Hearty Cast-Iron and Skillet Cooking E-Book

Anne Schaeffer

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 135

Beschreibung

Hearty Cast-Iron and Skillet Cooking is filled with tasty and easy Dutch oven and skillet meals that will wow your friends and family. Perfect for bringing home cooking with you to a relaxing camping or cabin getaway, this cookbook presents more than 100 delicious cast-iron skillet recipes that are sure to please all appetites all day long. Ranging from cinnamon rolls with blueberries and creamy mac and cheese to eggplant parmesan, Italian beef stew, and so much more, you'll have plenty of wholesome cooking ideas for breakfast, starters, sides, lunches, dinners, and desserts to make. Make savory and cozy cuisine that will make your gathering one to remember!

Leseprobe

© 2023 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.

Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0386-3eISBN 978-1-6374-1232-9

Recipe selection, design, and book design © Fox Chapel Publishing. Recipes and photographs © G&R Publishing DBA CQ Products, unless otherwise noted.

The following images are credited to Shutterstock.com and their respective creators: here: JulieK2; here, bottom: Iyly; here: E.J. Johnson Photography; here, top: BIRYUKOVAEKATERINA; here, bottom: VBD Photos; here: lentinagar; here: A. Zhuravleva; here: Marie Sonmez Photography; here: Sea Wave; here: Africa Studio; here: Tatiana Volgutova; here: iuliia_n; here: Peredniankina; here: AnnapolisStudios; here: Jim Bowie; here: Losangela; here: nelea33.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023936643

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Cast-Iron Cooking

Skillets

Dutch Ovens

Take Care

Seasoning

Cleaning

Storing

Outdoor Considerations

Building the Perfect Cooking Fire

Determining Heat

Food Temperature Safety

Campfire Cooking Tips

Breakfast

Bacon & Potato Pancakes

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Zippy Scrambled Eggs

Swiss Vegetable Omelet

Simple Dutch Oven Omelet

Thick & Chewy A.M. Pizza

Cheesy Bacon Pull-Aparts

Egg, Ham & Cheese Quesadilla

Hearty Breakfast Skillet

Sweet Potato Skillet

Sweet Potato Frittata

Greens & Things Frittata

Southwest Hash

Skillet Kielbasa Hash

Brussels Hash

Biscuits & Gravy

Lunch

Sausage & Kraut Skillet

Beef Fried Rice

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Pesto Flatbread Quesadilla

3-Cheese Mac with Brussels Sprouts

Creamy Mac & Cheese

Spicy Chili Mac

Tuna Patties with Dill Sauce

Sweet Potato Fries

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Veggie Bake

Apple-Cinnamon Grilled Cheese

Pecan-Cranberry Brie

Italian Beef Stew

Thick & Hearty Beef Stew

Kielbasa Potato Chowder

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Double Dutch Chili & Biscuits

Calico Chilia

One-Pot Shells & Meatballs

Mexicali Pollo Bake

Bacon & Beef Nachos

BBQ Sloppy Joe Sliders

Cowboy Beans

Rustic Ham & Potatoes

Dinner

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Hot Pimento Cheese Dip

Fajita Enchiladas

Cast-Iron Salsa

Fruited Balsamic Chicken

Chicken with Firecracker Cream

Jalapeño Cornbread

Campfire Cola Chicken

Roasted Potato Lineup

Avocado Caprese Chicken

Chicken Marsala

Cheesy Puffed Potatoes

Citrus Chicken & Sprouts

All-in-One Chicken & Veggies

Cheesy Baked Corn

Family-Style Chicken & Rice

Shepherd’s Pie

Mama’s Chicken Pot Pie

Cast-Iron Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust

Deep-Dish Pizza

Eggplant Parmesan

Rustic Sage & Sausage Pasta

Garlic Rolls with Spaghetti & Meatballs

Pasta Sauce for Two

Stovetop Skillet Lasagna

Garlic Bread Bites

Pepperoni Mushroom Rigatoni

Wonton Lasagna

Parmesan-Pesto Pasta

Fettucine Primavera

Italian Pesto Rolls

Salisbury Steak

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Homestyle Pot Roast

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Pineapple Beef Stir Fry

Pan-Seared Steak

Chops with Roasted Veggies

Turkey Tenders Deluxe

Turkey & Stuffing for Two

Dutch Oven Meatloaf

Baked Garlic Shrimp

Hasselbacks

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles

Louisiana Shrimp Pot

Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa

Swiss Crabmeat Bake

Blackened Cajun Catfish

Dessert

Peachy Raspberry Pie

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Dutch Apple Crisp

Granny’s Apple Pie

Cinnamon Rolls with Blueberries

Cherry-Cream Roll-Ups

Dutch Oven Cinnamon-Pecan Cake

S’mores Bars

Fudgy Chocolate Cake

Nutty Hot Fudge Cake

Jumbo Chipper Cookie

INTRODUCTION

What makes a meal "hearty"? Is it the amount of food on the table? The fullness you feel after you finish eating? Or is it the feeling of comfort when you share a meal with those you love? When I look back on the meals that feel the heartiest, I see that they are the ones shared with my loved ones and cooked on a skillet or cast-iron cookware. There’s just something special about meals like this that feel cozy and comforting. The recipes in this book will show you how to make memories through food by turning a normal dish into a hearty, home-cooked meal that you will remember for years to come.

In this book, you will discover deliciously hearty recipes that can be cooked on the stove, in the oven, and over a fire—all using the same set of cookware. Whether it’s a a skillet or a Dutch oven, cast iron can go directly from stovetop to oven and be used with campfires and grills effortlessly, thanks to the handles on both sides, making it easier to lift and move pans. Cast iron is also extremely durable and maintains even cooking temperatures once heated. The food it cooks browns nicely, and crusts are always crisp. And its nonstick surface is natural, with no artificial chemical coatings in sight—just the natural oils you use to season the cookware. A bit of iron even transfers to the food, bumping up the iron content for your body to absorb. But my favorite part of cooking with cast iron is that this cookware will last for generations, which means you won’t be shopping for new skillets or Dutch ovens anytime soon. So, not only will this cookware be passed down through your family for years to come, but so will the delicious recipes and memories that you create with them. When you discover cast iron, you discover the tradition of comfort food.

What if you don’t have cast-iron skillets, but still want that rustic, comforting taste? Any skillet on or inside the stove will do just fine. All the skillet recipes in this book will work perfectly with a normal iron skillet. What truly makes a meal hearty isn’t necessarily the type of cookware or appliance you use—although that helps—but the people you share it with. So, let’s get our campfires and ovens started and get cooking.

Cast-iron cookware can be used on the stove, in the oven, over a fire, and on the grill.

Anne Schaeffer

CAST-IRON COOKING

In this book, we’ll be using two types of cast-iron cookware: skillets and Dutch ovens. If you want to take the Dutch oven out to the campfire, you’ll want to grab a camp-style oven. Let’s take a look at the basics of each before we get started.

Skillets

Cast-iron skillets can be used indoors on a stovetop, in an oven, and even outdoors on a grate over a fire, hot coals, or propane burner. If yours doesn’t have a lid, be sure to have foil on hand for covering so you can trap all the heat and delicious flavors inside.

Skillets are easily transferable from stovetop to oven—just remember to use potholders, since the handles can get hot.

Dutch Ovens

We’ll use two types of Dutch ovens: kitchen style and camp style. If you have an indoor-only, kitchen-style oven with enamel coating, a flat bottom without legs, and a wire bail, be careful to only use this on the stove or in the oven. If you want to venture outside, you can use a kitchen-style Dutch oven without enamel coating, a flat bottom without legs, and a wire bail (a handle meant to hang the pot over the fire). This can be used on the stove, in the oven (use caution on glass-top stoves), as well as outdoors on a grate, or hanging from a tripod over a fire or hot coals.

A camp-style Dutch oven without enamel coating, a flat bottom with legs, and a wire bail is best used outdoors with a fire or hot coals. You can use it indoors too, but only inside the oven: set the pot on a baking sheet on the lowest rack.

An enamel indoor-only kitchen-style Dutch oven should only be used on a stovetop or in the oven.

Use a camp-style Dutch oven outdoors, either over hot coals, a flame, or on the grill.

TAKE CARE

Cast-iron cookware are made to last, but there are some steps you can make to ensure that they’re properly cared for. By seasoning and cleaning your cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, you’ll not only be preserving the cookware, but also enhancing the flavor of your food.

Seasoning

Seasoning is vital to not only coating the cookware to prevent rust, but also to creating a natural, permanent nonstick cooking surface. Simply rub a thin layer of vegetable oil or shortening over all surfaces and set the pan upside down on a rack in a 350°F oven for 1 hour (put foil on the bottom of the oven to catch drips). Turn off the oven and let the pan cool completely; wipe with a paper towel. Refresh as needed and cook periodically with oil to build patina.

Seasoning is a must in cast-iron cooking. Use vegetable oil or shortening for best results.

Cleaning

With water: Use very hot water and a stiff nylon brush or scrubber. Rinse and wipe dry with paper towels or an old towel (cast iron can leave black stains). Then set on a burner over low heat to remove any remaining moisture and prevent rust.

Without water: Scrub with coarse salt or a plastic scraper and wipe with a clean rag.

It’s best to avoid using dish soap, since it strips off the seasoning, but if you feel it’s necessary, use it sparingly and remember to refresh the seasoning on your cookware afterwards.

You can clean cast iron with or without water to preserve the seasoning of the cookware.

Storing

After all the moisture has been removed and the cast-iron is cool, store it uncovered in a dry location. Remember not to reseason your cookware before you store it, or the oil could turn rancid before you use it again. If rust appears, scrub it off with steel wool and reseason.

Store your cleaned and dry cast-iron cookware in a dry location.

OUTDOOR CONSIDERATIONS

Building the Perfect Cooking Fire

First things first: you’ll only get a nice cooking fire if you use the right kind of firewood. Use split logs since they produce the best heat and are easiest to ignite. Hard woods such as maple, walnut, oak, or apple are best; they burn slowly and produce wonderful cooking coals.

Pile up tinder in the cooking area; light it with a match or lighter. When the tinder is burning well, place kindling loosely on top, adding more as needed. Once the kindling is burning nicely, carefully add split firewood, teepee-style, over the burning kindling. When the flames die down, white hot coals remain. Use a metal fire poker or long stick to distribute the coals for cooking, as needed.

Building a stable fire for cooking is only the first step of making a delicious cast-iron meal.

Campfire Safety Tips and Tricks

• Make sure it is legal to build a fire in your location.

• Use a fire pit, if available. Otherwise, build your fire on rock or dirt and construct a U-shaped perimeter with large rocks.

• Build your fire at least 8 feet away from flammable objects.

• Never use gas or kerosene on a fire, as they pose a serious risk of explosion.

• Never leave a fire unattended.

• Don’t build a fire if it’s windy. Sparks can cause unintended fires.

• Protect hands with leather gloves or heavy oven mitts and use long tongs to prevent burns.

• Fill a bucket with water and keep it near the fire to douse flare-ups.

• Extinguish your fire when you're finished using it by dousing it with plenty of water. Be sure all the coals, embers, and wood are wet and cool.

• If you don’t have access to water, smother the fire with sand or dirt to extinguish it. You should still be sure all the coals, embers, and wood are completely cool.

Determining Heat

Some of the recipes in this book recommend cooking over a fire that is a certain heat level or temperature. You can use the following method to judge the temperature of your campfire. Hold your hand about 4 inches over the coals. Count the number of seconds you can hold your hand in place before it gets too hot to keep it there.

Some things you should know:

Every skillet has a maximum “safe” temperature, that is, the highest temperature it can tolerate. Certain cookware can survive even the hottest temperatures, some are safe only to low oven temperatures, and others aren’t oven-safe at all. Be sure you know how resilient yours is before using it for a recipe for the oven.

For some recipes, the size of the skillet won’t matter, but for others, the cooking or baking times might need to be adjusted if you use a skillet other than what’s called for in a recipe. As a rule of thumb, an 8" or 9" skillet is great for one or two people, and a 9" or 10" one works well for two to four.

Determining the correct heat of your fire is crucial to cooking your dishes to perfection.

CAMPFIRE COOKING TEMPERATURES

How long can you hold your hand 4" over the coals?

2 seconds = about 500°F (High heat)

3 seconds = about 400°F (Medium-High heat)

4 seconds = about 350°F (Medium heat)

5 seconds = about 300°F (Low heat)

Food Temperature Safety

No matter the heat of your fire, always make sure your food is thoroughly cooked. Ground meat, chicken, and pork should be cooked until it is no longer pink and juices run clear. But color isn’t a foolproof guide. It is best to use a good meat thermometer to prevent under- or over-cooking. The USDA recommends the following minimum internal temperatures:

• Fish: 145°F

• Beef Roasts: 145°F (rare) to 160°F (medium) to 170°F (well done)

• Ground Beef: 160°F

• Ground Poultry: 165°F

• Chicken Breasts: 170°F

• Whole Poultry and Parts (thighs, wings): 180°F

• Pork (chops, tenderloins): 160°F

• Ground Pork: 160°F

• Egg Dishes: 160°F

• Reheating Foods: 165°F or until hot and steaming

Properly take the temperature of any meats you cook to ensure the safety of your guests.

CAMPFIRE COOKING TIPS

For outdoor cast-iron Dutch oven cooking, using a charcoal chimney starter is a quick and easy way to get coals hot. Fill the top portion with unlit coals, push crumpled newspaper into the bottom portion, and light the newspapers from the bottom.

When the coals are hot, start cooking using the number of coals suggested in the recipe. If the food needs to cook for more than 30 to 45 minutes, have extra hot coals ready so cooking can continue without interruption.

The temperature inside the pot depends on the number and placement of hot coals or the distance of the pot from the heat. Sometimes you spread hot coals in a flat layer underneath the pot to give it plenty of heat for boiling, browning, or frying. To bake, simmer, or roast foods, you’ll need heat from both the bottom and top, so arrange some hot coals in a ring underneath the pot and place more hot coals on the lid.

FOLLOWING THE RECIPESIf it says…It means…24+ hot coalsStart with 24 hot charcoal briquettes, but light extras to complete the cooking.About 24 hot coalsUse about 24 hot charcoal briquettes to complete the cooking.Cook on a grateStart with the grate 3" to 4" above heat and adjust it up or down as needed for correct cooking temperature.Medium heatUse medium setting on a gas grill, or judge by holding your palm above the fire for 4 seconds at about the position the food will cook (2 seconds = hot heat; 5 seconds = low heat).

Step 1: Fill the chimney with coals and light from the bottom.

Step 2: Cook the number of coals that you need for the recipe.

Step 3: Spread the coals evenly.

COOKING WITH VARIOUS DUTCH OVEN SIZESDiameterVolumeUses5"1 pintMelt butter, make basting sauce, make individual desserts6"1 quartPrepare small portions of recipes or sauces8"2 quartsPrepare sauces, toppings or vegetables, warm leftovers10"4 quarts