Cast Iron Skillet Big Flavors (13 page)

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

¼ teaspoon whole cloves

1-inch stick cassia or cinnamon, broken up, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 bay leaves

 fruit salad with poppy seed dressing 

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

•
  To make the dressing, combine the sugar, salt, mustard, and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Add the onion and mix well. Slowly whisk in the oil until fully incorporated. Stir in the poppy seeds. Mix well before using.

•
  To make the fruit salad, toss the bananas, pineapple, papaya, and kiwi in a large bowl. Stir in ½ to ¾ cup of the dressing to lightly coat the fruit. Serve immediately. Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; use on spinach salad or coleslaw.

POPPY SEED DRESSING

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon dry mustard

⅓ cup white vinegar

1½ tablespoons grated sweet onion

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

FRUIT SALAD

2 bananas, sliced

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

1 papaya, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 kiwifruits, peeled and diced

easy cast iron skillet cassoulet

A 12-inch cast iron skillet serves well as a baking pan for this hearty winter casserole. Using canned beans and smoked meats, it’s easy to assemble: everything comes from your pantry except the meats. Serve with a crusty baguette and a green salad for a simple, satisfying supper. If there is any left over, reheat it and serve for lunch the next day. We made this one day after our cupboard was overstocked with canned beans and diced tomatoes. It turned out so well, we’ve made it for company ever since as a simple Sunday supper.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

•
  In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, sauté the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Add the sausage to the skillet and brown lightly. Remove from the pan and reserve.

•
  Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, bacon, sausage, and smoked pork. Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a separate skillet. Add the bread crumbs and stir to coat evenly.

•
  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

•
  Spread the buttered crumbs over the beans and meat and bake for 30 minutes. When the cassoulet is bubbling and the crumbs are nicely browned, it’s ready to serve.

4 slices bacon, diced

1 pound smoked, fully cooked sausage, cut crosswise into ¾-inch slices

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

¾ cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 smoked pork chops, cut in half, bone removed

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs

fideus de gambas

While visiting relatives in Barcelona, we had the opportunity to eat
fideus
, a variation of paella using broken noodles instead of rice. Thin noodles are broken into three-inch lengths, then browned in olive oil before any liquid is added. This is a delicious foundation for seafood or vegetables. We especially like it with steamed clams or mussels on the side.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

•
  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

•
  Break the noodles into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet. Add the noodles and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

•
  With a spoon, make a hole in the center and add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the onion, paprika, tomatoes and their juice, and saffron. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in the prawns and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve hot or warm.

½ pound dry, uncooked angel hair pasta

⅓ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup chopped yellow onion

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice

½ teaspoon saffron threads

4 cups chicken broth

½ pound medium prawns, deveined and peeled

skillet-roasted mussels

These mussels are simple and delicious! Serve as an appetizer with a loaf of your favorite crusty bread. The Pernod is optional but adds a nice, unexpected flavor.

Note
: If any of the mussels are open when you bring them home and do not close when pinched, or if the shells are broken, discard them.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

•
  In a 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, combine the white wine, Pernod, butter, leeks, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and add the mussels.

•
  Cover the pan and cook for 6 minutes. Remove the lid and add the peppers. Drizzle the melted butter over the mussels. Replace the lid and cook until the mussels are open and plump, about 3 minutes.

•
  Sprinkle with the parsley, and serve right from the skillet with sliced crusty bread.

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons Pernod (anise-flavored liqueur), optional

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 leek, white part only, trimmed, well rinsed, and coarsely chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 pounds fresh mussels, debearded just before cooking

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish

clams with sausage, ham, and spices

This recipe hails from Portugal, where they cook the clams in a
cataplana
—a clamshell-shaped metal or copper casserole. But not everyone owns a
cataplana
, and we’ve found that the cast iron skillet is a perfect substitute. This is a very flavorful dish; we love the heat and saltiness you get from the sausage and the ham. When serving this dish as an entrée, serve the clams over brown or Spanish rice, or serve with a fennel salad and a loaf of crusty French bread.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS AS A MAIN DISH OR 6 TO 8 SERVINGS AS AN APPETIZER

•
  Bring a pan of water to a boil. With a small, sharp knife, remove the casing from the sausages. Crumble the meat coarsely and drop it into a sieve. Plunge the sieve into the boiling water and boil briskly for 1 minute. Then spread the sausage meat out on layers of paper towels to drain.

•
  In a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and stir frequently. Cook until they are soft and transparent but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, red pepper flakes, and a generous grinding of black pepper. Cook for a minute or two. Add the sausage meat, ham, tomatoes, ¼ cup of the parsley, wine, garlic, and bay leaves, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook briskly until most of the liquid has cooked off. Arrange the clams over the meat and tomato mixture. Cover with a lid or foil and cook over medium heat until all the clams open, about 10 minutes. Discard any that remain closed. Squeeze the lemon juice over the clams and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

•
  To serve, transfer the clams to warm soup bowls and ladle sauce over them.

½ pound linguica sausage or chorizo or other smoked sausage