This is a great use for leftover corned beef or venison, or you can make the meat just for this casserole. I like the homemade cream of chicken soup here, but you can used canned.
1small head of cabbage, chopped(or 1/2 large head)
1white or yellow onion, chopped
1teaspoondried savory or thyme
2poundscorned beef or venison,chopped or shredded
1cupfrozen peas
HOMEMADE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
2tablespoonsbutter(40 grams)
2tablespoonsflour, heaping(35 grams)
1/3cupwhite wine(75 ml)
2cupschicken, grouse, pheasant or quail stock(400 ml)
2tablespoonsDijon or other smooth mustard
1/4cupheavy cream(50 ml)
TO FINISH
1/2poundshredded cheddar cheese,divided
1/2cupbreadcrumbs,rye if possible
1/4cupmelted butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large casserole dish (9x13), with butter or lard. Boil the egg noodles in salty water until they are about half done, so flexible but still a little crunchy at the center. Drain and set aside.
While the noodles are cooking, saute the cabbage and onion in the 3 tablespoons of butter until translucent, soft and just barely starting to brown. Turn off the heat and mix in the corned beef, savory or thyme, and the frozen peas. Mix all this in with the half-cooked noodles.
CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
To make the soup that will serve as the sauce, cook the 2 tablespoons of butter with the flour over medium heat, stirring very often, until it turns a "dirty blonde" color, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye out while you are stirring -- you don't want it to burn.
Pour in the white wine and stir. The mixture ill seize up. Pour in a little of the stock at a time, stirring constantly so it incorporates. Keep doing this with all the stock. Bring this to a simmer, and ladle off a little into a cup. Mix this with the mustard into a slurry.
After the sauce has cooked about 5 minutes, add the slurry back into the pot and stir well. The mustard will want to separate, so whisk or stir until it incorporates. Cook this another minute or two, the turn off the heat and stir in the cream. Add salt to taste.
TO FINISH
Mix the sauce and half the cheese in with the meat-noddle-cabbage mixture, then pack it into the casserole dish.
Mix the melted butter with the breadcrumbs and stir well until incorporated. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the casserole, then the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let it set out of the oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can of course use canned cream of chicken soup. You will need a pint.