clay pot cooking and follow-up on asparagus cooker

[southerncomfort]

Does anyone have any good recipes/tips for cooking with a clay pot? I don't even know where to begin!

Thanks.

p.s. The asparagus cooker made a HUGE difference in cooking asparagus evenly and accurately--I highly recommend getting one.

[luv2cook]

books seem hard to find. Have you checked out Barnes & Noble? I know when I got a clay pot for xmas last year, cookbooks were scarce.

Right now, I just cook anything for at least an hour. Bone-in chicken takes 1:10, 15 at 400...i've made everything in it...

[Heidi]

Here is a past thread on the subject. It contains a recipe for Clay Pot Lemon Herb Chicken that we just love. My review of the recipe is at the end of the thread.

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7490&highlight=clay+pot+lemon+chicken

Luv2cook is right--cookbooks are hard to find. I think there's one called something like Clay Pot Cookery, but I don't know that it's still in print.

Also, I made the Yankee Pot Roast from August 02 in my clay pot, as I don't have a roasting pan. My clay pot was just the right size and worked perfectly! I just modified the recipe a little, since I couldn't cook the onions and sear the roast in the pan. I just did that on the stovetop in another pan and transferred it to my clay pot. I know CurleyTop uses her clay pots quite a bit. She even makes bread in hers, something I've been wanting to try with my smallest pot.

[KValley]

southerncomfort

I love my clay cooker! I used it just last night to make chicken- the clay cooker roasts up the most tender, juicy meats I've ever made; I also love making soups and stews in it. Never tried bread, but the cookbook I have has some great-looking recipes.

THe only clay cooker cookbook I've been able to find that I like is Consumer Guide Clay Cookery. I found it at a cooking store several years ago- you might check amazon.com or half.com or your library... Good luck! Julie

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes:

Spanish Chicken with Rice
Clay Cookery

Serves 4

Using a clay cooker enables you to prepare this colorful meal-in-one (called arroz con pollo) in the oven- as easy a festive dinner as can be imagined. Serve with warm French bread and a green salad with orange slices.

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 linguica or chorizo sausage (6 to 8 ounces), casing removed, crumbled
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimiento, undrained
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1 can chicken broth
1 frying chicken (3 lbs) cut into quarters
Salt
Seasoned pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed.

1/ Soak top and bottom of 3 1/4 quart clay cooker in water about 15 minutes; drain.

2. Combine rice, onion, garlic, sausage, pimiento and saffron in cooker. Pour in chicken broth. Arrange chicken quarters, skin sides up, over rice mixture. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

3. PLace covered cooker in cold oven. Set oven at 475. Bake until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.

4. Remove chicken and stir in pease; return chicken to cooker. Bake uncovered until chicken is crisp and brown, about 10 minutes.
***********************************

Oven Onion Soup

From Clay Cookery
Serves 6

Traditional French onion soup, laden with crisp slices of toast and crowned with melted cheese, is easy to prepare in a clay cooker

6 large onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
3 cans regular strength or 5 1/4 cups homemade beef broth
1 cup dry white wine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 slices French bread, 1/2 inch thick
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded aged Swiss cheese

1. Soak top and bottom of 3 1/4 quart clay cooker in water about 15 minutes; drain this is only true for unglazed cookers- mine is glazed and I do not need to pre-soak

2. Place onions and garlic in cooker; dot with butter

3. Place covered cooker in cold oven. Set oven at 400 degrees. Bake, stirring once or twice, until onions are limp and light brown, about 1 hour.

4. Sprinkle onions with thyme. Pour in broth and wine. Bake uncovered 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. While soup is cooking, toast bread in oven until light brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Combine Parmesan and Swiss CHeeses. Float toast slices in a single layer over soup. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses.

6. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake soup uncovered 10 minutes. Uncrease oven temperature to 550 degrees and/or broil; cook until cheese is golden and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Serve very hot.

[luv2cook]

at least you have more than one....I just have the smaller one that barely holds four pieces of bone-in chicken!

[southerncomfort]

just bumping this up . . .thanks so much for the tips so far.

[kimmer99]

Time Life Books published Clay Pot Cooking from Tandoori to Tagine by Elsa Petersen-Schepelern, which I own, but I have to admit, I've never used. I guess next week I should participate in the cookbook challenge and hit this book.

Some examples of recipes are:

Italian Bean Soup w/ Rosemary and Garlic
Coconut Fish Curry
Poule au Pot
Turkey Pot-Roast w/ Garlic Pancetta and Rosemary
Osso Bucco
Braised Beef w/ Porcini Mushrooms (hmmm...this coould be good for my cook for the cure - I should try it)
Oven baked potatoes
Thai Sweet Potatoes

If any of these sound interesting to anyone, let me know and I'll type them in.

[Molli526]

Sorry, can't help. I don't have either :(

[Searcher]

Kimmer, I don't have a clay cooker but one of my sons-in-law has one he hardly uses. I think he'd like some of these recipe when you have a chance to type them up. No hurry.

Italian Bean Soup w/ Rosemary and Garlic
Poule au Pot
Turkey Pot-Roast w/ Garlic Pancetta and Rosemary
Osso Bucco
Braised Beef w/ Porcini Mushrooms
Oven baked potatoes
Thai Sweet Potatoes

As I said, no hurry. I'm also sending him the title of the book.
TIA