I need some summer dutch oven recipes
My husband just got me my first dutch oven (I know, I'm late to the party) and all of the recipes I'm finding seem to be such heavy "fall/wintery" types of dishes. Can anyone suggest something a little more "summery" that I can make?
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26 Comments:
One of the nice things about a dutch oven is that you can stands up to alot of abuse, meaning you can throw it right on the grill or even a campfire, which is really great when it's hot out. How about a nice summer veggie stew?
Embackus at 5:01PM on 06/25/09
Mix a meat and fruit and braise slowly. Add whatever spices/sauce etc. you like to go with.
Peaches and pork
Pineapple or apple and chicken
Apples and beef etc.
Cook til very tender and then shred the meat and put the meat and fruit, hot or cold, over rice or in a sandwich or with a nice grain or over greens for a salad. Can cook one day and have enough for several.
Ratatouille, which I like cold in the summer myself.
You can cook beans plain for any kind of recipes later, or make a big pot of flavored beans for refried, (can make tacos/salad and more) Cuban black beans, (I like it with grilled bread and a big green salad) Italian-flavored white (Mix with pasta, serve with chicken florentine, with bread, salad etc.)
You can make cornbread in a dutch oven, or fruit cobblers.
Cook down tomatoes and other veg for gazpacho or tomato sauces.
Cook down greens which you can use fresh in tacos or salads or freeze to use later.
Cook the grains you would use for a cold salad, like quinoa, barley, lentils etc.
I like to use my stove/oven very little in the heat, so I will often cook up some things in the evenings on one day and portion/freeze so I have summer meal ingredients ready to go. All I have to do is thaw and mix with veggies or other fixings. (Like the grains and beans) I eat those all summer so I like having a bunch ready made for these hot nights.
sadiepix at 5:03PM on 06/25/09
You need to buy Elizabeth David's Summer Cooking, and try her "Duck in Orange Juice" and the "Poulet en Gelee" which requires a calf foot.
Google books has displayed the duck recipe here, but that cookbook is a must have. I cooked it at a 300 degree oven. Served it to a party of 3. There were no leftovers.
http://books.google.com/books?id=rjm_stfGEaoC&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=elizabeth+david+%2B+Summer+cooking+%2B+duck+in+orange+sauce&source=bl&ots=_ccLGCxsza&sig=GHvcD5soSs8s1sfBdVi8ihLVgEs&hl=en&ei=qOVDSsLoIKGNtgfg5PycAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
Ortolan at 5:04PM on 06/25/09
Duck confit.
wookie at 5:18PM on 06/25/09
Fine cooking just came out with a BBQ braise article where you combine BBQ'ing the meat and braising it in a dutch oven on the grill. Made the Barbecue-Braised Bourbon Beef with Mustard Glaze, was a little time consuming but I don't mind that personally. Came out tasty.
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/barbecue-braised-moroccan-lamb-shanks-honey-mint-glaze.aspx?nterms=52322
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/barbecue-braised-thai-chicken-legs-lemongrass-glaze.aspx?nterms=52322
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/barbecue-braised-vietnamese-short-ribs-vinegar-glaze.aspx?nterms=52322
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/barbecue-braised-spareribs-beer-mustard-glaze.aspx?nterms=52322
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/barbecue-braised-bourbon-beef-mustard-glaze.aspx?nterms=52322
bigfatmouth at 5:51PM on 06/25/09
MEXICAN POT ROAST/CHICKEN for Burritos/Tacos
Ingredients
One 4 - 4 1/2 pound pot roast beef/pork or chicken
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, cut in slivers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cup beef broth
1 28 ounce can good quality plum tomatos
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano (or just oregeno)
2 tbsp ground cumin
4 ancho chiles, WHOLE (dried pasillas)
2 pasilla chiles, minced
3 chipotle peppers in abode sauce
1 tbsp cayanne
Procedure
1. Saute onions & garlic until lightly carmelized - add to crockpot.
2. Add tomatoes to crockpot and mash with masher. Add all other ingredients (except meat). Put the ancho chiles in whole.
3. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Brown.
4. Deglaze the pan with beef stock (will reduce by approx. 1 cup). Add to crock pot.
5. After a couple hours remove chiles and 1 cup of braising liquid; transfer to a blender. Purée chiles and return to pot. Cover and simmer 4 to 6 hours, until meat falls completely from bone and shreds easily with a fork.
6. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Remove gristle and bones. Shred meat; place meat on a serving plate. Add some of the sauce to the meat - to your liking. Pour braising liquid into a gravy boat or small bowl.
***This is not very spicy (at least to me) so add more cayanne or a few red chiles or chile flakes if you want it spicy.
Serve burrito style (suggestions):
refried beans
black beans
shredded carrots
shredded cabbage
lettuce
rice
avacado
green onions
cilantro
cheese
salsa
hot sauces
mrstkach at 5:57PM on 06/25/09
How's about some baked beans for your next cook out? Try Maple Baked Beans, Hot and Smoky Baked Beans or Montreal Salt Pork Baked Beans from epicurious.com.
dhorst at 6:01PM on 06/25/09
Use it to make no knead bread!
devaleena at 11:03PM on 06/25/09
I second the ratatouille suggestion. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers....you just can't get better ones than right now. Perfect for summer and perfect for a dutch oven. All you need is a good, crusty bread and a great bottle of wine to serve with it, and you have a simple, yet delicious meal.
kimberlymac at 12:03AM on 06/26/09
All About Braising has some great vegetable braising recipes you can do on the stovetop -- radishes, new potatoes with bay, all sorts of good stuff.
jm chen at 10:30AM on 06/26/09
it seems like all the suggestions can be done with a regular pot... do they taste better on a dutch oven? honestly, i've had a dutch oven for a bit, but after the initial try of cornbread, the only other time i've taken it out is for some deep frying. Otherwise, I end up doing things in a regular pot or a slow cooker.
why the dutch oven?
attgig at 11:08AM on 06/26/09
Steamed mussels? That's one of my favorite summer meals (well, all seasons), with a nice salad.
lizaj at 11:42AM on 06/26/09
attgig, I know what you mean, I don't know about tasting better...maybe? But where I can really tell is how it caramelizes stuff like onions or searing...you get a really nice fond. The way it cooks the food seems to really be different than a normal pot. Don't know if it's the heat retention? And I LOVE the clean up. I've never had anything stuck to the bottom of that thing, it is indestructible!
bigfatmouth at 1:18PM on 06/26/09
I feel like my dutch oven can handle more. My normal pot gets black marks on the bottom, food sticks to the bottom, and it's so easy to burn the food I'm cooking because it's so thin. Haven't had any of these problems with the dutch oven. Also, I can brown meat on the stove top and then put it in the oven to finish it off without switching pans. Plus you can bake in it.
Also, you can use the cast iron on your bbq so if you're out grilling you can make side dishes out there instead of inside a hot kitchen.
I just got a dutch oven combo (3qt pot with a skillet that doubles as a lid) a few months ago and I've been using them constantly.
gingercookiewithlime at 9:23PM on 06/26/09
Used a dutch oven to make pasta sauce the other day, and it did come out better than if done in a regular pan. Don't know exactly why, but I'll be doing it that way from now on.
dmcavanagh at 9:34PM on 06/26/09
use it as a deep fryer.... bread up some shrimp and scallops and have your self a fish fry..... with some nice homemade tartar sauce and cabbage slaw with olive oil and lemon or a nice wine vinegar....
pooch at 9:41PM on 06/26/09
making cobblers was the only reason i used dutch ovens for anything, just get some cake mix and pie filling and some imagination; i'd make cobbler all the time as a boy scout. i eventually got bored with "normal" flavors like peach and cherry cobbler, and eventually tried making "pina colobbler," which turned out to be kind of tasty, though not as awesome as that name might entail.
ChickenFinger5 at 9:44PM on 06/26/09
Pulled pork, obviously. Recipe is so simple it barely justifies posting it. Sear a 5-6 lb. pork butt on your BBQ grill, transfer it to the dutch oven into which you have placed a couple of sliced onions and a few crushed garlic cloves. Add 1/2" of apple juice or water into the bottom, cover and braise in the oven for 4-5 hrs. @ 325°F. Allow the roast to cool, then shred with two forks, discarding the clumps of fat and bone. Mix in BBQ sauce to taste, either homemade, or store-bought.
Another cool thing you can do with a dutch oven (pun intended) is chill it in your freezer, then use it to serve potato salad, cole slaw, etc. at your BBQ. It will keep the salad much colder than an ordinary serving dish.
salpico at 12:26AM on 06/27/09
Thanks so much! A lot of these ideas sound really good...gotta say that pulled pork will be made very soon.
cheddar at 2:23PM on 06/27/09
@salpico -- I've never made pulled pork. I'm going to try that recipe out. I assume that you eat it like a side dish or on a sandwich?
gingercookiewithlime at 6:18PM on 06/27/09
I'm late to your party...LOL. You have a great many suggestions already.
Pulled pork - start it on the grill and keep it there for one hour to get the smoky flavor. Put it in your dutch oven and cook overnight at 275 degrees, covered, with carrots, onions, poblano and a couple of plum tomatoes, cumin and chili powder, and white wine. Strain and reserve juices, defat them and use with the pork.
Caponata comes to mind.
Strawberry Jam and other summer jams. Can some Giardiniera!
You can make a huge vat of marinara sauce and can it so you'll have it on hand.
Enjoy your Dutch oven!
therealchiffonade at 9:23AM on 06/28/09
Goat taco recipe from Gourmet about a year ago. Turned out great!!
pksmash at 11:54AM on 06/28/09
Jambalaya! The even heat of the dutch oven means less chance of having the rice on the bottom burn before the rest of the pot is done.
Peregrine at 12:56PM on 06/28/09
Help me out, here. I love Dutch Oven cooking, and do it all the time. http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com for my recipes, etc...
This is something I've been wondering about for a long time... What constitutes a "summer" dish as opposed to a "winter" dish? I could never tell what clothes I should be wearing, either. :-)
Mark Hansen
mrkhmusic at 2:56PM on 07/06/09
Seconding Peregrine on the jambalaya. This recipe feeds two hungry people. We eat it about once a week.
8 oz raw chicken, cubed (can be breasts or thighs or whatever you prefer)
8 oz andouille sausage, sliced (andouille is best and traditional, but if you can't find it you can sub any spicy sausage that holds its shape when sliced)
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 large onion, diced small
3 stalks celery, diced small
1 large bell pepper, diced small
6-8 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste. we usually do 1-2 small heads, which comes out to around 12 cloves or so, but that might be overdoing it for most people)
1 tbsp cayenne (or to taste, we like it spicy!)
1 tbsp Tony's (cajun seasoning mix)
1 tbsp red pepper flakes, divided
1 tbsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp black pepper, divided
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 cup fresh thyme
Heat Dutch Oven on medium till it smokes or till a drop of water evaporates immediately upon hitting the pan. Season chicken pieces with salt, 1 tsp of the pepper, and 1 tsp of the red pepper flakes. Put all chicken and sausage into the pan and cook until browned well on all sides. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Turn heat to medium low. Put onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pan. These can be cut as large or as small as you like. Cook, stirring often, until all vegetables are softened, onions are translucent, and mixture has reduced a lot in size. If you browned the meat well, there should be brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Stir well, scraping the bottom, to incorporate all those bits back into the mixture. When the vegetables are cooked down, add the meat back into the pan and stir. Add the rice and stir well, making sure the rice is incorporated evenly through the pan. Add cayenne, Tony's, red pepper flakes, granulated garlic, dried oregano, and black pepper. Pour in chicken stock. If there is not enough liquid to cover, add more chicken stock or water to cover. Cover the pan with a lid. Stir every 5 minutes and let cook until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Remove from heat and add fresh thyme. Recover the pot and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
nightowl at 4:00PM on 07/06/09
Whew. That was all from memory, and I don't exactly measure spices, so.... let the cook beware. This is good stuff though, I have to convince the boyfriend we can't eat it every day of the week.
nightowl at 4:03PM on 07/06/09