A Lazy Weekend and A Special Casserole

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati
A lazy or (should I say) relaxing weekend often reminds me of my weekends in Italy in the city or the mountains. Although in the city there is a quicker pace, there is still a feeling of enjoying life, the beautiful fall weather, simple pleasures of a great cup of espresso, a piece of rustic pizza, a walk admiring the ruins or invaluable pieces of art…yes all the simple pleasures.
And a lazy weekend never puts me in the mood for cooking something complicated for our evening meal, but who said delicious had to be complicated? Here is a Sformato (or casserole):
Sformato di Uova (Egg Casserole)
*4 eggs
*handful of chopped parsley leaves
*2 tblsps flour
*1 tblsp butter
*3 tblsps parmigiano-reggiano cheese grated
*pinch of nutmeg
*2 tblsps breadcrumbs
*pinch of salt
*pinch of black pepper
*4 carrots
*2 cups milk
Wash and peel carrots. Boil. When soft, drain and mash. Place in bowl, add in butter, then flour. Blend. Warm milk. Add into carrot mixture, a little at a time. Place in saucepan over low heat, add in parmigiano-reggiano cheese, parsley, black pepper, salt, nutmeg, egg yolks, stir and cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
Whip egg whites till stiff. Remove carrot mixture from heat. Gently fold in egg whites. Butter a casserole dish, sprinkle in breadcrumbs, place in mixture. Place casserole into a pan of water to make a bain-marie. Cook for 30-40 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Serve with a plain tomato sauce or a meat sauce.
Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions before the mad Holiday rush with over 140 recipes and menus to make your Holiday Special!

*October 5th-join me for a special dinner and book-signing event in Horsham, Pa at the Horsham Library at 7 PM. A sampling dinner  including risotto, and other first courses from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking.Eamil Michelle at juzz2@aol.com to register or for more info.
*November 6-7-  A Christmas in Italy weekend at the Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast, Lancaster, Pa. Join me for a weekend of cooking classes and wine pairings especially for the Holidays. Call Carl at Harvest Moon at 888-824-3763 or email:info@harvestmoonbandb.com