The conversation was with Debbie Yon, secretary at Bel-Ridge Baptist Church in Belvedere. The Rev. Earl Welch is the pastor of this Aiken Association church. We thank Debbie for her help.
We all know that some things survive us: children, furniture, our mothers’ pearls, etc. But in this case a recipe has survived the late Mrs. Gail Gunter, whose passing was in November 2005. When her husband Jimmy Gunter was pastor of Little Horse Creek Baptist Church near Aiken, she contributed this recipe to a collection. It is a good recipe, one that has everyday ingredients and is easy to make.
Her husband served in several churches. the last full-time pastorate being in Sylvania, Ga. Now retired, he does frequent pulpit supply and works with the Children’s Development Center at Millbrook Baptist Church in Aiken.
The Gunters had four children: Debra and her husband Mark Yon, and their children, Shelly and Joshua; Russell Gunter and his wife Leslie, and their sons, Andrew and Zachary, all of Graniteville; Darlene and her husband Randy Lindsay in New Ellenton; and Doris Gunter in Aiken.
Mrs. Gail Gunter was a native of Gulf, N.C., but she and her husband spent most of their years in South Carolina. She was a good cook, her daughter Debra says, and sometimes shared her skill and interest by baking cakes for sale. She was always active in WMU in the churches where she and her husband served.
The ingredients for Mrs. Gunter’s dish are easily kept on hand for that day when the “What to cook?” question pops up. I made the dish by the instructions, but our son-in-law Joel, who was having lunch with us, said – and I agreed – that it needed perhaps cheddar cheese instead of the parmesan for more flavor. You may want to add a bit more salt also. Bake it in a deep dish so that the noodles are completely covered by the top layer of ground beef mix. This is an especially useful recipe for preparation in the morning, refrigerate, and then to bake after church for … Sunday Dinner.
Neapolitan Casserole
1 pound ground beef
½ green pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup parmesan cheese
8 ounces wide (broad) noodles
1 medium onion, chopped
1 10-ounce can tomato soup
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Sauté the green pepper and onion in butter over medium heat. Add the beef, breaking it into small pieces. Brown the beef.
Cook the noodles in boiling water with salt, according to package directions. Drain.
Combine soup, water, salt, pepper, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Add the drained beef mixture. Pour half the beef mix into a 2-quart baking dish. Cover with layer of noodles. Spread remaining meat mixture on noodles and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 30 minutes. Serves 8.