Casserole Stew

I found this recipe in the New York Times database, by searching for some ingredients we already had on hand. My focus was on the ingredient list, so when I found several more on-hand ingredients, I was sold. The results were delicious, though had I read the instructions -- or even the title -- more closely I would have realized that a bit more time would be required than I had allowed for.

That said, I will definitely make Pierre Franey's Meatball and Sausage Casserole again. I just will not count on doing it in the 40 minutes he allows. Nor will I call it a casserole. It is a stew.

But it was a delicious stew. I followed the recipe almost to the letter; I think it took about twice as long as indicated, though I am not sure why. As always, when a recipe calls for wine, I serve it with that wine -- in this case an ordinary Sauvignon Blanc worked well, even though the dish was red.

I took this in-progress photo because I know most food is not photogenic, and that this would be far less attractive when smothered in tomato sauce.. I was correct.

The recipe begins with making 24 (or in my case, 20) meatballs and browning them, along with some Italian sausage (I chose hot). I found that all of this barely fit in our well-seasoned, indispensable cast-iron skillet, and turning them to brown required trial-and-error with a few different utensils. I eventually found that the heat-resistant silicon spatula worked best.

This dish -- topped with shredded basil -- was nicely accompanied by Pam's famous "Maryland Day" basil-corn muffins.