Japanese-Meets-American Green Bean Casserole
Anna Monette Roberts thought the soy sauce specified in Campbell Soup’s original recipe could use some Asian flavor company so she added mirin (a sweet rice wine used for cooking) and breaded the onions in panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Another innovation intended to appeal to modern taste trends was imbuing an overall lighter tone to the dish by thinning the Cream of Mushroom soup with vegetable broth. If Thanksgiving ever catches on in Japan, this recipe should lead the way.
Not Your Mama’s Green Bean Casserole
Beginning with the classics, we’ll end with the best… as the Not Your Mama’s Green Bean Casserole claims to be! The claim is backed up by the chef, in this case The Food Network’s Alton Brown, who knows his way around a measuring cup. This recipe eschews canned ingredients (sorry, Campbell’s) in favor of fresh fixin’s and “from scratch” components that don’t add much complexity or time to the procedure. The use of half-and-half cream and chicken broth in equal portions adds a richness to the dish that’s well worth a few extra calories. Hey, it’s the holidays… you’re supposed to indulge!

