OK, so it's not ossu bucco....

[Anomaly]

Shit, I don't even know how to spell that. And I'm not in Bob's league in the galley....

But, this topic area was just sitting there all lonely. Like.

So..... I remember a thread on CA that involved a detailed discussion of oven options for Paul on Catari.... Well, being a non-rich white guy ( ) (please, note the smiley face for those of you without a sense of sarcasm and humor... (hopefully a category left behind on CA...)), I don't have room or the budget for twin ovens of the latest tech. No, for me, its a free (yes free) Dickinson Bristol (the smallest Dickinson with an oven). Poor sod was replacing it with a propane oven..... I came of age in the commerical fisheries in Alaska and EVERYONE had a Dickinson. Just roasted a pork tenderloin and... WOW, every time I try something new, I marvel at how the Dickinson actually "cooks." Things just come out differently than in the (admittedly cheap) conventional terrestrial ovens I have ever used. I think it is closer to the modern convection ovens. I'm contemplating spending part of the winter experiementing with an old-fashioned cast iron dutch oven as a sort-of crock pot. I can't fit one of those in the small oven of the Bristol model but I think it might work on the cast iron cooktop.

There. That is pretty non-sailing no?

[BeauV]

Anomoly,

We only have two alcohol burners, but the Dutch Oven really does a GREAT job on stuff. It's much better than I would have ever expected. Here's what we're using, it was built in about 1920 and I go it on eBay for $60.

[BeauV]

BTW - that Dutch Oven is a GRISWALD. I wouldn't own anything else. We have their frying pans etc... and they are all wonderful. GRISWALD used a very very fine sand for their molds and the castings came out much smoother than the LODGE stuff you can buy today.

[Anomaly]

Beau, thanks for the info about Griswald, I'll see if I can find one. Years ago, I had an old dutch oven that came from my grandmother but, stupidly, I lost track of it over the course of various moves across continents...

[Soñadora]

For non-sail boats and non-sailing I was thinking more like this...



When I was 14 I lived in the Appalachians in PA. One day dad came home from work and had brought 2 magazines that he stole from the break room: Motorboating and Sailing, and Yachting. My eyes glazed over at all the amazing vessels in the ads and the articles. I really fell in love with the trawler-types. It was the first exposure I had to what constitutes serious 'disposable income'. I had no idea one thing could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We moved to Houston when I was 15 and that first summer I rode my bike to all the marinas around the area, checking out as many boats as I could sneak my way onto.

So I'm not ashamed to admit a slight affinity for powerboats, particularly trawler types or expedition yachts or whatever you want to call them.

[kimbottles]

No worries Rick, I have owned a number of powerboats, in fact I own two right now (not counting rowing skiffs.)

It is just I like my sailboats more. But powerboats are very handy.

[BeauV]

Beau, thanks for the info about Griswald, I'll see if I can find one. Years ago, I had an old dutch oven that came from my grandmother but, stupidly, I lost track of it over the course of various moves across continents...

You can find a LOT of 'em on eBay. They have become "colector's items" so the ones that are perfect are expensive. Although they're not a lot more than a new LODGE. If you don't mind a little rust and having to re-season the pan yourself, you can get one for a lot less. I'm happy to guide you with the seasoning - it matters to performance.

BV

[Joli]

You can always smooth out the bottom of an iron skillet with one of these.



I tend to crack my iron skillets, crepes require a spit hot surface, they last about 7 years.

[bob perry]

I got a new purple Le Creuset for Christmas. Osso Bucco here I come.

[JoeP]

My favorite pan in our kitchen is a small 7" or so orangish-red Le Creuset frying pan my mom gave me when I moved out of the house. It works so well for so many things plus it has that sentimental value. We have some other Le Creuset pieces but that one is my favorite.

[bob perry]

Joe:
I hear you. Over time you get to know a pot and you learn exactly what it does best. I left my big Le Creuset with Max when we moved. I bought a cheap Chinese knock off. Over time the finish went a little weird but it was very heavy and it did a lot of fine dishes in my kitchen. Jill replaced it at Christmas. I like the new one but I am reluctant to let go of the old one. I trust it. I liken quality cookware to quality woodworking tools.

[Ish]

Joe:
I hear you. Over time you get to know a pot and you learn exactly what it does best. I left my big Le Creuset with Max when we moved. I bought a cheap Chinese knock off. Over time the finish went a little weird but it was very heavy and it did a lot of fine dishes in my kitchen. Jill replaced it at Christmas. I like the new one but I am reluctant to let go of the old one. I trust it. I liken quality cookware to quality woodworking tools.

Sometimes a big-ass skillet can substitute for a mallet, but they don't hold an edge very well.

[bob perry]

It's Saturday afternoon. I have the Opera on.
Tonight Anom is coming to spend the night.

I am cooking a variation of Jamie Oliver's recipe Jool's Favorite Stew. You can Google it. This dish always pleases. ( watch out for the Jerusalem artichokes) I still am not sure what they are but I know now they are not what I call an artichoke.
The secret is you do not brown the meat and after bringing the stew to a boil on the stove you put it in the oven, covered for three hours.
When you take it out and take off the lid you look like a genius.

I'm a sucker for a good stew. I usually double the amount of meat because I'm a bit of a cave man and it's meat. I add more wine too because,,,well, bcecause it's wine.
And, it is so good the next day.

I'll use my new Le Creuset pot. I gave my old one to my neighbor and he's already told me I'm not getting it back.
Shitski.

[Ish]

I have had a mixed-meat stew going all day in the crock pot. It's the Ultimate Leftover Stew.

For months, any meat left over from meals is put into a bag in the freezer marked "Bits O Meat". Really.
Today, I took it all out, chopped the whole works into 1/2" cubes, and put it into the crock pot with beef stock and a pile of retchtables. (Word stolen from a friend of mine who wouldn't eat anything green. Ever). There's rib eye steak, strip loin steak, pork loin, pork rib, sirloin steak, sometimes sausage (but not this time). All of it in it's original spice mix, so we have blue cheese, barbecue sauce, any number of things. Yam, onion, carrots, and lots of herbs.
8 hours later, it smells and tastes great, and to go with it I made a loaf of 60% whole wheat bread in the breadmaker and baked it in the oven. It's still hot, my aged mother and aunt are coming over for dinner, and I'm hungry.

[bob perry]

Ish:
I made my variation of Jamie Oliver's stew when Anom came up. He liked it. I thought it was a disaster. I bout a bg slab of top round steak for the meat. It was just too damn lean for stew. It turned out into dried out chunks. I like your idea of combining the different meats. It sounds very Chinese. I think I'm going to try your freezer accumulation method. Jill and I can rarely finish a whole steak these days. If I end up throwing it out no problem. I usually end up throwing out those meat scraps anyway. Might as well have some fun with them first.

[Ish]

The stew was a huge success, all the meat was tender and tasty and the vegetables were firm, not all gooey. My mom ate about 4 times her usual meal. It was impossible to be not hungry, the moment you opened the front door you could smell the stew and the fresh bread. We sent a bunch of stew and the remains of the bread home with them, and we still have enough for another 4 hearty meals.

[Tim OConnell]

One of the Jamie Oliver stew recipes I like doing is a beef in Guinness, with garlic, potato and the usual veg in the pot (carrots, onions, mushrooms, celery)

[BeauV]

I have to get Stacey (AkA the Admiral) to write down her great grandmother's stew recipe. It's Greek and called Stifado. Hers is basically beef, small onions and some secret herbs that I haven't figured out yet. She has to make it at least once a month or I get really grumpy!

BV

[Jamie]

A nice stew if you are looking for something a little different is Potjiekos. It's a saffie stew often made with lamb and has some Malaysian influences in the seasoning. It's made in a Dutch oven over a campfire so perfect for camping and cruising. One funny thing about it is it's made in layers and your are not supposed to stir it before it's done. Weird. When camping we used to get fresh goat and make it with some potbrood or elephant foot bread.

http://www.nieu-bethesda.com/af/recipies/97-lamb-potjiekos.html

[Tim OConnell]

Jamie, I've often cooked that but didn't know it was an "official" recipe. It's delicious , tender and good with safron rice, roti and Cumin popadoms.

[Jamie]

Yes! Honestly, I don't know there is an official recipe; you ask 6 people and you get 6 recipes. They also make these great spicy chutneys, blatjang, that go with the stew. If you're interested, I can scan a recipient when I get back home.

There is a whole segment of saffie bush cooking that is hearty and simple to make out of long shelf-life items ; perfect boat food.