Cast your iron in the fire
Is there any more evocative piece of American cookware than the cast-iron pan? We can almost see the colonial settler in New England, the cowboy on the range and the early 20th-century immigrant cooking over the hearth, campfire or coal-burning stove and ladling out the food (porridge! chili! goulash!) to a hungry horde. Even with all the advances in cookware technology, many of today’s home cooks still would name their castiron skillet or Dutch oven as their go-to pan.
The benefits of cast-iron pans are legion. They heat evenly and hold the heat. When “seasoned” properly (see note), they have a nonstick surface that rivals fancy factory coatings. They are affordable and readily available at yard sales and thrift stores, as well as in retail outlets. They last a lifetime, or several lifetimes. They resist scorching and burning. They can be used for almost any method of cooking: sauteing, frying, broiling, braising, stewing, roasting and baking. From a mess of catfish to a French tarte tatin, cast-iron cookware can do the job.
Lodge Manufacturing, a Tennessee company founded in 1896 that claims to be “the only American manufacturer of quality cast-iron cookware,” published “The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook” (Oxmoor House, 2012). This is one of those cookbooks in which nearly every recipe appeals, from Seasonal Breakfast Frittata to Bacon and Gorgonzola Cornbread Sliders With Chipotle Mayo. The fajitas and the potato dish, below, are a tasty sampling.
Seasoning a cast-iron pan means giving it a layer of baked-on (“polymerized”) fat, which seals the metal and turns it into a nonstick surface. Lodge makes “factory seasoned” cookware. If your pan is new but not factory seasoned, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If your pan is old and in need of seasoning, you can search the Internet for scores of methods. Basically,
Note:
the idea is to coat the pan with vegetable oil, wipe it down so it appears dry, and bake it one hour at 350 degrees. This process can be repeated several times. If you can afford it, flaxseed oil is considered the best choice for seasoning cast iron.
PAN-FRIED FAJITA STEAKS For the seasoning:
2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
For the fajitas:
4 (10- to 12-ounce) beef strip steaks
3 tablespoons vegetable divided
8 fajita-style (6- to 7-inch) flour tortillas
2 yellow bell peppers, halved, stemmed and seeded
8 plum tomatoes, halved 12 scallions, trimmed
2 limes, halved oil,
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Preheat 2 large cast-iron skillets over mediumhigh heat (see notes). Combine seasonings in a small bowl. Rub mixture evenly over the meat.
Pour 1 tablespoon oil into each of the hot skillets, reserving the remaining tablespoon. Add 2 steaks to each pan and sear, turning every minute, until steaks reach desired doneness (see notes). Transfer steaks to a platter, cover loosely with foil and let stand.
Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in oven as vegetables cook.
Increase heat under the skillets to high. If necessary, add some of the remaining tablespoon oil to each pan. Divide bell peppers, tomatoes, scallions and lime halves between the two hot pans. Cook, tossing a few times, until vegetables and limes are slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.
Return steaks and any accumulated juices to the pans and heat both skillets over high heat. Squeeze the charred lime halves over the top. Serve steaks and vegetables with warm tortillas. Each diner gets his/her own steak and can help him/herself to the vegetables in the pans.
Notes:
If you have only one large skillet, work in batches, keeping the cooked foods covered on a warm platter. The USDA recommends cooking beef to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees, or medium.
4 servings
Recipe from “The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook,” compiled and edited by Pam Hoenig (Oxmoor House, 2012).
Yield: CAST-IRON ROASTED RED POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY AND ONION
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon kosher
Freshly ground black pepper
Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
When the skillet is hot, add potatoes and onion and drizzle with oil. Add rosemary, salt and pepper (to taste), and roast in oven until the potatoes are browned and tender when tested with a knife, 45 minutes to an hour. Stir once or twice during cooking, but not more, as you will make the potatoes mushy.
4 servings
Yield:
salt, preferably
Recipe from “The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook,” compiled and edited by Pam Hoenig (Oxmoor House, 2012).