Broccoli-Kritharaki casserole with shredded meat

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 500 g broccoli florets
• 250 g mushrooms, fresh, brown
• 2 slice(s) pork (tile meat), alternatively approx. 275 g other meat for schnitzel
• 4 medium-sized carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• some oil
• 230 g Kritharaki (rice-shaped noodles)
• 4 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 30 g butter
• 25 g flour
• 750 g milk
• some salt
• some pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Cook the broccoli with a pinch of salt until it still has a slight bite. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, slice them, and then halve them. They shrink considerably, so don’t slice them too thinly. Heat a little butter in a pot or pan and sauté the mushrooms until they are nice and small, dark brown, and soft, and there is no liquid left. Season with pepper, if desired. Set aside. Peel the carrots, halve them lengthwise, and slice them. Remove the green sprouts from the garlic cloves and chop or press them very finely. Heat a little oil in a pot, add the carrot slices, and fry until slightly soft. Add the garlic and sauté briefly. Add about 600 ml of water and stir in the vegetable stock powder, but don’t make too thick a broth. The ratio of vegetable stock to kritharaki should be 2:1 by volume, so use two cups of broth for one cup of noodles. Add the kritharaki noodles and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has completely evaporated. Cut the meat into strips. Finely dice the onions. First, fry the onions briefly in a pan, then add the meat. The onions should be golden and translucent, and the meat should be lightly browned and tender, but not too dark. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Once the broccoli is cooked, drain it and toss it with the noodles. Let stand for a while. Meanwhile, make a roux in another pot. Melt 30g of butter in a hot pot until it is evenly distributed and the bubbling stops. Reduce the heat slightly, stir in about 25g of flour, stirring thoroughly, and let it brown for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in the milk, then turn the heat up slightly to bring it to a boil. The sauce should simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add thyme if desired. The main flavor will come with the rest of the ingredients, so don’t overdo the seasoning. Then add the prepared mushrooms and finally the contents of the pan with the meat and onions. First, add the pasta and broccoli to a casserole dish, then the sauce and shredded meat. Spread everything evenly. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. After baking, there should be no liquid sauce left. Note: You can get tiled meat from a good butcher; it usually ends up in the mince for convenience. It’s a fillet-like, fine pork meat and tastes a bit like chicken. It’s not expensive, but an insider tip. So ask your butcher. If you don’t have tiled meat, just use any other meat that’s suitable for shredded meat.