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Taking comfort in casseroles

When the mercury hangs out below freezing, I get the urge to turn on the oven and cook up a casserole. As the snow swirls outside, I don't mind leaving the oven on for an hour, letting it heat up the kitchen and emit the aromas of roasting onions, earthy herbs and nutty cheeses.

Even when sun melts the last of the snow in the yard despite the calendar marking the first day of February I dream of cold days and cozy casseroles.

With a couple of new cookbooks, I could bake a different casserole every day this winter, and for winters through the end of the decade for that matter. So yes, there are more varieties than tuna noodle and chicken surprise.

But first, a little background ...

At the turn of the 20th century, “casserole,” the French term referring to both the food and the dish in which it is cooked, intimidated plain-cooking American housewives, notes Meryle Evans, a culinary historian writing in one of the aforementioned books, “EatingWell One-Pot Meals” by Jessie Price (Countryman Press, 2011). But by 1914, books such as “Two Hundred Recipes for Cooking in Casseroles” were rolling off the presses.

By the 1950s and '60s, casseroles were considered as American as french fries, but they had devolved into what Evans calls “gloppy dishes hidden under crushed potato chips.”

Casseroles today are treated, at least in some circles, with horror. Nevertheless, Evans says, “The make-ahead, feed-a-crowd, one-container convenience is as relevant today as it ever has been.”

The editors at Better Homes and Gardens have put together a collection they call “The Ultimate Casseroles Book” and I can't find reason to disagree with them.

Along with more than 400 recipes (I'll get to those in a moment), the book is filled with great tips, like what casserole ingredients shouldn't be frozen (cottage cheese and potatoes) and how to safely tote a casserole to a potluck (use rubber bands to securely attach lids).

Now the recipes themselves are categorized in 15 chapters from steamy party dips and meatless meals to breakfasts and comforting desserts. The Casserole Hall of Fame chapter contains such all-time faves as Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie and Three-Bean Tamale Pie. Skimming through the Pantry Quick section reveals recipes for Layered Potato Casserole and Baked Beef Ravioli made with ingredients many families might already have on hand.

In “The Casserole Queens Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter, 2011), Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock — whose Texas-sized chicken potpie captured the attention of Food Network's “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” — remake classic casseroles for modern families.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan, Tuscan Ziti Bake and Traditional King Ranch Casserole (a celebrated dish in their hometown of Austin) and others come with a variety of hints for make-ahead prep and tips like how to turn some meaty casseroles into vegetarian-friendly fare.

With wire reports

Deep-Dish Chicken Potpie

Layered Potato Casserole

Creamy Crab and Rice Casserole

Italian White Bean and Polenta Bake

Southwestern Chile-Cheese Casserole

Tasty Turkey Tetrazzini

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