Using Cast Iron For Every Meal Cooking

This post is sponsored by Artisanal Kitchen Supply, available at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Everyone has that "thing" they collect. Some people collect shoes, some collect watches, some even collect cars. My thing, is cookware. I have collected so many different types of cookware, and I cycle through it all because we only have so much space in our cupboards. But while every pot or pan I have eventually gets replaced, my cast iron collection just grows and grows, because I can't bring myself to get rid of any of them.

We've partnered with Bed Bath & Beyond to show off the Artisanal Kitchen Supply pre-seasoned cast iron cookware. I picked out one pan (the 14in Everyday pan) and used it to make 3 different dishes for this post (and have used it for countless others outside of this post). It's an incredibly versatile pan with enough room to feed a crowd, if needed.

Breakfast: Summer Skillet with Root Vegetables & Turkey Sausage
This is a filling dish, without it feeling heavy. The perfect breakfast for sunny, Summer mornings. 

Download printable recipe card here. 

Ingredients
• 3 cups sweet potato. medium diced
• 1 1/2 cups sweet onion, medium diced
• 2 cups purple potato, medium diced
• 2 cups red potato, medium diced
• 2 cups celery root, medium diced
• 2 cups yellow bell pepper, medium diced
• 2 cups baby kale, washed & roughly chopped
• 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed, stems discarded
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2lb turkey sausage
• 6 eggs
• salt & pepper TT

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425. Place large, cast iron skillet in the oven as it preheats on the middle rack.
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the eggs. Pinch off pieces of the turkey sausage to create “crumble” sized pieces. Toss to coat evenly with oil & mix all ingredients well, seasoning with two large pinches of salt and 5-6 grinds of black pepper.
3. Quickly remove the heated skillet from the oven and close the door (to prevent heat loss). Pour veggie and sausage mix into the skillet, and quickly place back in the oven. Roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so until sausage is cooked and veggies are beginning to brown.
4. Reduce oven temp to 400.
5. Quickly remove the skillet from the oven and close the door. Using a wooden spoon, make 6 wells in the vegetables.
6. Carefully crack the eggs, one at a time, into a bowl. Pour one egg out into each well made in the vegetables. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake for 5-15 minutes, until eggs reach desired doneness. Remove from oven and serve warm. Serves 6.

Cooking with a well-kept cast iron pot or pan is honestly such a joy. You don't experience bigs drops or spikes in temperature and a properly seasoned cast iron vessel is naturally nonstick. But above all else, there's just something about carrying a big, cast iron pan to the table to serve dinner to people you love.

Even still, I think cast iron is a little intimidating to some. One reason I think is the upkeep. You can't treat them like other pans, and that can be scary. But it just so happens that we've addressed that in a previous post (hint: never use soap and water!).

Paella with Chicken, Shrimp & Spanish Chorizo
One pan meals are so convenient, especially when they're exploding with as much flavor as this paella.

Download printable recipe card here.

Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb large, uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails on
• 1 link spanish dried chorizo, sliced
• 3 cups jasmine rice
• 4 cups salted chicken stock
• 1 cup clam juice
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 tsp saffron threads
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges - seeds removed if possible
• 14.5oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 piquillo pepper, small dice (green bell pepper for non-spicy)
• 1 red bell pepper, small dice
• 1/4 fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• salt & pepper TT

Directions
1. Heat oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt & pepper and sear on both sides. Remove and set aside, add 1 more Tbsp olive olive and saute the onions and peppers until onions are translucent. Season with salt & pepper, add garlic and saute an additional minute.
2. Cut the chicken into 1in pieces and add back in. Add the can of tomatoes, smoked paprika, and sliced sausage and cook until liquid thickens and a sauce begins to form in the pan.
3. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add the stock, clam juice, lemon wedges and saffron. Season with salt & pepper, mix to combine evenly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly with foil, cooking for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the lid, add the shrimp and stir together. Cover and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until rice is cooked through.
5. Remove lid, sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley, and serve.

*Lemons are not meant to be eaten, so as you dish up, discard the lemon wedges. 

Another barrier to owning cast iron can be price. There are some really pricy cast iron pans out there, but almost all of the Artisanal Kitchen Supply pans I have cost less than $50, including the 14in Everyday pan. And once you use them, you'll find they perform as well as any of the expensive brands.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Every diet deserves a bit of indulgence at some point. And even though we're eating gluten free over here, that doesn't mean we can't have what are literally the best brownies we've ever tasted (glutenous versions included). Topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, this dessert is a dream.

Download printable recipe card here.
Vanilla bean ice cream recipe card here. 

Ingredients
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 4oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate, shaved into small pieces
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 large eggs
• 4 additional egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend
• 1 tsp salt
• 6oz chocolate chunks
• 6oz peanut butter chips
• Optional - Cypress Flake Salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease the bottom and sides of cast-iron pan.
2. Bring the water to a boil and add the cocoa powder. Whisk together until combined evenly. In a large bowl, add the unsweetened Baker’s chocolate shavings, and pour the boiling water/cocoa mix over it, whisking until melted and smooth. Be careful. :)
3. Whisk in the melted butter, coconut oil, and canola oil. Add the eggs, additional egg yolks, vanilla extract and whisk until smooth, then add the sugar and salt and whisk again until smooth.
4. Fold gluten free flour into the wet batter until incorporated evenly. Add the chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips and fold in evenly.
5. Scrape the batter into the cast-iron pan and spread out evenly with a spatula.
    Optional - sprinkle top with a few pinches of Cypress flake salt
6. Bake 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool for 20 minutes, serve warm topped with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

The versatility of cast iron can't be matched, and every home should have one or two quality cast iron pieces in their cookware collection. And with their quality, various size options and affordable price point, I've been really impressed with my Artisanal Kitchen Supply pans, and will be using them for years to come.

The 14in Everyday pan, as well as all plates, bowls, & cutlery in the images above, are Artisanal Kitchen Supply brand and can be found at bedbathandbeyond.com. 

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