Southern Cast Iron – September 2019

57 SOUTHERN CAST IRON

DuTcH OvEn SuPrEmE PiZzA

Makes 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza

(photo on page 53)

Don’t have time to make homemade dough? Buy

a 16-ounce bag of pizza dough from the grocery

store deli to use instead.

Pizza Dough (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup pizza sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup crumbled cooked Italian sausage

½ cup thinly sliced yellow onion

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup pepperoni slices

¼ cup sliced black olives

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Garnish: chopped fresh oregano, crushed red

pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Place a large
   enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or braiser in
   bottom third of oven to preheat.


2. Lightly punch down Pizza Dough. Turn out
   dough onto a lightly fl oured surface; cover and
   let stand for 5 minutes. Roll dough into a
   12-inch circle. Fold dough over a rolling
   pin, and carefully place on a large piece of
   parchment paper. Brush dough with oil.


3. Spread pizza sauce onto dough, leaving a
   ¼-inch border. Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella.
   Top with sausage, onion, bell pepper, pepperoni,
   olives, Parmesan, and remaining ½ cup
   mozzarella. Sprinkle with oregano and pepper.
   Using a small paddle or cutting board, carefully
   place pizza on parchment in preheated pan,
   letting excess parchment extend over sides of
   pan.


4. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese
   is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Using excess
   parchment as handles, remove pizza, and place
   on a cutting board. Let stand for 5 minutes
   before serving. Garnish with oregano and red
   pepper, if desired.

PiZzA DoUgH

Makes 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza

1⅓ cups warm water (105° to 110°)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 (0.25-ounce) package active dry yeast

3¼ cups all-purpose fl our, divided

2 tablespoons plain yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin

olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fi tted with the
   dough hook attachment, stir together 1⅓ cups
   warm water, sugar, and yeast by hand. Let stand
   until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add
   2 cups fl our, cornmeal, 1 tablespoon oil, and
   salt, and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
   Add 1 cup fl our, and beat until a soft sticky
   dough forms. Continue beating until dough
   pulls away from sides of bowl.


2. Turn out dough onto a lightly fl oured surface,
   and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to
   6 minutes, using remaining ¼ cup fl our as
   needed to keep dough from sticking to hands,
   if necessary. Lightly brush a large bowl with
   remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Place dough in bowl,
   turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a
   warm, draft-free place (75°) until doubled in
   size, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

LaMb StEw wItH ChEeSe GrItS

Makes 8 to 10 servings

(photo on page 54)

The unique fl avor of lamb is complemented by

rosemary and creamy fontina cheese grits in this

down-home stew. If you aren’t a fan of lamb,

cubed chuck roast can be substituted, though

cooking time may increase by about 30 minutes.

3 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into

1½-inch cubes

4½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

2½ teaspoons ground black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes,

undrained

7 cups water, divided

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1½ cups stone-ground grits

1½ cups shredded fontina cheese

Garnish: chopped fresh rosemary

1. Sprinkle lamb with 2 teaspoons salt and
   1 teaspoon pepper. In a large cast-iron Dutch
   oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Working
   in batches, cook lamb, stirring occasionally,
   until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb
   using a slotted spoon.


2. Add onion, carrot, and garlic to pot; cook,
   stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in lamb,
   tomatoes, 1 cup water, cream, rosemary,
   1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; bring
   to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover

and cook until lamb is tender, about 1½ hours.

3. Measure 1 cup cooking liquid from stew;
   whisk in cornstarch until smooth and dissolved.
   Stir liquid into stew until combined.


4. In a small cast-iron Dutch oven, bring
   butter, remaining 6 cups water, remaining
   1½ teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon
   pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly
   whisk in grits; reduce heat to medium-low.
   Cover and cook, whisking occasionally, until
   tender, about 20 minutes. Whisk in cheese
   until melted. Serve with lamb stew. Garnish
   with rosemary, if desired.

CiDeR-GlAzEd ChIcKeN aNd ReD GrApEs

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Hard cider is reduced to create a sticky-sweet

glaze for the chicken. Regular apple cider can be

used in its place, if desired.

1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 sprigs fresh sage

1 (12-ounce) bottle hard apple cider*

1½ pounds seedless red grapes on stems

½ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed

Garnish: fresh sage leaves

1. Preheat oven to 425°.


2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle
   chicken with salt and pepper. Place sage
   sprigs in chicken cavity. Tie legs together with
   butcher’s twine. Place chicken in a large oval
   cast-iron Dutch oven.


3. Bake for 50 minutes.


4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring cider
   to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until
   reduced and thickened, about 25 minutes.
   Brush reduced cider on chicken; arrange
   grapes, pecans, and butter around chicken.


5. Bake until a food thermometer inserted
   in thickest portion of chicken registers 165°,
   about 30 minutes more. Let stand for
   20 minutes before serving. Garnish with
   sage, if desired.

*We used Stella Artois Cidre.