Eric Stendal

When my sister and I were young back in the ‘70’s Mom used to make this casserole type dish called ‘Goop’ (way before Gwennyth coined the term for herself). Mom says that it comes from July 1957. A friend of the family made it at their cabin in Point Roberts. Her name was Betty Wright.

It fits into the range of “comfort food” but with a sort of nod to the days of longer ago if that makes any sense. My sister and I devoured this whenever Mom made it for us.

What follows is the recipe as derived from a phone conversation with Mom the other week where I nonchalantly asked about “what was in that anyway?”

Ingredients

450g elbow macaroni, par-boiled
1lb ground beef; cooked and drained
(or two packages of veggie ground-round)
1 tin Cream of Mushroom soup
1 tin Tomato soup
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 tin kernel corn
2 – 4 tbsps green relish; to taste
4 celery stalks; chopped
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
*salt and pepper
*cubed cheddar

Method

1. Boil the pasta in salted water until just about cooked (al dente). Drain and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 375°.

2. Cook up the ground beef. Drain and set aside. (If using veggie ‘ground round’ simply break it up so that it combines easily with the other ingredients).

3. In a bowl, combine the Cream of Mushroom soup, Tomato soup, diced tomatoes, relish, and corn. Blend with a spatula.

4. Cut onion, mushrooms, and celery. Add to combined soup mix. Add the shredded cheese.

5. Now, combine everything together until well mixed in a large bowl. Add this to a rather large casserole type dish. If desired, cut some cheddar cheese into little blocks and press them into this mixture however you’d like. Cover this dish with aluminium foil.

6. Salt and pepper may be used if desired. Be aware that most veggie ‘ground round’ is pretty salty to begin with, so I’d omit the use of salt if going vegetarian.

7. Bake at 375° for one hour on the middle oven rack. After one hour, remove the foil and continue to bake for another 20-30 mins until well heated through and the top is a little more browned.