2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
HOME & LIVING
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
Getting the most from your skillet
Hear, hear, sear
A cast-iron skillet is a steak’s
BFF. It can withstand high heat
and helps to distribute that heat
evenly. As a result, it yields a per-
fect brown crust that seals in the
meat’s juices. Even a cheap skillet
can do this job well. Be sure to use
a dry seasoning; save wet mari-
nades for other types of cooking.
Start out by adding very little oil to
a very hot skillet. Season the meat
with salt and pepper and let it sit
for several minutes undisturbed.
You will end up with a beauty.
By Arthi Subramaniam
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Anne Byrn’s black Griswold has
been a workhorse in her kitchen. She
has fried bacon, cooked pancakes,
seared salmon and baked Southern-
style cornbread in the 12-inch cast-
iron skillet umpteen times.
When she moved from Atlanta to
Nashville, so did the skillet. It even
made a trip to and from England.
But she never praised it or really
appreciated its versatility. Then she
made a pound cake in her well-sea-
soned skillet, and she actually fell in
love with it.
It was not until her 14th cook-
book that the New York Times-
bestselling author turned to skillets.
She particularly wanted to feature
recipes that are not often associated
with cast-iron cookware. But with it
came an anxiety for “The Cake Mix
Doctor.”
“I thought people were going to
expect me to have a cake recipe and
I had no idea if it was going to work,”
the Nashville resident said in a
phone interview.
The only way to test it, she said,
was with a pound cake as it has
minimal ingredients. So she baked
one with butter and heavy cream,
and it was a success. The cake baked
to a glorious height with a crispy,
cookie-like top and popped out of the
skillet beautifully. When she sliced
into the cake, she found it had the
most even texture.
“I remember thinking that there
was something about the skillet that
insulates the cake and made sure
that the oven didn’t overcook it. It
acted as a buffer,” Byrn said.
Her on-and-off again relationship
with her skillet became a full-blown
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Best ever skillet pizza with eggplant parmesan topping.
love affair. She started making more
cakes like ones with blueberries and
prunes. For a brown sugar birthday
cake, she even prepared a caramel
icing in the skillet.
Fascinated by its construction, she
wanted to know more. The beauti-
ful project became her latest book,
“Skillet Love: From Steak to Cake”
(Grand Central Publishing, October
2019).
She said one of the best parts of
cooking with a skillet is that it locks
in and seals big and bold fl avors
when roasting vegetables and sear-
ing fi sh and steak. She advocates it
for rookies, skilled cooks and anyone
who wants to perfect baking bread,
make a better steak or cook fi sh over
an open fi re.
“I also like it for its healthful-
ness,” she said. “We often think how
great it is for frying food but it is
perfect for roasting and it does not
need too much oil. Plus, it releases
small amounts of iron into the food,
especially when something acidic
like tomatoes and lemons are cooked.
And that’s a good thing for women in
particular.”
Here are some of Byrn’s other dis-
coveries about what and how to cook
in a cast-iron skillet and why the food
tastes so good:
Like a wok, sort of
A wok is the go-to pan for stir-
frying. But if you don’t have one, a
cast-iron skillet could do the trick.
Stir-fries come out best when the
heat is cranked up, and a skillet
can do that. Unlike a wok, it is
harder to lift to toss the ingredi-
ents. The main thing is to keep
the food moving, so a deep skillet
is best to keep the ingredients
from falling out. Cook vegetables,
aromatics and meats in separate
stages and set them aside. Finally,
add them all back together with
the sauce.
Go nuts dry roasting
Trust your eyes and not your
Size matters
nose when dry roasting nuts, stir-
The top part of the skillet fl ares out. ring constantly if you are working
So if you can have only one skillet,
on a stovetop. If you’re using an
make sure it is a 12-inch because es- oven, leave the light on and keep an
sentially it has a 10-inch cooking sur- eye on them. When the nuts start to
face. If you cook with a 10-inch skillet, turn color, they are done; they will
the cooking surface is only 8 inches
continue to cook even after they’re
and that is rather small for roasting
removed from the skillet. Don’t wait
vegetables. If there is not enough of
for the nuts to be fully browned.
a surface area, the vegetables will be
See Skillet/Page 3B
steamed and not roasted.
SOUP
GHOSTLY
Continued from Page 1B
They seem to come and
go depending on the way
the sun is or isn’t shin-
ing on them or the angle
at which they are being
viewed. They like to toy
with your mind. The ones
where there are multiple
signs painted atop one
another are the most
intriguing.
While the ghost sign
above the porch roof
tries to guard its secrets
from us, if one looks very
carefully it appears that
both Baker Distributing
Co. and Oregon Produce
Co. seem to be trying to
give us a hint they are
there. The large sign on
the Greenwood side of the
building proudly announc-
es the Baker Distributing
Co.
But after a careful ex-
amination there appears
to be possibly three signs
stacked on one another
in three different colors.
Then because you are so
busy looking at the large
Baker Distributing sign
your eye misses another
sign. There, looking down
from between two of the
windows, is a smiling
gentleman toasting you
with a stein of Heidelberg
beer.
Another sign on the
railroad side of the build-
ing is very shy and very
good at keeping hidden.
Perhaps you can entice it
to reveal itself.
Keep looking up! Enjoy!
— Recipe from “Sundays at
I served mine as an ap-
Moosewood
Restaurant” by
petizer with yogurt in it. If
the
Moosewood
Collective
Continued from Page 1B
you serve it for dessert, you
Next up was a Cold Carrot- could always instead add
Coconut Soup. The coconut
heavy cream or even whipped CURRIED AVOCADO
part, fortunately, comes from cream.
SOUP
coconut milk. The other
Live it up. This summer-
fl avors come from ginger
time bounty won’t be with us Yield: 4 to 6 servings
and Madras curry powder
forever.
2 medium-ripe Haas (dark-
— two fl avors that happen
skinned) avocados
to enhance the taste of both
LIGHTLY SPICED
2 1/4 cups vegetable
carrots and coconut milk.
stock, divided
The soup is rich and power- TOMATO SOUP
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons
fully fl avored, so I would rec- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
curry powder
ommend it only as appetizer.
1 cup fi nely chopped onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
The only problem is that it
is so delicious that it is likely 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon
white pepper
to overshadow anything else Pinch cayenne pepper
(or 1 seeded and
1/2 cup heavy cream
that you would serve.
minced small chile)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For my last summertime
dish, I made a soup that could 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1. Split the avocados in half
be served either as a dessert 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground
with a knife and remove the
(it comes from Finland, and
cardamom
pits. Set aside one half. Scoop
that is how they like it there)
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
out the insides of the other 3
or a fi rst course.
halves with a spoon and blend
Cherry Soup (you’ll forgive 6 cups tomato juice
(48-ounce can)
with 1 cup of the stock in a
me if I don’t call it Kirsik-
kakeitto) is lightly sweet and 1 cup water or vegetable stock blender until smooth. Stir in
Plain yogurt, for garnish
the curry powder, salt, pepper,
absolutely gorgeous. It gets
cream and the remaining 1 1/4
its entrancing red color from
1. In a small soup pot, saute
cups of stock. Chill.
the cherries — lots of cherries
the onion in oil until translu-
2. When ready to serve,
that you have to pit your-
self — that are simmered in cent. Add the cayenne, cumin, garnish the soup with thin
water with a cinnamon stick. turmeric, cardamom and cloves avocado slices that have been
and saute another minute, stir- cut from the remaining avo-
Lemon juice brightens
ring constantly. Add the tomato cado half and dipped in lemon
the fl avor, sugar or honey
juice and water and simmer for juice.
sweetens it and white wine
about 20 minutes to blend the
or cherry liqueur brings an
— Recipe from “Sundays at
fl avors.
intriguing element that you
Moosewood Restaurant” by
2. Serve hot or cold, topped
might not be able to identify
the Moosewood Collective
but you will know it is there. with a spoonful of yogurt.
CHILLED STILTON
AND PEAR SOUP
into the roux. Whisk vigor-
ously until smooth. Add to
the 5-quart saucepan with the
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
remaining stock and vegeta-
1 tablespoon water
bles. Whisk until well com-
2 ribs celery, chopped
bined. Simmer an additional
1 medium onion, chopped
15 minutes.
1 medium leek, white
3. Remove from the heat
part only, chopped
and whisk in the grated Mon-
Salt and pepper
terey Jack cheese, 1 cup at a
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock time. Allow to cool.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4. Stir 1 tablespoon lemon
1/2 cup all-purpose fl our
juice into 4 cups of water.
12 ounces Monterey Jack
Core and cut into medium
cheese, fi nely grated
dice the unpeeled pears and
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
immediately place in the
2 small pears, unpeeled
acidulated water. Pour the
1/2 cup half-and-half
diced pears into a colander,
6 ounces Stilton cheese,
rinse under cold running wa-
broken into 1/2-inch pieces
ter, drain well and add to the
soup with the half-and-half
1. Heat the vegetable oil
and Stilton cheese. Adjust the
and water in a 5-quart sauce- seasoning with salt and pep-
pan over medium heat. When per. Refrigerate for 2 hours
hot, add the chopped celery, before serving.
onion and leek. Season with
salt and pepper and saute
— Recipe from “The Trellis
until the onions are translu-
Cookbook” by Marcel
cent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the
Desaulniers
chicken stock, bring to a boil,
lower the heat and simmer
for 15 minutes.
2. While the stock is sim-
3 shallots, sliced
mering, melt the butter in a 2 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/2-quart saucepan over low
or other neutral oil, divided
heat. Add the fl our to make a 8 large carrots, peeled
roux, and cook until the roux
and sliced
bubbles, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir
1-inch piece ginger,
constantly to prevent brown-
peeled and sliced
ing and scorching. Strain 4
Salt and pepper to taste
cups of the simmering stock
3 tablespoons Madras
curry powder
1 1/4 cups unsweetened
coconut milk
Fresh cilantro leaves,
for garnish
HEALTHY
helpful making open-faced
grilled cheese sandwiches, re-
heating pizza, making toast
or individual pizzas using
English muffi ns.
The can opener can be put
to use opening cans of low-
sugar fruit, which don’t need
to be refrigerated. The refrig-
erator can hold lots of fresh
fruits and pre-cut vegetables
for snacks (which are also
portable for between class
snacking), along with milk for
cold cereal. If a refrigerator
is not available, some dorms
will rent them for a nominal
fee, or, if your budget permits,
they are available at big box
stores or Walmart. Peanut
And remember: No one
ever died from eating too
many peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches when they were
away at college. Good luck to
all the students of Wallowa,
Baker and Union counties,
wherever you are headed.
Thank you to Jill Moncrief for
the idea for this column.
And remember to call your
mother; she worries.
child, there are several ap-
pliances you can pack along
Continued from Page 1B
with them as they set out,
However, not all students
that can make cooking easier
are so lucky. Many students
and maybe even enjoyable.
from Wallowa, Union and
Many of these options can be
Baker counties will be head- found at second hand stores
ing to college very soon, or
or garage sales.
moving out on their own.
Appliances such as an elec-
Some will be in dorms with
tric can opener (or manual),
meal plans and may not have blender, crock pot, Insta pot,
to worry much about what
instant tea kettle, toaster
they will eat, beyond the
oven, toaster and popcorn
popcorn for late night snacks popper can all help make
during study sessions. Some easy, simple, tasty and nutri-
students may be living in an tious snacks and meals. It’s
apartment on their own, or
advisable to check with the
with roommates. But for the housing manager to make
parent whose child does not
sure these, or any other appli-
know how to cook, doesn’t like ances, are acceptable for use
to cook and is in a living situ-
ation with limited resources
(i.e. no stove and no hotplates
allowed) what are their op-
tions?
While many living arrange-
ments on campus, a quad
for example, have common
areas, the kitchen facilities
may be nothing more than a
microwave and a refrigerator.
If this is the case with your
in your child’s living space.
A good cookbook, maybe
focusing on crock pot meals
or meals from the microwave,
will provide inspiration.
For example, an electric tea
kettle can heat water for tea,
coffee, cocoa, instant soups
or instant oatmeal. Blenders
are essential for smoothies;
good for snacks and a quick
breakfast or lunch.
A crock pot is good for
making homemade soups,
chili or stews, or heating
them from a can. On the
weekends, a few minutes
spent making soup can pay
dividends for meals the next
week. A toaster oven can be
COLD CARROT-
COCONUT SOUP
butter and jelly are usual
staples in many college dorm
rooms, quads or apartments,
and some brands do not
require refrigeration...
While on the subject of
nutrition, a brief discussion
with your away-from-home-
bound son or daughter on the
basics of nutrition is a good
idea. Especially worth dis-
cussing is the concept of calo-
ries in vs. calories expended.
The Freshman 15 (referring
to the 15 pounds, or more,
some students acquire during
the time between arriving on
campus and their fi rst time
back home) are easy to put
on, but harder to lose.
1. In a large soup pot over
medium-low heat, cook the
shallots in 1 tablespoon of the
oil until soft, but not browned,
about 4 minutes. Add the car-
rots and ginger and cook for
5 minutes, stirring occasion-
ally. Add enough cold water
to cover the carrots by 1 inch.
Season lightly with salt and
pepper and cook until the car-
rots are soft.
2. In a medium saucepan,
heat the remaining 1 table-
spoon of the oil with the curry
powder. Stir well and cook for
1 minute. Stir in the coconut
milk. Cook over low heat for 3
to 5 minutes, until thickened.
Stir into the carrots mixture.
3. In a blender or food
processor, blend in batches
until smooth. Pass the soup
through a fi ne-mesh sieve and
season.
4. Store the soup in a cov-
ered container in the refrigera-
tor for several hours or over-
night. Serve cold, garnished
with cilantro.
— Recipe from “Bistro Laurent
Tourondel” by Laurent
Tourondel and Michele
Scicolone
Ann Bloom has worked for the
OSU Extension Service for 15
years as a nutrition educator.
She studied journalism and
education at Washington
State University. She lives in
Enterprise.