Adventures of a Dutch Oven Beginner

It is my great pleasure to introduce a new writer to the Cooking-Outdoors team, Deb McCrath of www.EatingIdaho.com a blog about eating local. Chock full of recipes and great advice. This is Deb's first attempt at dutch oven cooking and she enthusiastically describes how fun and easy it is!

Adventures of a Dutch oven Beginner!

by Deb McCrath

www.EatingIdaho.com

My husband and I have had a very nice Dutch oven set in our garage for about five years. He won it somewhere and brought it home and I thought, “well, that's cool.” and there it sat. I've wanted to learn. I've read. I've talked to friends. But I've never followed through – until last week. I finally decided that it was time. I invited everyone I know to come over to my first annual Dutch Oven Extravaganza. The invitation simply said: If you Dutch oven, bring your stuff and any recipe you choose. If you don't, just show up ready to learn. They showed up. It was a huge success, and not only did I learn, but I am absolutely hooked.

Friends started arriving mid-afternoon and Capt. Wally began the process of heating coals and preparing equipment. I wandered around, taking pictures, prepping ingredients, and making a general nuisance of myself while others worked. I bugged everyone with endless questions, like “Can I do that? What is that? Why are you putting that there? What are you going to do next?” I took continuous pictures and assisted at any point that someone would let me. I watched carefully as our dinner started to take shape. Sooner than I had predicted, I had a full plate of “Gooey Death Chicken” and “Chuck wagon casserole” and chicken enchiladas and Dutch oven nachos. And then after that, a bowl of cherry cobbler dessert cake that made a perfect finish to the night.

Sue was in charge of the Gooey Death Chicken, which was amazingly easy and melted in your mouth. This dish alone got me inspired about this whole Dutch oven thing. Directions: Saute 2 cups of diced celery and onion in butter over med-high heat until soft. Add chicken breasts, cook and turn once until white on both sides. Next, add a can of Cream of Chicken soup over everything and then bake for one hour at approx 350 degrees. Next, remove lid and add a box of stuffing mix on top. Cook for 10 more minutes and serve.

The Captain, his wife and daughter were in charge of the Chicken Enchiladas, which were a great option for two of our guests who need gluten-free dinner options. The recipe is a variation of a popular Dutch oven recipe that I later found all over the internet. Directions: Layer corn tortillas, pre-made chicken filling, and sauce in Dutch oven, then dump remaining sauce over the top of the layers and cook at 350ish degrees for about an hour. Even in the first 10 minutes the smell was fabulous and caused serious mouth watering.

Filling:

Saute chopped onions & garlic in vegetable oil, then mix in a bowl with shredded cooked chicken breast, 1 tea each chili powder & cumin, about 1/3rd of a small can of enchilada sauce, and salt & pepper.

Sauce:

Mix 2 cans gluten-free Cream of Chicken soup, small container of sour cream, small can of green chilies, cooked bacon pieces, the rest of the can of enchilada sauce, more chili powder & cumin, and salt & pepper to taste.

Jess made a Chuck Wagon Casserole (another recipe found everywhere on Dutch oven websites – if anyone knows the original publisher of these recipes, please let me know!) by browning ground beef in the Dutch oven with chopped onion and bell pepper, adding a can of chili and 3/4 cup of bbq sauce, and covering with prepared cornbread batter mixed with a can of corn. The dish turned out great, and the cornbread on top was moist, tender, a little sweet and would've left us all completely satisfied all by itself.

Michelle was in charge of the Dutch Oven Nachos, which were the fastest dish of the evening, done in just about 25 minutes. Directions: Brown ground hamburger, add 1 pkg taco seasoning mix, add chopped onion and garlic and cook together until you can smell the onion. Add a layer of refried beans, jar of sliced jalapeños, sliced olives, shredded cheese and top with a jar of salsa. Cover and heat through. We ate large servings with corn chips & sour cream.

After eating four different great main dishes, Sue walked me through a simple dump-it dessert, including a layer of butter, 2 cans of cherry pie filling, a box of vanilla cake mix, and 2 cups of Sprite/7-up/Sierra Mist or other lemon lime soda. An hour later, the lid came off and a beautiful dessert was served with whipped cream. I could not believe how easy it was. I didn't think I could eat another bite, but after the first one I knew there wasn't any other choice but to finish the plate. Oh my.

And for me? Our Dutch oven was broken in with an all-Idaho potato side dish (saute chopped bacon, add layers of sliced onion & potatoes, add salt & pepper and cook for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft) which ended up being a fantastic breakfast the next morning. Our D.O. performed admirably, despite taking about 2 hours to finish cooking. By the time my potatoes were done, no one could even think about eating anything else. But that's okay, because it meant I didn't have to share!

Overall, it was a huge success. I learned a LOT about Dutch oven cooking: that it is easier than I thought, that the initial prep is the hardest part, that it's easy to just add more heat if needed. I also learned that I need a whole list of new “tools” including a briquette chimney, a lid lifter, a lid rack, and a metal table to set my D.O. on. (OK, maybe NEED is a strong word – but the extras seem to be worth it.) I can't wait for next month, and Dutch Oven Extravaganza Part Two!

Deb McGrath

www.eatingidaho.com

Thank you Deb! We can't wait for your next adventure in Dutch oven cooking…

If you would like to be a guest writer on www.Cooking-Outdoors.com just send me an email!

Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I have!

Gary