Another post about food

The comfort of meat and potatoes is not lost on vegetarians. That is why they are products like BBQ Riblets. I can't imagine a meat-eater confusing them for the real deal, but the barbecue sauce sure is tasty and they are a snap to make in the microwave. Even Amiel gets giddy for riblets. Last night, post-market day one, we roasted fingerling potatoes with rosemary from the patio. In keeping with the comfort food theme, I made a vegetable casserole with cheddar sauce and crushed crackers on top. The recipe is from a cooking class I took with Anna in Texas. You can use whatever vegetables you like, but the combination below really works well.

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, blanched and cup into 1 inch pieces
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
3 cups mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in butter
salt & pepper to taste

3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz-style crackers (Late July makes a great buttery cracker)
paprika to garnish

1. Combine veggies in bowl and season with salt & pepper
2. Make cheese sauce. Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook for one minute. Gradually add in milk and stir until thickened. Turn heat down and stir in cheese until melted. Sauce should be thick (mine didn't seem thick enough and so I added a bit more flour and that did the trick). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place veggies in buttered casserole and top with cheese sauce. Top with crackers and sprinkle with paprika.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.