By Mountain Mama
Do you have a dutch oven? If not, you might consider getting one. The versatility is wonderful. I have to say my favorite thing about cooking in a dutch oven is being able to cook outside when it is super hot in the house. Whether you’re camping or just have your fire pit going, the dutch oven is your friend. Also during the dead of winter when we lose our power my family cheers because we cook on top of the wood burning stove. There are so many options and ways it saves our mountain mama behinds. I can’t wait to share.
First you probably know that cooking in cast iron is centuries old. The Dutch Oven came to us from you guessed it, the Netherlands, (it has it right in the name) It showed up in the 17th century when fancy pots made of copper or brass were super expensive. Cast iron was and still is very economical.
Adding iron at a molecular level is good for your blood. When you cook anything small amounts of the iron enter the food and then our bodies, especially if the food is acidic. Tomato sauce is the one that comes to mind first. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that the iron content in 100 grams of spaghetti sauce jumped from 0.6 mg to 5.7 mg after being cooked in a cast iron pot. That is a lot. Speaking of healthy benefits, the iron is naturally stick resistant if you cure it correctly. That is an art I will discuss in a minute. As such you use way less oil which is good for your heart. And you don’t use cleaners on cast iron so there is never chemical residue. I changed my mind, that is my favorite part.
Seasoning your Dutch oven is key to your cooling success. Once you get your new dutch oven home use a paper towel to spread oil all over, top, bottom, inside, and out. Place the oven in the oven and bake for an hour at 500 degrees. Repeat up to 6 times. Here is an old wives tale (or not) my mom and grandma used to do. After the pan has been cooked and cooked 6 times take it into the yard and bury it completely for a week. I am not brave enough to try it but my great-grandma taught it to my grandma and her mother came over in a covered wagon so I guess she knew what she was talking about. Or maybe they just didn’t have the oils like we do. Either way, let me know if you try it. It certainly can not hurt. One last note. If your oven or any cast iron pan gets rusty you might have to strip it. I use steel wool. I have heard people recommend an easy off oven cleaner which will surely work but I don’t like those chemicals. I would rather use the steel wool and bake it in the oven 6 times. But you be the judge.
Some ideas of what you can cook: Stew any kind, biscuits, break cakes, fried chicken, baked chicken, boiled pasta, tomato sauce. You get the idea. There is nothing you can not cook in a dutch oven.
So here is a quick recipe my family loves. I’m not sure you can call it a recipe exactly, it’s more like guidelines. We make this every time we go camping.
Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place right into the coals of your fire. Add cut up pieces of stew meat (beef, chick, lamb, pork) whatever you want. Brown the meat. Add chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, celery) and cook for a few minutes until they just start to soften. Fill the pot ¾ with water. Add a can of tomato paste. Add your favorite herbs and spices (salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, marjarium) You get the idea. Here is a hint from my friend Paul. Place the herbs in a cloth tea bag, tie it up and plop the whole thing in the pot. Do this before you leave for your trip and you don’t have to worry about how much or carrying all the different herbs. I carry them anyway because I never know what I’ll feel like at the moment. That’s why I always overpack my clothes as well. I put this all together in the morning. We always make a morin fire when we are camping. I leave the pot in the coals all day. When I return for the day’s festivities, I add biscuit dough to the top of the stew and cover it with the lid. I then place hot coals on the top. It cooks, crisps and browns the top of the biscuits while the bottom becomes dumplings in the broth. My kids love it. You can make homemade biscuit dough or just use the one in the rolls. I hope you love it as much as we do.
See you on the mountain.
