By: centraljersey.com
Hotdish. Say it fast, because it’s just one word.
That’s Minnesota-speak for casserole. How on earth did I get interested in Minnesota food? Well, for one thing, the culinary cozies I am so fond of led me to the Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke, which is set in the fictitious town of Lake Eden, Minnesota (see www.murdershebaked.com). I loved reading "Sugar Cookie Murder" (Hannah is a baker), about criminal goings on at their annual community potluck (call it a smorgasbord), and that is where I first saw the term "hotdish."
The book has an extensive recipe section at the back, including a hotdish recipe using several kinds of meat, plus shrimp (I’ll spare you that one), and a Busy Day Pate, wherein 8 ounces of braunschweiger (liver sausage) is cubed, then briefly microwaved, then mashed up with 1/4 cup horseradish sauce. Refrigerate and serve with "fancy crackers."
I was so fascinated by the term "hotdish" that I asked my friend Betty Lies about it. A Minnesota native and accomplished poet and teacher, her second book (likely recipe-free), "The Day After I Drowned," has just been published. Betty will be giving a reading from the book Jan. 23 at the South Brunswick Library.
My inquiry led to some reminiscing about Minnesota cuisine in general, including Betty’s "vintage" Nutty Noodles Hotdish recipe, which includes hamburger, bottled olives, cream of mushroom soup, mixed salted nuts, and canned chow mein noodles. I’m sparing you that one, too.
She also warned, "Minnesota humor consists largely of making fun of ourselves," but when it comes to the current culinary scene out there, I see that they’re no slouches, if the posts at www.heavytable.com are any indication.
There is clearly a vibrant dining scene in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and beyond. Large Hmong and Southeast Asian populations have made it a hot bed (ouch) of exotic cuisine, and led to delights such as a Chef Shack truck that serves up cardamom-scented Indian mini-donuts. (How about trying this uptown here for the late night student crowd?) There is even a newish restaurant cleverly named "HauteDish," getting play on the website, whose owner aims to "deconstruct the homey food of his childhood."
Of course, many food traditions in Minnesota come from the state’s Scandinavian and German roots, and during holidays Betty baked "a zillion butter-based individually formed" treats like krollettes, krumkake, and sandbakkels. She also experimented with Danish aebleskiver, small puffed pancakes which are – wonder of wonders – now available frozen at Trader Joe’s.
But once past holidays, Minnesota food seems to revolve around hotdish, Jell-O molds, and dessert bars with names like Hello Dolly and Hip Padder Bars. Layers, Betty advises, play an important role in many of these dishes, a fast way to put a dish together that feeds a crowd.
Oddly, I did not find a predominance of recipes using wild rice, perhaps the best known product of the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In "Sugar Cookie Murder," only the Holiday Rice recipe involved wild rice, so I have included that below, along with a somewhat "high-concept" hotdish recipe from an online source, and Betty’s own Hello Dolly Bars.
TATER TOT HOTDISH adapted from http:// kitchen bitzch.wordpress.com Serves 10.
Note: With its au courant root vegetables napped in cheesy Mornay sauce and topped off by a bag of frozen Tater Tots, this dish is a hoot! Note there is a bit of colorful language on the website. F.B.
1 bag of frozen Tater Tots
1 to 3 pounds of diced assorted root vegetables (i.e. parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions …)
2-4 tablespoons oil or butter for frying vegetables
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
Random herbs (thyme works great, as well as marjoram and rosemary)
2 tablespoons duck fat or butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 pint of cream/milk/half and half
Grated cheese of some kind
Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
Brown the root vegetables in a heavy-bottomed pan or pot. Once they’re toasty, add the mushrooms and herbs. Put aside.
Make a Mornay sauce by starting a roux with the fat and flour. Scald the dairy in another pan. Once the roux stops tasting like raw flour, stir in the hot cream or milk and cook until thickened. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and cheese to taste.
Spread the cooked vegetables onto a baking dish and pour the sauce over them. Then layer the Tater Tots on top and throw it all into a 375-degree oven. Once the Tots crisp up, you’re done! Easy peasy.
HOLIDAY RICE From "Sugar Cookie Murder," Joanne Fluke, Kensington Books, 2004
Note: The recipe suggests using a 1-pound package of Trader Joe’s California Rice Trilogy for this, but if you can’t find it (they regularly discontinue items), use 1 cup long-grain brown rice, 1 cup wild rice, and 2/3 cup brown Basmati rice. F.B.
1 pound (approximately 2-1/2 cups) uncooked mixed rice
3-1/2 cups boiling chicken or beef stock
1 envelope dry onion soup mix (1 ounce)
1 pound package frozen tri-color bell peppers, or frozen corn and peppers, or one cup fresh chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse rice in strainer and pat dry. Mix rice and all other ingredients except butter together in a large bowl. Transfer mixture to a greased casserole dish. Cut butter into 8 pieces and put it on top of the casserole. Cover dish (use heavy-duty foil if necessary) and bake for 2 hours. Take off foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes.
HELLO DOLLY BARS From Betty Lies
Melt 1 stick butter in 9 x 13 pan. Spread 1 cup graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs on butter. Over crumbs, layer 1 cup chocolate chips, then 1 cup flaked coconut, then 1 cup cut-up pecans or other nuts. Pour over all one 15-ounce can sweetened condensed milk. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool, then cut into bars.
Read Faith Bahadurian’s blog at www.packetinsider.com/blog/njspice (also www.twitter.com/njspice).

