The New Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: 150 Fresh Ideas for America's Favorite Pan

414 Pages·2014·8.59 MB·English

by  Ellen Brown

New York
An Imprint of Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
STERLING EPICURE is a trademark of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. The
distinctive Sterling logo is a registered trademark of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Text © 2014 by Ellen Brown
Photography © 2014 by Guy Ambrosino
Food styling by Kate Winslow Additional photography from Shutterstock.com:
22, 37, 98
Book interior design by Yeon Kim
Jacket design by Jo Obarowski
Jacket photography by Guy Ambrosino 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 (including electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise) without prior written
permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-45490775-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brown, Ellen.
The new cast iron skillet cookbook : 150 fresh ideas for America’s favorite pan
/
Ellen Brown ; food photography by Guy Ambrosino ; food styling by Kate
Winslow.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-45490775-6
1. Skillet cooking. 2. Cast-iron. I. Title.
TX840.S55B76 2014
641.7’7--dc23
2013028731
For information about custom editions, special sales, and premium and
corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales at 800-805-5489
or [email protected].
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www.sterlingpublishing.com
contents
PREFACE • INTRODUCTION
chapter 1 caring for cast iron
chapter 2 breakfast and brunch
chapter 3 little dishes
chapter 4 main dishes
BEEF, VEAL, LAMB
PORK
CHICKEN AND OTHER FOWL
FISH AND SHELLFISH
chapter 5 side dishes
chapter 6 breads and rolls
chapter 7 desserts
preface
You don’t really buy a cast iron skillet. You adopt it. It becomes a part of your
family. Even when the children grow up and leave the house, the cast iron skillet
remains.
Actually, if you’re really lucky, you never had to buy a skillet at all. You
inherited one from your mother or a dear aunt, and every time you cook with it
you’re adding to the rich culinary history of your pan. For example, my
Thanksgiving breakfast sticky buns come from the same recipe that my
grandmother used decades ago, and she most likely baked them in a cast iron
skillet too.
A cast iron skillet is like a Swiss Army knife—it does everything, and
everything well. I use my skillet almost every day. In fact, I use it at almost
every meal. It goes from the stove to the oven to the table, eliminating the need
for an ovenproof cooking pan and a serving dish. Plus, when it’s on the table it is
keeping the food warmer for far longer than any serving dish would, so it’s
taking the place of a heated tray.
If you are like me, as soon as the coffeepot is turned on in the morning, the
skillet immediately goes into action—to fry up eggs for rushed midweek
breakfasts or, for more relaxing weekend breakfasts, to griddle up some
pancakes. In addition to being useful on top of the stove, my skillet often
emerges from the oven holding aromatic cornbread with a crispy crust.
At lunch the cast iron skillet can fry up old-fashioned grilled cheese
sandwiches or trendy panini with equally good results. Then, while we’re
watching an afternoon football game, the skillet can be used to pop popcorn or
fry quesadillas to nibble.
Then comes dinner, and again, the skillet can be used to cook anything from a
dish that starts on top of the stove and finishes in the oven to a showstopping
upside-down cake or loaf of soda bread to make the meal extra special.
Cast iron skillets are experiencing a rise in popularity in this century with
good reason. As always, they’re versatile and reliable, they heat evenly, and
they’re inexpensive relative to other metal cookware. But now, as more is known
about the toxic chemicals released when artificial nonstick coatings are heated or