Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Cast iron skillet

A couple times this week I've pulled out the trusty old cast iron skillet and been able to make such tasty meals I wonder why I don't use it more often. Maybe it's the pulling out part, from the cabinet underneath the range.

The first time was our second go at the lovely chicken with apples and escarole, this time substituting endive for the unobtainable escarole. The whole point of this recipe by Sara Jenkins is to let the flavors accumulate by cooking everything in the same skillet, and I think they accumulate much better in the cast iron skillet.

The next day was simply to fry some hamburgers. First, however, I sauteed onions in the skillet and then transferred them to a smaller skillet for reheating and fried the hamburgers in the same skillet. I used a couple of James Beard's tricks -- flavoring the oil with a crushed garlic clove and folding some creme fraiche into the center of the patties. With a little salt and the onion and garlic flavors from the skillet, the hamburgers came out delicious, served with the onions on a toasted bun with ketchup. Hard to beat.

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