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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Been looking for recipes for the ultimate dutch oven

I have an ultimate dutch oven that I have never used, so I would like to put it to use at some point.

So I've been looking for recipes, which aren't very easy to come by.

There used to be an Ultimate Dutch Oven cookbook, but it's been discontinued.

The recipes I do find, I'm quickly realizing that most anything that can be made in the ultimate dutch oven, can be made in a regular pot.

And, if it can be made in a regular pot, it almost always can be made in the ultimate dutch oven.

The other night I made a recipe that came with the manual, but since it was a dessert, I used a smaller pot to make it.

I just can't justify making any dessert, bread, soup or stew in this pot*, when I can more easily make it in a smaller pot.

*You certainly CAN make that stuff in the ultimate dutch oven. I just wouldn't, if I can use a smaller pot that's easier to carry and clean.

Nevertheless, I'm seeking out things that I am willing to try-- mostly meat dishes.

I can see how it would be useful as a small smoker, but smoked meat isn't my favorite.

I am willing to try smoked salmon, since I've never had that. I don't have an ultimate dutch oven recipe for smoked salmon, but I'm sure any recipe will work.

Now, there's one interesting, yet ridiculous looking recipe that I will probably not try, because sausage isn't my favorite thing, and it appears to be a hassle.

It's in the cookbook "101 things to do with a dutch oven", and it specifically calls for the ultimate dutch oven:

Sausage spinach wreath

1/2 pound fresh ground pork, browned and drained
1/2 pound pork sausage, browned and drained
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 box Knorr vegetable soup mix
6 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed
2 green onions, chopped
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except pastry, cover, and set aside.

I'm going to skip the fancy complicated stuff you're supposed to do with the pastry to make it into a wreath.

Just cut it in pieces, and lay them on the bottom of the dutch oven rack. It'll be fine.

Place meat mixture in a ring over the puff pastry pieces. Then put some more pieces on top.

I'm pretty sure you could use pie shells in place of the puff pastry.

Place the rack in the preheated dutch oven; Bake at 400 degrees using 15 coals on bottom and 20 on top.

Should take 40 to 50 minutes; check with a meat thermometer and make sure it's 160 degrees.

It's possible I may try the meat mixture itself and make a pork meatloaf. But I wouldn't need the ultimate dutch oven for that either.

This cookbook has three recipes specifically for the ultimate dutch oven: sausage spinach wreath, zucchini carrot cake, and chocolate cake.




3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. You're kinda missing the whole point of the Ultimate Dutch Oven. Yes, you can indeed cook any recipe using a different and smaller pot. However, the Ultimate Dutch Oven cooks the same recipe faster due to the cone inside that is designed to recirculate heat, (and increase the surface area of hot cast iron making contact with the food). It also has a much deeper lid than most outdoor Dutch Ovens, so it can be used as a frying pan or griddle all by itself. And of course, the pineapple upside down cake you prepare in your Ultimate Dutch Oven, (while camping), will amaze any lucky bystander.

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  3. I do acknowledge that it cooks faster. Just more cumbersome to use, but that's just me.

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