Archive for the ‘Romertopf’ Category
OK, I ashamed to admit I’m this old, but I grew up at the height of the hippy movement…you know, the “make love not war” generation. Ah the joys of youthful indiscretions…it was a far from squandered experience in my life though; I learned a lot about myself and even discovered some hidden gems along the way.
One of those bright spots was this discovery of clay pot cooking, which laid the foundation for my collection of Romertopf Clay Bakers today. This wonderful cooking method came far before my hippy days though. This well tried and tested method is responsible for producing some of the most delectable and delicious cuisine since before early Roman times. And as most history books will testify, the Romans certainly knew a thing about fine wine and good food.
Ever since I was a child I’ve loved beef - steaks, burgers, jerky, you name it. I like to think it’s my “inner cowboy” that fuels my infatuation with beef. Lately, I’ve had a craving for one of my all time favorites, Beef Marseilles - a delicious dish of cubed beef cooked in a clay baker along with salt pork, onions & mushrooms in red grape juice with seasonings.
Beef Marseilles (Method): Prepare a Romertopf Clay Baker and set aside.Heat salt pork in large skillet on medium-high heat until golden brown. Remove pieces with slotted spoon, reserving drippings in skillet, and drain them on paper towels. Add beef to hot fat, a few pieces at a time, and brown well on all sides. Remove beef from heat. Add onions, mushrooms and garlic to fat and cook until tender. Place beef, salt pork, and onion mixture into the prepared clay baker. Place seasonings and parsley over beef cubes, and stir lightly. Pour red grape juice over all. Cover clay baker and place in cool oven. Turn oven to 325 degrees, and bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove from oven, and place meat in attractive serving dish. Meat at this point should be so tender it falls into strings.
Ingredients
* 5 pounds boneless beef round, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
* 1/4 pound salt pork, cut into small pieces
* 18 small white boiling onions
* 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/2 cup chopped parsley
* 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried leaf thyme (not ground thyme)
* 1 Tbsp sea or kosher salt, or to taste
* 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
* 3 cups red grape juice
In my family we are indeed Christmas “fanatics” - starting the 1st of December every year, decorations begin going up everywhere. In all windows there are special candelabra´s spreading their lights.
As the weeks progress things get really busy; so much to do, so little time! The cooking, baking, cleaning and shopping culminates with Christmas day potluck at mom’s house. I always bring my famous Christmas ham to the event. It’s not boring baked ham though; I use Romertopf clay bakers, create a delectable glazed ham delight!
Christmas Glazed Ham(Ingredients):
1 piece smoked ham (pickled, if available)
300g (10 oz) tinned pineapple slices
5 tbsp pineapple juice
15 cloves
1 tbsp icing sugar
Directions:
1. Soak the Romertopf. Rinse and dry the ham.
2. Stick the cloves into the ham.
3. Drain the pineapple, spread over the meat and place in the Romertopf. Pour over the pineapple juice.
4. Cover with the lid and place into a cold oven then cook at 230°C (460°F, Gas Mark) for 1-1/2 hours.
5. Remove the Romertopf from the oven and sprinkle the ham with icing sugar.
6. Place back into the oven, uncovered, and leave to glaze for about 20 minutes, at 250° C (480° F, Gas Mark 9).
7. Serve with potatoes and lettuce. Serves 6-8.
I recently came across my old clay pot that I used for years to bake chicken and meat dishes. The taste of the chicken and vegetables cooked in wine in a clay pot was delicious and incredibly unique to that method. My fond memories of clay pot cooking inspired me to try this method to bake bread. Baking bread in clay develops a crispy, golden brown crust, like the kind you see on French bread. There’s a reason professional bakers use clay tiles in their ovens - the taste of bread baked this way is incredible!
My Recipe for French Bread Extraordinaire using clay bread bakers:
1. Rub Flour on sides and bottom of clay pot (leave some flour in bottom of pot to prevent dough from sticking to pot).
2. Remove dough ball from bread machine and place on oiled counter top. Form dough into one oblong loaf.
3. Completely cover shaped dough ball with flour and place in clay pot bottom. Let rise 1-3 hours, covered, in warm place.
4. Soak TOP of Clay Pot in HOT water for at least 30 minutes (I also gently slash the top of the dough at an angle before putting the cover on).
5. Place soaked clay pot COVER on clay pot bottom. Put into COLD oven. - Set oven temperature at 450 degrees.
6. Bake 45 minutes. Remove cover, check for “doneness” and color. In my oven,this is enough time for the bread to be done and nicely browned, however ovens vary, so if necessary, read may be baked/browned an additional 15 minutes UN-covered.
7. Bread will be done when a finger thump on the loaf’s surface sounds hollow.
8. Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes before serving; serves about 14 to 16 people.
Great inventions stand the test of time. Clay pot cookery can be traced back thousands of years, when food in an earthenware pot was put in the glowing ashes of an open fire. What was important for the taste of the food was not the fire but the pot. The Romans, lovers of good wine and good food, used pots made of a special type of earthenware.
Some of today’s most popular cooking techniques either deplete nutrients in food or unnecessarily add fat. Cooking the Romertopf way avoids over-cooking while it eliminates the need for added fats. Soaking the Romertopf in water before it is placed inside the oven allows it to create and maintain moisture that cooks recipes to perfection, while preventing the nutrients from escaping. Romertopf cooking not only saves nutrients, but also saves time. Simply soak the Romertopf in water for 5-10 minutes, place ingredients inside and place the whole pot in a cold oven set at 400-450 degrees. Then just walk away.