Robin Donovan - Dutch Oven Obsession: A Cookbook for the Only Pot In Your Life

Braised Pork Chops with Vegetables and Thyme ()

Copyright 2016 by Sonoma Press, Berkeley, California

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Front cover photography StockFood/Jonathan Gregson

Interior photography Stockfood/James Franco, .

Recipe featured in cover photo: Slow-Roasted Pork Roast with Onions and Carrots ()

ISBN: Print 978-1-943451-50-0 | eBook 978-1-943451-51-7

Chapter One
GOING DUTCH

Chapter Two
BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

Chapter Three
APPETIZERS & SIDES

Chapter Four
SOUPS & STEWS

Chapter Five
MEATLESS MAINS

Chapter Six
FISH & SEAFOOD MAINS

Chapter Seven
POULTRY MAINS

Chapter Eight
PORK, BEEF & LAMB MAINS

Chapter Nine
BREADS, ROLLS & JAMS

Chapter Ten
DESSERTS

W hen I picture my childhood kitchen, what I see is my mother, crisp apron tied around her waist, with a wooden spoon in one hand, an open copy of Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French Cookingor another lauded cooking tomeon the counter, and a shiny enameled Dutch oven in Le Creusets signature bright orange flame color bubbling away on the stove top. That Dutch oven came to represent for me the very foundation of what it means to be a great cook.

My mother was among that generation of American women who taught themselves to cook by watching Child on television or poring over her book. She started out by mastering French classicsthings like bouillabaisse, ratatouille, and cassoulet filled her Dutch ovenbut she quickly moved on to more adventurous fare. Smoky Brazilian black bean and pork feijoada, mysteriously chocolatey and spicy chicken mole, rich Greek moussaka, and spicy shrimp and sausage gumbo began to make appearances. On Thanksgiving her largest Dutch oven always held her classic savory bread stuffing. The next day the turkey carcass went in with water and veggies to make stock. Later, the leftover turkey meat became a Dutch oven turkey pot pie. For Hanukkah she made spiced brisket and, when we lucked out, jelly donuts for dessert. On Christmas morning, we had sweet, cinnamony French toast casserole straight from the pot.

By the time I left home, my devotion to the enameled Dutch oven was deeply ingrained, but I didnt get one of my own until many years later when I got married. It was the very first item I put on our wedding registrya 5-quart, kiwi-green, Le Creuset, round Dutch oven. My husband-to-be balked at both the size and the price. At the time, we lived in a tiny San Francisco apartment with a kitchen hardly larger than a closet. Most of our cookware, though completely functional, had been handed down by our mothers or picked up at tag sales and thrift stores. I admit that this stunning piece of high-end cookware seemed out of place in its first modest surroundings, but the minute I received that heavy box (thanks to friends who banded together to gift us with it), I was in love, and that love has endured over the years.

Though their popularity has ebbed and flowed, following the tide of cooking trends, enamel-coated cast iron Dutch ovens have been a staple of well-equipped kitchens since the 1920s. Even when every restaurant in town is flaunting grilled meats, quick and light sauts, or even raw foods, at home, a satisfying soup, tender roast, hearty stew, or decadent cheese-and-pasta dish with a crispy bread-crumb topping always seems to be in style.

Since my wedding, Ive used my big green Dutch oven to cook thousands of dishes, from applesauce to zarzuela. It makes regular appearances on my stove top to cook everything from my sons favorite Matzo Ball Soup (). In the summer my family loves to visit pick-it-yourself fruit orchards where we load up on vine- or tree-ripened berries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and plums. My big green Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for cooking down the fruit and turning it into sweet, spreadable jams and jellies.

And I cant neglect to mention that a Dutch oven makes the most delectable upside-down cake, such as the Caramelized Pear Upside-Down Cake (). No matter what fruit you choose, whether it be pineapples, peaches, bananas, pears, or some creative combination, the sugars caramelize to perfection, and the cake develops just the right amount of toothsome crunch on the outside while remaining pillowy and soft on the inside.