The Dutch Oven

One night over the next few years you may cross a little clearing in the woods, in some old celtic place of western Europe, on a dark night, and stumble upon a scruffy looking witch poking a wooden spoon in a black cauldron and muttering to herself. Nothing to worry about, it will just be me and my Dutch Oven.

The Dutch Oven is said, by some, to be the simbol of the Pioneers way of life. My view of it is less grand, but more practical: it is what I need to roast chickens and bake pies out there in the wild (the witch impersonation is accidental). You can also cook all sort of other things in a Dutch Oven, but the baking part is what captured my imagination.

For those of you that (like me, until a few weeks ago) have no idea what a Dutch Oven is, a brief description follows: a dutch oven is a heavy cast iron pot (aluminiums ones are also available, a sign of corrupt times) with tree stumpy legs underneath and a cover with a lip running all around it. The legs hold the pot high over a bed of coals, the lip of the cover contains a further layer of glowing embers so that whatever is in the pot is heated from both bottom and up, like in a proper oven. They come in many sizes but the basic design is always the same.

Some companies sell dutch ovens that are merely pots. Beware of these tricksters. Le Creuset is one of these: Their Dutch ovens, however colourful and attractive, are only good for the kitchen oven and would be useless in a campfire. If you are looking for the real thing look for Lodge, or Qvist or Maca. There are many other brands, but these are the ones I readily remember.

My own comes from the Dutch Oven Starting Kit, from Qvist, which include heavy gloves (huge), a cover stand (very handy) and cover lifting tool (necessary). It should also include a carrying bag, but we had not the privilege of receiving it, wether by their fault or of the dealer I know not. I guess I will sew my own.

The first trial of the oven was a success, but admittedly I only cooked a stew in it. The bread or pie trial will be the real test. I adapted very loosely a recipe from this lovely website:

http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/

It is really the only website you need to understand the subject of dutch ovens.

My stew:
1 kg of good fresh beef, chopped
2 large onions, cut into rings
5 chilli peppers (mine are disappointingly mild this year... if your chillies are more serious two may be enough)
1 cup of Schlenkerla Rauchbier (if you cannot get Rauchbier where you live I am sorry for you, ans some other beer will have to do)
1/2 cup of Worcester Sauce
4 cloves of garlic, squeezed
the juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 cup of water
Salt and pepper

Roll the meat chops in salt and pepper, and arrange in the bottom of the oven. Put the onion rings on top of them. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour this sauce into the oven. Put to heat over glowing coals (from a campfire or barbeque), heap more embers on the cover and let to simmer for at least two hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce thick and sticky. Serve with fresh spaetzle, or whatever plate ballast you have at hand (please notice that the Germans really use such an expression).