The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis-Hearne

I love cooking (and eating) almost as much as I love to read. And while I don't usually like cookbooks -- I tend to cook by making it up as I go along after looking at several similar recipes -- I've found myself looking in cookbooks for cast iron skillet recipes as I've recently discovered the versatility of this old school pan.

The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: Recipes for the Best Pan in Your Kitchen by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis-Hearne seems to be a great all-around choice for recipes using this fantastic piece of cookware that will last for generations!

Some recipes I'd recommend from this book:

Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Potato Omelet) - page 4-5
Makes 4 Servings

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
1 pound Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes, peeled, halved, and cut into 3/4 inch slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
Sour cream, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving

Place a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1/4 cup olive oil and allow oil to heat up, about 2 minutes. Carefully add potatoes and cook about 10 minutes (reduce the heat if smoking occurs). Carefully separate the potato slices to keep them from sticking together. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set skillet aside, reserving the remaining olive oil inside.

Break the eggs into a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until frothy. Add the cooked potatoes and onions to the eggs.

Position a rack at the top of the oven and preheat the broiler.

Place the skillet with the remaining olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the pan is hot pour the egg mixture into the skillet and quickly reduce the heat to low. Cook until the pan side of the omelet is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place the skillet in the oven and broil until the top of the omelet is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes more.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Use a spatula to loosen the omelet from the pan, and slide the omelet onto a warmed plate. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and your favorite hot sauce.

Dutch Baby (puffed pancake with lemon and powdered sugar) - page 6
Makes 2 servings

2 tablespoons butter
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, for topping
Juice of 1 lemon, for topping
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Mix the eggs, flour, and milk in a blender on medium speed until just blended (5 to 10 seconds). Pour the batter into the skillet with the melted butter.

Place the skillet in the over and bake until the top puffs up and is lightly golden, about 25 minutes.

To clarify the butter for the topping, melt it over low heat in a small saucepan. Skim off and discard the foam. Remove from the heat and let stand until the solids settle, about 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a glass measuring cup.

When the Dutch baby is done, drizzle the clarified butter over the top, then sprinkle with the lemon juice and dust with the powdered sugar. Cut into six wedges and serve immediately.

Savory Dutch Baby - page 7
Makes 2 servings

3 tablespoons butter
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup (about three 1/4-inch-thick slices) chopped ham (French, Black Forest, or honey)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Mix the eggs, flour, and milk in a blender on medium speed until just blended (5 to 10 seconds). Pour the batter into a medium bowl and add the cheese and ham, folding them into the mixture. Pour into the skillet with the melted butter.

Place the skillet in the over and bake until the top puffs up and is lightly golden, about 25 minutes.

When the Dutch baby is done, cut into six wedges and serve immediately.

What I love about the cast iron skillet is that you can cook just about anything in it (don't cook tomatoes in one), nothing sticks to it (if properly seasoned), and you can use it on the stovetop, oven and broiler!

Lately though my favorite thing to cook in a cast iron pan is popcorn - yum!

Vegetable Gardening - eggplant

As you well know, I started my first attempt at fruit and vegetable gardening in May -- after reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben I couldn't possibly just go on buying all my produce at the local grocery store.

I had been worried about my Bambino hybrid eggplant since some of the leaves had large holes in them. But the few small blossoms have delightfully resulted in several beautiful and delicious eggplants!

These small 1 1/2" to 3" diameter round eggplants are so stunning that they almost look too good to eat.

I cook my eggplant like I do my summer squash -- sauteed in olive oil, salt, and garlic -- and I've recently discovered a new method of preparing both. Coat with buttermilk, dredge in corn meal or flour or both, and pan fried!

Yum!

Vegetable Gardening - tomatoes

As a consequence of reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben, I started my first -- and fairly successful -- attempt at fruit and vegetable gardening in May.

I've harvested some of my yellow pear and grape tomatoes and they were delicious! My favorite way to eat them is in a salad -- halved and mixed with olive oil, red wine vinegar and/or lemon juice, minced shallot, freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, and fresh basil picked from my garden. It's been a big hit at every summer party I've served it at.

I still haven't bought any gardening books but I'm pretty satisfied with the advice I've been getting from friends and family!

Vegetable Gardening - summer squash

In May, I started my first attempt at fruit and vegetable gardening -- the influence of reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben.

My summer squash plants (Raven, Yellow Straightneck, Peter Pan) are huge -- definitely as large as the 3 to 4 inches wide or 4 to 6 inches tall that you should harvest them at -- and while I haven't been brave enough to try deep frying any squash blossoms (I'm just awful with recipes that require frying), the squash taste fantastic just cooked in olive oil, salt, and garlic and the squash blossoms make a yummy addition to pasta sauce.

It's really been a joy to grow a bit of my own food. I never would have guessed how easy it is! Just till up the soil and mix in "good' soil, plant, keep an eye on them, prune when necessary, but otherwise just harvest and enjoy!

I haven't had to water any of my plants on my own -- it's rained pretty frequently here and I've been warned that novice gardeners tend to over water their plants.

I'm looking forward to enjoying more of my home-grown fruits and vegetables!

My First Vegetable Garden - squash blossoms

In May, after reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben, I went out and bought plants for an ambitious attempt at fruit and vegetable gardening.

I still haven't bought any gardening books but my garden is looking pretty good!

My yellow pear and grape tomatoes have started producing fruit -- very small and green but I'm still thrilled!

My summer squash plants (Raven, Yellow Straightneck, Peter Pan) are huge and they all have all sprouted small squash and blossoms.

A friend of mine fell in love with squash blossoms in Italy and sent me a few recipes that I'm just dying to try.

Spaghetti with Poblano Chile & Squash Blossom Sauce
* 1 pound spaghetti
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 large cloves garlic, peeled & finely chopped
* 1/2 medium white onion, peeled & finely chopped
* 2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded & cut or torn into strips
* 1 bunch squash blossoms (be sure to remove the pistil)
* 1 cup mexican crema or sour cream
* 2 sprigs epazote, chopped
* 4 ounces cotija, añejo or parmesan cheese, grated
* salt to taste

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and onion, and cook until the onion is transparent.
Add the poblano strips, squash blossoms and epazote, and cook until the blossoms wilt. Add cream and heat through. Add salt to taste.
Toss with the cooked pasta, top with the cheese and serve immediately.
Serves 4.

Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms
* 8 good-sized summer squash flowers, pistils removed, with a tiny zucchini attached if possible.
* 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
* 1 large egg
* 1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
* 1 small clove garlic, minced
* Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
* 2/3 cup flour
* 1 cup carbonated mineral water or seltzer
* Olive oil & vegetable oil
* Sea salt

Wipe the squash blossoms clean if necessary. If a small summer squash is attached, slice it lengthwise in thirds like a fan, leaving it attached to the blossom.

Mix together the ricotta, egg, cheese, garlic, nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a medium-size bowl.

Spoon or pipe the filling into the squash flowers, handling them gently. Each flower should have 2 generous tablespoons of filling.

Preheat the oven to very low. It will be a holding oven.

Place the flour in a large bowl & whisk in the water until smooth. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat the oil in a small, deep skillet to a temperature of 375 degrees -- if you drop in a teaspoon of batter it should float quickly to the surface &turn golden.

Dip one of the flowers in the batter, making sure it is evenly & thoroughly coated. If it has a small summer squash attached, make sure it is coated as well. Hold the flower over the bowl to let any excess batter drip off, then lower it gently into the oil and cook just until the batter is crisp and golden, up to four minutes, if that.

Fry no more than 2 flowers at a time. Use a slotted spoon to remove the flowers from the oil and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven with the door slightly ajar to keep the finished flowers warm while you prepare the rest.

Arrange 2 flowers on each of 4 small, warmed plates. Dust lightly with sea salt and serve.

Let me know if you've got any great squash blossom recipes!

Also, I'm a little confused about whether harvesting the blossoms with reduce squash production. Any advice?

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Cucumber Yogurt Soup

You know I love to eat fruits and vegetables (I mentioned that a few days ago in this entry).

Really, I love food in general. Especially soups. Roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Wonton soup. Split pea and ham soup. Chicken and corn chowder. Guinness French onion soup. Spring asparagus soup. New England clam chowder. Egg drop soup. Southwestern pumpkin soup. Tom kha gai. Cream of mushroom soup.

But I've never liked chilled soup. Gazpacho? Take it or leave it. Chilled beet soup? Ick.

What I like about soups is how they warm you up, whether you like it or not.

So it was with a good amount of hesitation that I tried the recipe for Cucumber Yogurt Soup on page 192 of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp. (By the way, click here to read all of my posts related to this book.)

I'm definitely still not a chilled soup lover but this one was pretty tasty. Probably a good recipe for others who, like me, are wary of chilled soups. :)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding

I love to eat fruits and vegetables. I love a good steak too but something about how my mother cooked has made me especially enjoy fruits and vegetables.

Mangoes, lychees, guava, persimmon, papaya, pomelo, nectarines, and clementines are among my favorite fruits.

As for vegetables, I love just about any greens sauteed in garlic, onions and oil. I especially love artichokes, Japanese eggplant, taro (kalo), avocado (technically a stone fruit) and Okinawan sweet potato. And I love asparagus and have been known to eat an entire platter at a time.

And mushrooms are probably my favorite food full-stop (click here to read my entry on Part III of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan to find out more about my mushroom obsession).

So when I read this recipe for Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding on page 84-85 of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver, I was dying to try it! (By the way, click here to read all of my posts related to this book.)

I substituted a variety of reconstituted dried mushrooms for the morels and increased the amount of mushrooms and let me tell you it is every bit as good as it sounds. :)

I haven't tried any of the other recipes yet but I want to make the Pumpkin Soup in its Own Shell, Holiday Corn Pudding a Nine-Year Old Can Make, Chicken Recuerdos de Tuscon, and Cherry Sorbet.