Green Bean Casserole

4 cups button mushrooms sliced

1 cup of chopped celery

1 cup of chopped onion

1/2 an onion thinly sliced

3 cloves of crushed and peeled garlic

3 pounds of fresh green beans cut to 3 inch lengths and pre blanched to desired softness

2 tablespoons of Backyard Blend

1 cup panko breadcrumbs 

2 quarts of vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup of brandy

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of flour may need more at the end

In a 5 quart pot preheat olive oil over a medium high heat.  Saute celery and onion until translucent about 4 minutes.  Add 2 cups of mushrooms, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of Backyard Blend and continue to saute until all veggies are starting to brown about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour and continue to saute for 1 to 2 minutes then deglaze with brandy.  Add stock and allow your cream of mushroom base to come to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Stirring every 10 minutes or so allow the stock to reduce by half roughly 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.  In a blender add soup base and run blender on low speed with the lid off slowly add cream.  Now check the thickness of the cream of mushroom if it's not as thick as the can stuff add some more flour to the blender little by little and continue to run on low until consistency is thick enough. Salt and pepper the cream of mushroom to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 F (same temperature as Turkey)

In a separate casserole dish a place green beans, remaining mushrooms and cream of mushroom.  One top place thinly sliced onions, panko breadcrumbs and some more Backyard Blend.  Bake in oven on the top rack for 40 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned.  Serve.

Sean LemasterComment