M-J’s Elegant Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

Assembling an Elegant Spinach and Artichoke Casserole: Line Bottom of Baking Pan with Butter. Spread with Artichoke Pieces and Fresh Spinach

Spinach and Artichoke Casserole is Topped with Cream Cheese and Mayonnaise Mixture, then Sprinkled with Grated Parmesan before Baking

LIST OF INGREDIENTS:

One tablespoon of butter, your preference

A 14-ounce can or two small jars of artichoke hearts such as Cara Mia brand (the jarred, pickled artichoke hearts are as appropriate for this recipe as the lightly-brined ones found in cans)–you will distribute half of these, broken into in pieces, at the bottom of an elegant baking dish, which has been spread with the tablespoon of butter. The other half will be used to dot the spinach leaves when they have been added to the baking dish.

A large bag, approximating half-a-pound, of raw, organic baby spinach (it can be found at Sam’s Club in a one-pound plastic tub from Taylor Organic of Salinas, California–I use half a Taylor tub for this recipe.) This baby spinach is almost always washed three times and ready-to-use, therefore I do not wash it a fourth time, as the spinach should be dry in the baking-dish to avoid being soggy. But, follow the directions on your bag of baby spinach to determine whether or not you need to wash and dry it. Arrange this baby spinach on top of the artichoke heart pieces. Evenly distribute the remaining artichoke pieces on top of the spinach-leaves.

Mix the following ingredients together and beat until smooth enough to pour over assembled artichokes and spinach, which have been arranged in a large baking dish:

One half-cup of mayonnaise, your choice of brand and style

Eight or more ounces of cream cheese, brought to room-temperature

One egg

One half-cup of buttermilk or regular milk

About one ounce, more or less according to your taste, of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

White or Green Pepper, fine-ground

Ladle this creamy mixture over the spinach-artichoke assemblage. Top it with a bit of additional Parmesan cheese if desired, and bake for thirty minutes at 350F or a moderately hot oven. ©M-J de Mesterton

M-J's Elegant Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

>The Beautiful Radish

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A most health-promoting vegetable, the refreshing, piquant radish is eaten in France (often at breakfast) with soft butter as a dip. The nutritious radish is a well-known liver-tonic.
©M-J de Mesterton

>M-J’s Elegant Autumn Potato Salad

>

M-J’s Elegant Autumn Potato Salad

Like the potato salad that my Swedish grandmother used to make for me, this dish relies upon some bacon, vinegar, and an onion.

Peel, quarter and boil eight medium sized potatoes, or ten small ones. Salt the boiling water. Alternatively, add some Maggi or Knorr chicken bouillon powder.
Boil the potato chunks for fifteen minutes. Drain but do not rinse them. In your cooking pot, sauté eight strips of bacon, finely chopped. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon. and reserve in a small bowl or cup. Empty out  half of the bacon fat. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use peanut oil) and two tablespoons of vinegar (I use malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar). If you have it, a tablespoon of concentrated apple juice can be added to this dressing mixture. You will adjust the vinegar and oil to your taste after the initial mixing of all ingredients. Add the potatoes, one finely diced small onion (red, white or yellow), and one diced, unpeeled apple. Grind some pepper into the mixture for taste, and check for salt. Mix gently. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature for  best flavor.

~~Recipe and Photo of Autumn Potato Salad Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008 

Cruciferous Vegetables for Good Health

Article about Cruciferous Vegetables in 
The World’s Healthiest Foods

The elegant radish can be eaten spread with a little butter, French style, usually as a breakfast component; as a fresh snack with a little salt and pepper, or sliced thinly in a tea-sandwich.
 Radishes are an effective liver-tonic the morning after a dinner party.

Red or purple cabbage is a health-promoting, cancer-inhibiting, cruciferous vegetable.

Green cabbage can be marinated in a salad European-style, stuffed as choux farcí, or stir-fried with other vegetables the Chinese way.

Cauliflower can be sautéed, steamed or baked. Popular methods of preparation include as a component of  casseroles, blanched on vegetable platters with dips,  and served in chunks with tahini sauce.

©M-J de Mesterton 2010

>Cruciferous Vegetables for Good Health

>

Article about Cruciferous Vegetables in 
The World’s Healthiest Foods

The elegant radish can be eaten spread with a little butter, French style, usually as a breakfast component; as a fresh snack with a little salt and pepper, or sliced thinly in a tea-sandwich.
 Radishes are an effective liver-tonic the morning after a dinner party.

Red or purple cabbage is a health-promoting, cancer-inhibiting, cruciferous vegetable.

Green cabbage can be marinated in a salad European-style, stuffed as choux farcí, or stir-fried with other vegetables the Chinese way.

Cauliflower can be sautéed, steamed or baked. Popular methods of preparation include as a component of  casseroles, blanched on vegetable platters with dips,  and served in chunks with tahini sauce.

©M-J de Mesterton 2010