Cast Iron Conviction (The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries Book 2) (20 page)

Recipes

Ribs and Vegetables, Annie Style

This is a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors while benefiting from the coals of a hearty fire. I’ve listed alternate methods of cooking this meal using charcoal briquettes or even a conventional oven, but I must admit that I’ve only ever made this meal with the coals from a hardwood fire. There’s something about the autumn that makes this a favorite of mine. Alternatives might be substituting carrots for the potatoes and serving this dish with rice instead. Some folks like to add beer or wine to steam the ribs and vegetables, but a half cup of water works just fine, too. These ribs and sides are a real treat, great in the evening to enjoy while you’re sitting around a rebuilt fire where your meal just cooked!

Ingredients

• 1 rack pork or beef ribs, cut in equal halves to fit
  
• 1 green bell pepper
  
• 1 large onion
  
• 6 red new potatoes
  
• 1 bottle barbeque sauce (18 ounces)
  

Directions

Cut all of the vegetables into large chunks and spread them out in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Slice the bell peppers along the longitude (making rings), removing the center stem and seeds, slice the onion along the longitude as well, and cut the potatoes into 2-3 inch chunks. Lay the ribs over the vegetables and apply the sauce over the top of the ribs, rubbing the sauce in to be sure that the tops are all coated. The purpose of the vegetables is twofold: to keep the ribs from burning on the bottom, and to add a delicious side to the meal. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and cook as directed, per the heat source directions listed below. After two to two and a half hours, the ribs should be tender to the touch with a fork. Now it’s time to brown them, by adding more heat to the top than the bottom. You will need to add more coals or charcoal at this point, or remove the lid of your cast iron pot if it’s in the oven, if so desired. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, then check for finished doneness. Serve these while hot, and enjoy.

Yields a meal for two hungry people

Directions for your heat source

If you’re cooking this meal outside in your fire pit, prepare a hardwood fire first and let the fire die down to hot coals. If you’re using charcoal briquettes, start with enough to allow you to reach a temperature between 250 degrees F and 300 degrees F. In the past, I’ve used 14-16 briquettes on the top, with 8-10 briquettes below. A great deal of this depends on outside temperature, wind, and even humidity! As noted in the book, if you can place your hand six inches above the top without pulling it away, you should be fine. You can also cook this meal in your oven at 275 degrees F, if so desired.

Cooking implement

#12 Dutch oven is perfect, but other sizes are fine. Just adjust the recipe as needed.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This is one of our favorite treats in my household, and cast iron is the perfect cookware for it. I don’t make it outside in my fire pit, but I know that some folks bake this treat in a Dutch oven in the coals. Wherever you prepare it, it’s absolutely delicious. We all love to eat it fresh from the oven, when the pineapple slices and the cherries are both still warm from baking, though some members of my family like it better the next day after it’s been in the fridge. As for me, I refuse to choose, sampling some on both days. I wish I could tell you what it tastes like the day after that, but we’ve never had one last that long. One member of my family even insists on this as a birthday cake substitute, it’s so delicious!

Ingredients

• Topping (actually the base, as it is being prepared)
  
• 1 can sliced pineapple, drained (8.25 oz.)
  
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
  
• maraschino cherries (as needed)
  

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 cup milk (whole or 2%)
  
• 1/3 cup shortening
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the topping first. On the stovetop, melt the butter in a nine-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter. Then place the pineapple slices around the bottom of the pan, putting one in the center of the skillet for presentation. Cut as needed to fit the bottom. Then place cherries in the centers and curves of the pineapple slices. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, milk, shortening, egg, baking powder, vanilla, and salt at a low speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer, scraping constantly for thirty seconds. Then beat on high, scraping occasionally, for two to three minutes, until the ingredients are combined. Pour the batter evenly over the fruit in the cast iron skillet bottom. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven and skillet. Invert onto a heat-proof plate and let the skillet remain in place for a few minutes. Remove it carefully, and then serve while it’s still warm.

Yields 6-8 servings

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Other Books by Jessica Beck

The Donut Mysteries

Glazed Murder

Fatally Frosted

Sinister Sprinkles

Evil Éclairs

Tragic Toppings

Killer Crullers

Drop Dead Chocolate

Powdered Peril

Illegally Iced

Deadly Donuts

Assault and Batter

Sweet Suspects

Deep Fried Homicide

Custard Crime

Lemon Larceny

Bad Bites

Old Fashioned Crooks

Dangerous Dough

Troubled Treats

Sugar Coated Sins

The Classic Diner Mysteries

A Chili Death

A Deadly Beef

A Killer Cake

A Baked Ham

A Bad Egg

A Real Pickle

A Burned Biscuit

The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries

Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws

Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight

The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries

Cast Iron Will

Cast Iron Conviction