As I was nursing my youngest to sleep tonight, my mind started wandering (as it often does) to the blog entry I was writing last night. In one of the paragraphs, I wrote about the typical American meal being at odds with some other cuisines that I find more easily incorporates more ingredients in one bite, thus making it a heck of a lot easier to introduce lots of good veggies, meats, grains, etc. to ourselves and our little ones. And then it struck me. This is actually a VERY American idea. How could I have forgotten the casserole (or as my Midwestern relatives like to call it, the "hotdish")? After all, I practically grew up on them (okay, so maybe it has its origins in British and French cooking, but still). The casserole became popular in American cooking in the 50s when new forms of metal and glass cookware came onto the scene. By the 70s, housewives and working mothers everywhere were making casseroles as an easy "one-pot" meal that they could fit into their increasingly busy lives as they juggled new roles as mothers, wives, and double-income earners. Of course, this also coincided with the ever-popular processed foods that were entering the market: condensed soups, those over-salted and over-cooked-until-unrecognizable canned vegetables, ground meat that was becoming more and more industrialized. Needless to say, this American comfort food was becoming something rather inedible and quite unsophisticated, even with its popularity as an easy dinnertime option.
Today, magazines such as Saveur, have amazing modern-day recipes for casseroles, using fresh ingredients and organic meats from the farmers markets. I even came across an annual casserole party in Brooklyn now in its sixth year, started by a Missouri native like myself named Emily Farris who is "crazy about casseroles" and is dedicated to creating and finding original casserole recipes. She has even written a book on the subject. How cool is that. And it doesn't stop there, I also discovered another blog called Not Eating Out in New York, written by Cathy Erway, also in Brooklyn, who also wrote a book about her experience not eating out at all in New York for two years and cooking at home. She has wonderful casserole recipes, as well as many other delicious and original dishes, on her site.
So, I take it back. Perhaps we don't always need to look to the outside to gain a new perspective. Perhaps there is something wonderful in embracing one's past and making it your own. Seeing the beauty in the origin of a thing and creating something even better. That is what we all seek to do every day as individuals, partners, parents, and friends. And if you have a great idea for an original casserole, please pass it along!