Some old-fashioned recipes just stick with you don’t they? So go ahead, call me old-fashioned. I’m ok with that.
I am a big broccoli fan. I sauté it into my omelets in the morning and I adore it smothered in Hollandaise. All of those canned soup-based casseroles aside, what stands out in my mind, was a cheesy casserole I had when I was worked in the Corporate world (in the stone age as Ryan would say) at a luncheon on our floor. While the health benefits of the broccoli were all but cancelled out by the cheese “factor”, I do have to say it was delish – it was warming and satisfying. That casserole was had more than 30 years ago, but I never forgot it.
Tonight I decided to try to recreate a Broccoli casserole that is rich and satisfying but a little more sophisticated than the one I had that was laden with cheddar cheese. Here’s my version:
BROCCOLI CASSEROLE WITH THREE CHEESES
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
1 10 oz pkg of white mushrooms, sliced (or mushrooms of your choice)
3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tblsp butter
1 lb broccoli florets, trimmed and washed
3/4 cup heavy cream to which you have added 1 tblsp dry sherry
1/2 cup grated Comté cheese
1 cup grated Jarlsberg cheese,
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Sauté onion in olive oil on low until cooked down, translucent and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. In another pan, sauté mushrooms in butter until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside. Butter a large oven proof casserole. Place the browned onions in the bottom of the casserole. Top with the mushrooms. Top with the broccoli florets. Sprinkle the jarlsberg cheese over, followed by the Comté, followed by 1/2 of the parmesan. Pour heavy cream/sherry over all. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and grate the nutmeg over. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over top and bake at 400F for 45 minutes until browned and bubbly. Remove from oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
This is perfect for a cool Autumn evening. Tonight we are having it with grilled sirloin steak and roasted asparagus.
George inhaled this. I think it reminded him of something………