Seafood Supreme

From the kitchen of Patti Elkins – A hearty and delicious seafood casserole that is sure to please your family and dinner guests.

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup half and half
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tsp cooking sherry
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 Tbsp chicken soup base (paste preferred)
1/2 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese (4 ounces), cubed
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2-pound lump crab meat
1 pound shrimp, peeled-deveined-cooked
1-1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup grated Jarlsberg cheese

Melt butter and sauté vegetables 2 minutes. Do not overcook.Add flour and stir to thicken 1 minute. Add half & half slowly, then Worcestershire, lemon and sherry. Season with white pepper, cayenne and soup base. Add cream cheese, stir until melted into sauce. Set aside.

Butter a deep casserole dish. Layer rice on bottom and arrange shrimp and crabmeat evenly over top. Layer with fresh spinach, then evenly pour creamy mixture over spinach. Top with Jarlsberg cheese. Place casserole on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 45 minutes at 400⁰, until cheese is melted and beginning to brown around edges.

Serves 4- to 5-adults. Lobster, scallops or other seafood can be added or substituted.