California Casserole

Casinonut's Note:

This casserole has always been one of my favorites with its combination of tender braised meat in a soup-based gravy, seasoned biscuit topping and toasted, buttery bread crumbs is mouthwatering. The one ingredient that gives this casserole its unique taste is the addition of poultry seasoning to the biscuit topping, but don't let it scare you into thinking it's a mistake in the recipe or that it will taste strange, because neither is true. I'm certain this is one of those casseroles that will become a comfort food at your house, just as it has at ours. My mother made this quite often when we were little and I know she got the recipe from a magazine many, many years ago, but I couldn't tell you which one. It doesn't have anything fancy in it, but it is good enough that company would really enjoy it. Most likely if you have some sort of creamed soup (any flavor will work well) in your cupboard and some sort of stew meat, a small round steak, or a sirloin steak in your fridge of freezer, you will have the rest of the ingredients. There are a few steps and a little involved in making this but there's nothing tricky about the preparation.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 lb beef round steak, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of celery soup
• 1 cup biscuit mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 slices bread, cubed (or crumbs made in a food processor or blender)
• 1/4 cup of melted margarine

Directions:

1. Salt and pepper the cubed meat.
2. Dredge the meat in the flour and shake off excess.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet.
4. Saute the chopped onion in the oil until translucent. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
5. Saute the floured meat in the remaining oil in the skillet until brown, stirring to ensure all sides have browned evenly.
6. Add the sautéed onions and the water to the meat and scrape the bottom of the skillet to get up all the browned bits of meat and flour.
7. Cover the skillet and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes until the meat is tender. Adding water as necessary to keep the meat from cooking dry and scorching.
8. Add the soup to the meat mixture, adding more water if necessary to achieve a soup consistency, combining well, and heat until boiling.
9. Transfer the meat/soup mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.
10. Mix the biscuit mix, the poultry seasoning and the milk together. It should be a thinner consistency than biscuit dough but thicker than pancake batter. Adjust the milk as needed to achieve the right consistency.
11. Transfer the biscuit batter to the top of the meat mixture in the casserole dish.
12. Prepare the bread cubes (or crumbs) by combining with the melted butter and mix well so that the cubes are completely coated.
13. Top the biscuit mixture with the the bread crumbs.
14. Bake in a 375°F oven for 30-40 minutes or until the biscuit dough is baked throughout and browned well.