Dutch Oven Cooking

[Lily&Me]

I never cared much for tomato things cooked in my cast iron, as the tomato reacted with the iron....did pasta sauce, when that was all I had, then went to a crockpot.

My favorite piece for bread at home is the skillet combo...I put the dough in on the skillet piece, using the large piece as a lid.

Prevents me from burning myself.


Maggie

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I never cared much for tomato things cooked in my cast iron, as the tomato reacted with the iron....
. . .

When doing pot roast in the cast iron dutch oven, however, a little tomato-paste-induced darkness in the sauce is OK! Brown the meat first, saute the Holy Trinity, add the Umami-generating ingredients (including peanut butter and Marmite -- yes you read that right!), and the resulting sauce could almost be bottled as a salve for the soul.

[rmkrum]

Actually, that makes perfect sense from a tease point of view. As long as you go light on the Marmite.

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[OTRA15]

I've never had a dinner guest correctly guess on the Marmite or the peanut butter. Just enough, but not so much you can taste them. Now the secret is out!



PS -- the next secret ingredient is . . . . . blueberry jam. Just a little . . .

[rmkrum]

Taste....

I do so love auto-incorrect!👿


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[rmkrum]

Used a few thin slices of Norwegian goat cheese, the brown one, to improve the texture of home made gravy.

Marmite doesn't surprise me, and a bit of blueberry won't hurt anything, IMHO.


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[OTRA15]

Great idea! We get those little containers of Chavrie goat cheese to use on/in all kinds of things. Last night in fact I had some on blue corn chips as a snack. They store easily and have a great shelf life, which can be extended if the foil seal inside is not broken.

Goat cheese also makes a great pasta sauce -- fry up some diced shallots in a saucepan, add chicken/veg stock and warm up, whisk in bits of goat cheese, and add any dry/fresh herbs you want. Keep the consistency thin, as the cooked pasta will suck moisture out of the sauce when you add it. Quick and yummy! No Marmite

[Lily&Me]

That sounds really good, OTRA....I have shallots and some of that cheese in my frig as I type, but am not terribly familiar with it.

What type of herbs do you recommend?


Maggie

[OTRA15]

Basil and oregano to start. If using dried, add them to the shallots when you fry them up -- brings out the herb flavor more. If using fresh herbs, like basil when available, chop and add to the sauce right before serving or sprinkle on top of the dish as served. Parsley as a garnish is nice too.

When making more for 4-6, the little Chavrie's are kind of expensive, so we get a log of goat cheese to use. Spice-wise you can add whatever you like. A little nutmeg is nice -- just a hint -- and red pepper flakes if you want to light it up a bit. Ground black pepper -- you name it . . .

[Lily&Me]

Thanks!

I'm going to try that.


Maggie

[OTRA15]

PS -- Don't let the sauce boil, it may break on you.

Have fun!

[Ganaraska]

Here is an interesting series on historical Dutch oven cooking in the 18th and early 19th century, featuring authentic recipes and cooking techniques. Baking bread, making pot roast and many other dishes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGBvqNJ8H-U

[Chillpoints]

Great video. I always try to teach that you can use natural coals and not rely on briquettes. Just takes practice. Thanks for sharing.

[Lily&Me]

Great video!

Thanks for sharing.


Maggie

[Len n Jeanne]

What a great video!

I was so impressed that he didn't accidentally dump any of the top coals into the food, which is how I usually do it.

Catherine Par Traill's book is a Canadian classic. Canadians, especially First Nations, have a long history of making bread over a campfire; generally called bannock-- perhaps due to the Scottish heritage.

We're heading off for some desert camping, and now I'm super-inclined to pack a Dutch oven. Nuthin' like food cooked over pinyon pine.

Just some additional thoughts:

I wouldn't use a temperature probe. Generally the rule of thumb is to hold your hand 8 inches from the coals for 8 seconds. If you can't hold it that long, the fire is too hot. If you can hold it for longer, it is too cool and you have to rake on some additional coals from your auxilliary pile. You can also pre-heat your Dutch oven, and just add a few drops of water. It should sizzle and boil, but not form little balls that quickly evaporate. (That's good for making pancakes, though.)

A real problem is bread burning on the bottom. One solution if you don't bring a suitable trivet and baking dish, is to line the Dutch oven with several layers of parchment paper, place the bread on that, and make sure your temperature is not too hot: nowhere near 450F.

I was also glad that he didn't flip the bread over in mid-baking. Although many bannock recipes call for this, my bread has always fallen with this method. A way to help the interior bake properly without burning the bottom crust is to shape the dough into a doughnut type of ring, leaving a hole in the center.

Also, it is a good idea to practice bread making at home using a cast iron pot or frying pan on the stove burner, so you get a feel for it, prior to trying it out while camping.

This video almost makes you want to join a re-enactment.

[Ganaraska]

I think he was using the probe for demonstration, or educational purposes. I can see using one when learning about cast iron cooking, but with a little experience it should not be needed.

He did several videos on cooking different things in the Dutch oven, and other recipes that could be made in one. About a month ago he did one on Rye and Indian bread which is a traditional American recipe I want to try.

[Lily&Me]

I prefer to use charcoal briquettes for my Dutch Oven bread, as they provide a more evenly dispersed heat.

If I'm not a purist, I'm okay with that.

I also have a regular DO, not a deep one, so baking thru without burning is a bit more labor intensive than with a deep DO where the top coals are not as close to the dough inside.

I found a little cookbook a number of years ago on Hearth and Fire Cooking, which had some great tips, one of them being to use less coals for actual baking, adding more on top toward the end to brown a cake, bread, cobbler, etc.

It also suggested moving coals to the outer rim of the lid later in the baking process, to prevent over-browning, and I often take the DO off the underneath coals altogether toward the end for the same reason.


Maggie

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the great video Ganaraska!

It is cold and blustery here in the NE this morning -- time for pot roast with some Marmite in the sauce! [See Post #402 etc.]

Cheers,

Peter

[bugsbunny]

Amazon Prime has a great PBS video set that can be watch free if a Prime member called A Taste of History - great to watch

[OTRA15]

Thanks for this reference, bugsbunny. Funny -- I had never heard of the series, but it looks great.

http://www.atasteofhistory.org/show/

Here is his YouTube site:

https://www.youtube.com/user/WalterStaib

And a different chef making steak pie in a DO.

Yum!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8hhRbd41rA

Originally Posted by bugsbunny

Amazon Prime has a great PBS video set that can be watch free if a Prime member called A Taste of History - great to watch