Cast Iron Cooking

I don’t know if you remember, but last year my friend Cinnamon was writing a cookbook about cooking with cast iron. She invited all of her friends over and she cooked for us. All we had to do was eat and give feedback. It was pretty awesome.

Well, Cinnamon’s book, The Everything Cast-Iron Cookbook finally came out in June so I bought it right away.

I asked Cinnamon what she thought was a good, but easy, and quick, recipe to make for an after work, week night dinner. She suggested the Shrimp With White Beans. We made that recipe along with Roasted Broccoli With Parmesan on the side. And we ended up cooking it on a weekend! Figures!

Cinnamon was nice enough to let me share the recipes for the two things we made from here book.

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Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

This is a great recipe for using up a head of broccoli that may be slightly past its prime. Serves 6.

3 lbs. broccoli
6 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. white wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a skillet in the middle of the oven. Trim the bottoms off the broccoli stems. Peel the stems and cut them into skinny florets. Place in a bowl and toss with the oil, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Spread teh broccoli throughout the skillet. Sprinkle the cheese over the broccoli.

Place the pan in the middle of the oven and cook for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the stems have softened.

Place the broccoli on a serving platter. Pour the vinegar into the skillet and stir, scraping the caramelized bits off the bottom. Pour the pan juices over the broccoli and serve.

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White Beans with Shrimp

If you can’t find Great Northern beans you can substitute cannelloni beans, or any other small bean you can find. Serves 6.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 carrot, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, sliced
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. thyme, chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
Juice from 1 lemon

Place a large skillet over medium heat and once it is heated, add the oil, carrot, and onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Add the garlic and celery. Stir to combine before adding in the herbs, red pepper flakes and butter.

Stir continually until the butter is melted and starts to turn brown. Swirl the skillet occasionally.

Place the shrimp in the skillet and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the beans and lemon juice and cook until warmed through. Serve immediately.

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We really liked both of the dishes we made. The broccoli was so easy to make and had that wonderful toasted Parmesan on it. The red pepper flakes add spiciness. If you’re sensitive to spice, you could adjust the amount of pepper flakes you add, or eliminate it all together. The shrimp was also really easy to make. The shrimp dish was slightly more involved, with the chopping of the vegetables and herbs, but was not hard to make at all. I love beans and I love shrimp, so this was a winner for me!

Everything Cast Iron

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Cinnamon and Andrew :: Rogers Park, Chicago

Cinnamon is writing a cookbook about cooking with cast-iron cookware called “Everything Cast Iron.” The book is to include 300 recipes and is on a tight deadline. What does this mean for all of Cinnamon’s friends? Lots of food to eat! Cinnamon made menus, posted them on a schedule, and all we had to do was sign up for a day to go over, share drinks with friends, and sample her experiments.

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Sweet Potato Sticks

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Jamaican Grilled Okra

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Friends :: Rogers Park, Chicago

Last Sunday I headed over to Cinnamon and Andrew’s condo up in Rogers Park. Cinnamon was manning the kitchen and Andrew was manning a grill (with a cast iron grill plate). Since it was so beautiful outside and since the condo doesn’t have air conditioning, all of the friends gathered in their cute little lawn. We were not allowed to bring food, but were instructed to bring drinks of choice.

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Asian Potatoes with Chile and Shallots

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Spicy West African Yassa Chicken

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Yassa Tibs Ethiopian Sauteed Fish

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Chuck, Rachelle, Marcus :: Rogers Park, Chicago

I met a lot of new people and visited with other friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Marcus was all salty since I left Roscoe Village behind, a neighborhood we shared, and moved on to Logan Square. Chuck was our odd uncle trying not to fall asleep between courses while he sat drinking his beer in a comfortable chair. And of course the food! These are all photos of all the food we ate. Now, we didn’t eat full servings, but everyone got to at least try a taste of every dish that was made. Then we had a comment card to write what we thought about the dishes.

cornbread
Cornbread

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James and Rose

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Truly Blackened Catfish

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Cajun Shrimp (with Rice, not shown)

I know we were helping Cinnamon out, but thanks so much to her and Andrew for having us all over and making this all a party at the same time! I had a fun, delicious time! It still boggles my mind a bit that Cinnamon and Andrew were able to turn out this much food in one evening. I can’t imagine how much they’re cooking to make a 300-recipe cookbook. And it’s exciting to be a part of the process. I can’t wait for “Everything Cast Iron” to come out. I’m for sure buying a copy… or two!

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Fried Ravioli

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Anne and Marcus :: Rogers Park, Chicago

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Cinnamon and Andrew’s friends’ baby was only 3 weeks old :: Rogers Park, Chicago

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My favorite of the night: Fig Balsamic Vinegar Dessert Sauce. Served with vanilla ice cream and freshly picked in Rogers Park June berries.