Fecks Noah - Cast-iron cooking for two: 75 quick and easy skillet recipes

For Nicole, Ben, and Justin Pruess, Lindsey Sterling Pruess, and my grandsons Jackson and Levi, you enrich my life beyond measure. Without your love and support, life would be as boring as unseasoned, cold mashed potatoes.

Text Copyright 2019 by Joanna Pruess

Photographs copyright 2019 by Noah Fecks, except on

Foreword copyright 2019 by Mark Kelly

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Laura Klynstra

Cover photo credit: Noah Fecks

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4803-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4804-0

Printed in China

Praise for Cast-Iron Cooking for Two

If youve ever longingly eyed a recipe but had to pass it up because it served a small army or used a small armys kitchens worth of pans, bow down to Joanna Pruess. She has created a book of delicious, just-right-for-two dishes that use basically one pan. Your copy will be dog-eared in no time.

David Leite, publisher of the James Beard Award-winning website Leites Culinaria (LCcooks.com)

Joanna Pruesss Cast-Iron Cooking for Two is a magical work. With her easy, accessible, and delicious recipes for two, Joanna encourages cooks to share the magic that is cast-iron cooking at its best, even for small gatherings.

Mark Kelly, public relations manager, Lodge Cast Iron

A lovely book and full of wonderful ideas. I can think of dedicated cooks wanting to try one a week, if not more often. Im cooking my way through the book.

Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of The Four Seasons of Pasta

Contents

Asian Salade Nioise with Sesame-Crusted Tuna,

Foreword

Welcome to Ms. Wizards Kitchen

For decades, young TV viewers were captivated by the antics of Don Herbert, the host of Mr. Wizard , as he used household items to teach the basics of chemistry and physics. His successful experiments enhanced the prevailing attitude that all things were possible through science.

Turning the clock forward, Joanna Pruesss inspiring new cookbook, Cast-Iron Cooking for Two , ably demonstrates Mr. Wizards theme that endless magic is possible by using of what lies around your house, especially in the kitchen.

Indeed, there isnt a better category of cookware than cast iron to represent culinary science and the food history of many families. The same pots and pans that nurtured bygone generations are invaluable for todays home cooks, many of whomas couples, two friends, or a pair of family memberscrave tasty and easy-to-prepare meals. Appropriately, all the recipes in Cast-Iron Cooking for Two, from traditional favorites to stylish contemporary dishes, use a 6-, 8-, or 10-inch skillet, grill pan, or griddle.

The cookwares versatility is legendary. Anyone can sear a steak, bake Aunt Marys cobbler, braise Grandmas short ribs, saut fish fillets, or resurrect the familys deep-fried chicken recipe in cast iron. The pans also shine with contemporary favorites like stir-fried vegetables and baked flatbreads, plus a skillet of meat or vegetables that can be slid under the broiler with results that always exceed expectations.

As much as American cooks maintain a sense of ownership to cast irons legacy and lore, Joannas wide-ranging but well-curated collection of recipes reflects the universal diversity of food cultures that use cast-iron pans. While some include ingredients that may cause readers to flip the pages in search of dishes with more familiar spices, fear not. With a little planning, any ingredient used in Cast-Iron Cooking for Two is readily available online and can be shipped to your location as quickly as novels, electronics, and exercise equipment from other websites.

Just where did cast iron come from? Historically, pig iron and steel were melted at high temperatures and poured into sand-cast molds to create durable and versatile cookwarean age-old practice. So why are the pans suddenly popping up on store shelves now? In reality, cast iron has been enjoying a renaissance for almost two decades.

Much of the categorys growth can be traced to Lodge Cast Irons introduction of foundry-seasoned cast-iron items in 2002. The resurgence also received an assist from television cooking shows, food and lifestyle magazines, and cookbooks featuring recipes prepared in cast-iron cookware.

Since 2002, cast-iron cookware, including enamel-coated pans, has been the fastest growing sector of the cookware market, rising from 4 percent of US sales to 15 percent in 2018. Sales throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand continue to enjoy positive results, as well.

The pans humble origins are still cherished by owners who revere the cooking performance of their pieces and relish passing their passion onto the next generation.

Joanna Pruesss Cast-Iron Cooking for Two is a magical work. With her easy, accessible, and delicious recipes for two, Joanna encourages cooks to share the magic that is cast-iron cooking at its best, even for small gatherings.

Mark H. Kelly

Public Relations Manager,

Lodge Cast Iron,

South Pittsburg, Tennessee

Introduction

Cast-Iron Cooking for Two: Why It Works for Me Today

When I started cooking in college, I discovered that foods cooked in cast-iron pans had a certain cachet that definitely helped my social life. Guys thought steaks charred in black skillets were sexy and macho, as well as delicious. Moms creamy mac n cheese (made in her Dutch oven) was a terrific icebreaker at an open house, and there was never a bite left of my seasonal cobblers under crisp streusel topping. I soon realized sharing food was my destiny and cast iron played an important supporting role.

In the ensuing decades, Ive entertained my family, friends, and clients with meals ranging from homey to lavishall cooked in cast iron. Over the years, my adventures throughout Europe, climbing the Great Wall of China near Beijing and the Pyramid of the Magician in Mexicos Yucatn, the Middle East, and India introduced me to unique flavors and cooking techniques that were adaptable to cast iron. Along the way, Ive written books and articles about the cookwares durability and versatility and watched as restaurants started serving both comfort food and modern dishes directly from the pan. I continue to entertain and cook for others, but these days its usually me plus one, an intimacy that is both rewarding and fun after years of feeding many people at once.

If my 14-inch cast-iron skillet and large Dutch oven mostly stay on a shelf, my 6-, 8-, and 10-inch skillets are ever-present on the stove, as theyre the pans I reach for first. They are also the ones I use most often in Cast-Iron Cooking for Two , which combines two passions. The first is the new stage in my culinary journey, cooking for two. The second is my ongoing enthusiasm for the simple versatility of cast-iron cooking, starting with the comfort food of my college days on through my more recent exploration with how cast iron is utilized in cultures throughout the world in both simple and complex dishes.