I think I may have been a cook in a logging camp in a former life. I make a meal, and the leftovers usually last into the next week. I only cook for 2, not a team of hungry lumberjacks. This tendency keeps me from making dishes like lasagna and breakfast casserole. By day 3 the leftovers are spongy, and by day 6 they make me cringe. I wish I could toss them. The only thing I hate more than eating day 6 leftovers is throwing them away.

My Flameware cazuela became the inspiration for reducing my portions. Besides, who decided a lasagna should be rectangular?  I also discovered that you can make the entire dish in 1 pot. I boiled my noodles, browned my meat, and built the dish, all in my cazuela. Smaller portion, easier clean up, and I think it turned out beautifully…

Think outside of the box, or rectangle in this case. What traditional pan recipes could you convert to the cazuela? Take inspiration from one of our older posts… Kathie’s Sin in a Cazuela. 

This recipe is from Paula Wolfert’s Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking book- It has layers of flavor, subtle texture, and the smell makes my stomach growl!!! This was my first attempt at one of her recipes, and I think it turned out great! She makes recipes easy to follow. (I shortened the explanations below) (Contributed by Valerie Spicer)

Ingredients:
3 baby artichokes
2 oz. fresh wild mushrooms, preferably trumpet
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 T finely chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves mashed
2 oz. flavorful cooked ham, cut into 1/2″ dice
3/4 c heavy cream
3/4 milk
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 c plus 2 T freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4oz dried egg noodles… 1/2 spinach 1/ plain

I used my Clay Coyote Cazuela for this recipe.
I preheated the oven to 400 degrees first.

1. Wash artichokes, trim stems, remove tough outer leaves. Boil in salted water until tender (10 minutes) Immediately drain, cool, and press out excess moisture. Wrap in paper towels and set aside.

2. Coat the bottom of your cazuela with 1 Tbsp  Olive Oil and set it over low heat. When oil is warm, add the mushrooms. Cover and let steam 3-4 minutes. Uncover, raise to med. heat and saute until they have expressed all their moisture and begin to caramelize. Transfer them to a side dish, and set cazuela aside.

3. Slice artichokes lengthwise and lightly salt and pepper

4. Add last Tbsp Olive Oil to cazuela and set over med. heat. Add onion and cook until caramelized (10 min.) Add garlic, ham, artichokes, and mushrooms. Cook 3-5 more minutes or until garlic is toasted.

5. In small saucepan, heat the cream and milk until hot. Season with nutmeg salt and pepper. Pour the seasoned milk and cream into the cazuela and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in 1/3 c cheese, let stand.

6. Cook pasta until tender in a large pot with salted water. Use one of Clay Coyote’s colanders to drain the pasta. Next add noodles to the cazeula, stir to coat noodles with sauce. Scatter the rest of the cheese on top.

7. Bake on top third of the oven 15-20 min. or until cheese is golden brown.

Betsy generally sautes about 1/2 lb of andouille or spicy italian sausage first to add some meat.

This time  Betsy did the stovetop work in 2 flameware Tagine pots, and finished with a short oven baking in a cazuela.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. dried red chile flakes
1/3 cup homemade or low-salt canned chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream
8 oz. dried penne, cooked and drained
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

In a large heavy-based sauté pan, (ceramic flameware works great) heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. (Saute meat if using-set aside).  Add more oil, then the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, oregano and chile flakes.

Add the broth and vodka to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Lower the heat slightly, add the cream and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cooked penne to the pan, and toss to coat. Add the Parmigiano and toss over low heat just until the flavors meld and the pasta is heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped parsely, if using, and serve immediately.  Can bake or broil to brown the top.

From Fine Cooking Magazine
by Mark Scarbrough, Bruce Weinstein