Broccoli Casserole

Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like a broccoli casserole, but I didn't want a recipe that relied on cream of mushroom soup.  I almost passed on this recipe, because I'm not a huge fan of the texture of mushrooms, then I noticed the comment that suggested blending the sauce after the mushrooms have been added ... brilliant!  I ended up using plain white mushroom because that's what they had at the Metro and I was too lazy to check elsewhere, but it was still delicious.  I reduced the cooking temperature and extended the cooking time so I could cook other dishes at the same time.  I also substituted vegetable broth for chicken stock so that the vegetarian guests weren't forced to avoid the dish!  Finally, the bag of broccoli I bought was 500 g and I ended up using most of it (about double what the recipe called for!).


Broccoli Casserole (from foodnetwork)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for casserole dish
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pound shiitake or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
400g frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey blend
3 cups cooked rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat over to 350F. Butter casserole dish.
3. In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter and flour over medium heat until golden in color to make a quick roux. The roux should resemble the color of peanut butter.
4. Add onion, garlic, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, heavy cream and chicken stock.  Stir and allow the sauce to thicken a bit.
5. Add in mushrooms.  Blend until smooth using an immersion blender.
6. Add broccoli, 1 cup of the cheese, and rice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Pour into buttered dish and top with remaining cheese.
8. Bake until cheese is melted and golden, about 40 minutes.