An Irish Vegetable Casserole

One of the dishes I made for St. Patrick’s Day was an Irish vegetable casserole to accompany my tilapia with black butter sauce. Tilapia with Black Butter Sauce This vegetable casserole was inspired by the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.

George Bernard Shaw was in Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. He was born into poverty in Dublin, Ireland in 1856. He later moved to England, where he lived the rest of his very long and productive life. He wrote over 60 plays and died at the ripe old age of 94, in 1950. For most of his life, George Bernard Shaw was a vegetarian too. He became a vegetarian in 1881, in large part because of the abject poverty in which he grew up. When there was meat, which was very rare, it was cooked horribly and boiled to the point of it being tasteless shoe leather. He never acquired the taste for meat and lived on a diet complete from vegetable sources and sweets for the rest of his life. Food was never that important to him in real life, but ironically, food played a very large role in many of his plays.

Irish Vegetable Casserole

1 onion, diced medium

1/2 zucchini squash, diced medium

1 parsnip, diced medium

1/2 yellow crookneck squash, diced medium

2-3 celery stalks, diced medium

1/2 red bell pepper, diced medium

2-3 carrots, diced medium

1/2 lb mushrooms sliced thick

2 tomatoes, diced medium or about 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes cut in 1/2

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 tsp turmeric

1 TBSP ginger

1 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

green onions, sliced Asian style

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

chopped parsley

Mix all the hearty vegetables together along with the spices and seasonings and olive oil, then saute for about 7-10 minutes, or until they start to soften.

Preheat the oven to 350*F or 180* C.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Once the vegetables have softened and the onions are translucent, transfer them onto the baking sheet. Add the beans, tomatoes and green onions and cover with foil. Bake for about 40-50 minutes.

When the vegetables are done, sprinkle with the chopped parsley. You can eat this on its own or over rice. I have done it both ways, and enjoy both ways as well. Slainte is tainte.

Stay well and stay safe Everyone. ‘Til next time.