When was casserole invented

Elmire started a school — the first Catholic school in town — in one room. Other rooms housed new immigrants. She was always happy to host newcomers until they got settled. So where did this story begin? Part of the problem of attribution for something like casserole is that casserole itself is more of a category than a specific dish.

The name even comes from a dish — sauce pan in French. A casserole is still a type of baking dish you can buy. Lowly Spaghetti Casserole, also known as sour cream noodle bake or noodle casserole, which had made the rounds among budget-minded family cooks for a few decades, went high-brow when we encountered it a decade ago at a society table. Lee De Witte, a well-know Los Angeles hostess, served the delicious casserole as a side dish to a roast at one of her parties.

You can virtually make up your own casserole concoction, using cooked noodles, macaroni, spaghetti, rice, kasha buckwheat or bulgur cracked wheat combined with some type of leftover meat, fish or poultry or quick-cooking ground beef, turkey or lamb.

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until barely tender. Drain and rinse with hot water. Add remaining butter and when melted blend in flour. Add turkey stock, wine, milk and celery salt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and smooth. In 4-quart casserole, arrange layers of spaghetti, turkey and sauce, ending with thin layer of spaghetti. Sprinkle with crumbs and cheese. Bake at degrees 35 to 45 minutes or until brown. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Arrange chicken, skin side up, in shallow greased baking dish. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in green pepper, pineapple, mustard, honey and rum. Spoon mixture over chicken and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at degrees 45 to 60 minutes or until tender. Makes 4 to 5 servings. Brown meat in skillet, stirring to keep crumbly.

Add chili seasoning mix, salt, tomatoes, corn and olives and mix well. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Bake at degrees 1 hour 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings. Blend sour cream and oregano in large bowl. Blend in chicken, noodles, olives, mushrooms, green pepper and cashews. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake at degrees 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 4 servings. Blend mushroom soup and milk. Add onion and bring slowly to boiling point, stirring constantly. Arrange half crushed potato chips in bottom of greased casserole.

Top with half tuna. Repeat layers. Pour mushroom soup mixture over all and garnish top with whole potato chips. Bake at degrees 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.

Reilly, tells Bonnie L. Cook of the Philadelphia Inquirer. She just went in and did her job every day, like most blue-collar people. Brigit Katz is a freelance writer based in Toronto.

Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including NYmag.