple cornbread muffins on the side.

I don't think a recipe is required for this -- God knows it's easy enough to find 1000 posts about it in any search engine. But I add a generous splash of Worcestshire sauce to the mushroom soup, and I use the entire large can of fried onions -- mix some in with the green beans, then use the rest to cover the top of the dish. If you're going to go slumming, go for the gusto!!!