Christmas Casserole and Muffins

It is always a good idea to have a casserole ready to pop in the oven on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve can be a late affair and it is best to be prepared. I found a new casserole dish for Christmas morning and a muffin recipe (not a sweet one but savory) which I think are very delicious. Who can resist pimento cheese muffins? We liked these muffins a lot. The casserole has lots of cheese, mushrooms, and ham. Now what is not to like about that?

So have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

 

 Taken from the December 2014 issue of ‘Food and Wine’ magazine.

Christmas Morning Casserole

Serves 8

Butter, for greasing

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oi1

½ cup finely diced pepperoni (2oz.)

½ lb. shitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps cut into ¾-inch pieces

1 medium onion, minced

1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

8 large eggs

3 cups whole milk

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

½ tsp. pepper

¾ lb. day-old challah, sliced 1 inch thick and cut into 1-inch dice (10 cups) (Challah is a Jewish egg bread that you can find in groceries.)

6 oz. Black Forest ham, thinly diced (1 ¼ cups)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1/4 lb.)

1 cup shredded aged white cheddar cheese (1/4 lb.)

½ cup finely chopped scallions, plus thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Hot sauce, for serving

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the pepperoni and cook over moderate heat until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the shitake and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and browned, about 7 minutes; let cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, mustard, soy sauce, pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the cooled vegetable mixture, challah, ham, both cheeses and the chopped scallions and mix well. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 50 minutes, until it’s just set and the top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes, then top with thinly sliced scallions and serve with hot sauce.

 

These muffins look like Christmas with their red, green, and yellow ingredients.

Pimento Cheese Muffins

Makes 12

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

½ Tbsp. jarred harissa paste (I found this hot chili pepper paste at Whole Foods.)

¼ cup finely chopped chives

½ small yellow onion, minced

3 Tbsp. sliced scallions

3 Tbsp. minced parsley

1 ½ Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

5 oz. shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

3 oz. drained jarred pimientos, chopped (1/2 cup)

Pimento cheese, for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the paprika, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pepper. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the eggs, butter, harissa, chives, onion, scallions, parsley and Worcestershire until smooth. Whisk into the dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in the cheese and chopped pimentos.

Using a 1/3 cup measure, scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake for about 18 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cook for 5 minutes, then unmold and serve with pimento cheese.