Chorizo and Egg Hash plus- Cast Iron Love!

Y'all, I've had the most circuitous relationship with cast iron, it's bananas.  We did not use cast iron cookware in my home growing up.  My only experience with it was when I was cooking over an open fire at girls camp.  Honestly, I pictured it as the old-timey stuff people hung on a stick between two posts as some sort of mutton stew brewed above an open flame.

Then I married Wes. And, not only gained a handy-dandy husband, but gained a stockpile of cast iron cookware that he had acquired as a single man(?).

He had:

1 6 inch skillet
2 8 inch skillets
1 small dutch oven with no legs
1 small dutch oven with legs
1 large dutch oven
1 huge wok

No joke.  I was like, what the heck?  What do I do with all of this?  It seemed complicated (can't throw it in the dishwasher?  Can't even clean them with dish soap????).  So, I dealt with it by nicely stacking them in our cupboards and ignoring them.  Sorry babe. :(

I was young.  I was in my last year of college.  I could barely cook.  It makes sense.

Now, fast forward 20+ years, and I'm like, whoa baby, thanks for contributing all of this amazing cast iron to our family!  He's like, yeah, sure.  It's been here all along.  Glad you finally warmed up to it.  And, warm up, I have.

I have added a bit to our collection:

1 10 inch skillet
1 12 inch skillet- family size!
1 reversible griddle/grill
1 large enamel coated dutch oven

Except for the griddle/grill, and the enamel coated dutch oven, all of our cast iron is the Lodge brand.  Its great.  I love it.  As long as I do the simple (and frankly, easy) steps of keeping it clean, well-seasoned and used, it works super well and is quickly becoming my go-to cookware.  I get the most use out of the 10 and 12 inch skillets, with the large dutch oven (not enamel coated) coming in a close third.

So, with my newish passion for all things cast iron, it is easy to see why I've been giving a lot of cast iron skillet recipes a try at home.

This Chorizo and Egg Hash recipe is so easy.  So quick (30 minutes, start to finish) and tastes great.  My two kids gave it huge thumbs up last night, and frankly I was a bit surprised by their reactions.  Both of them are fairly adventurous eaters (Spencer told me last night he had caviar at a friends house after school and loved it?! European friend- fancy eaters.  At my house its popcorn after school, c'mon), but chorizo was new for them, so my expectations were on the lower end.  But, they both dug in and told me they loved it.  Awesome.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic (I used a spoonful of minced garlic from the fridge)
1/2 package of chorizo (120 g)
2 potatoes cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces (I used russets and left the skin on- fiber!)
1/2 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a cast iron skillet (I used a 12 inch, could probably get away using a 10 inch) add olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes.  Add chorizo and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Add pre-cooked chopped potatoes (and a bit more oil if you think its needed) and cook for 5 more minutes.  Let the potatoes fry, so don't stir often.

Crack eggs on top and transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until the egg white is set but the yolk is still runny.

Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and parsley.  Serve (we added a bit of ketchup too).

You guys, this is so good.  And, so easy.  Get yourself a cast iron skillet, season it up and get cooking.  You'll love it!!!

Oh, and thanks again Wes for bringing so much amazing cast iron to our marriage.  I'm endlessly grateful.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Quiche

Y'all, real men eat quiche.  Seriously, its so good, and easy to make.  I'm guessing a lot of you have never attempted making quiche because it is something you'd only eat at a fancy brunch or at your snobby aunt's house, but truly, it's not for the rich and famous, it's for the masses.  And, it's not "girl" food.  Geesh.

This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour.

First, make a pie crust.  Come on.  You can do it.

My favorite recipe is this:

In a food processor put the following:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Pulse to combine

While on, add 1 stick of unsalted butter (cold and chopped into small cubes).

Combine until the mixture is crumbly and course.  Then, while food processor is on add:

2-3 tbsp ice water

mix until the dough forms into a ball almost.  It should come together and be a bit on the sticky side.  Take it out and flatten the dough into a disc shape.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Roll the pie crust out and form it to fit your pie pan.  No need to be overly fancy, but you can if you want!  Prick the crust with a fork 15 or so times and prebake the crust for 10 min at 375 degrees.

To make quiche filling:

3/4 pound bacon (I've used less before) precooked and chopped up

1 small onion

2 tbsp butter (or bacon fat)- this is for sauteing the onions

salt and pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar (or whatever kind of cheddar you like) grated

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dice the onion finely and saute it until translucent.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cream, milk and eggs.  Add to it the bacon, onions, cheese, salt and pepper.  Pour it into your prebaked pie crust.  Don't over fill.  If you have too much filling place the excess into small custard cups and cook those along side the quiche.

Bake the quiche for 40 minutes.  The edges should become golden brown and the center should feel just set.

Remove quiche from oven and let it cool on a rack.  You can serve it warm or room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Baked French Toast

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.

I acknowledge that this meal is not the healthiest of options.  It is a bit of a dessert-type meal.  But, I only make it once a month or less and it is undoubtedly a smashing success every time I do.  The greatest thing about baked french toast, besides how delicious it is, is that you can make it ahead (the night before, or the morning of) and then when it's time to pop it in the oven, dinner will be ready in just 30 minutes.

Baked French Toast

1 loaf of crusty sourdough or french bread (I've used both, and sometimes pugliese, and it all tastes wonderful).

8 eggs

2 cups whole milk (I use what's on hand- usually skim or 1%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

For the topping (I usually make this right before it goes into the oven):

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter cut into small pieces

To make:

Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter, or cooking spray.  Tear or cut bread up into chunks and evenly distribute in pan.

In a medium sized bowl mix eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla.  Pour over bread.  Cover tightly and put into fridge for several hours (or overnight).

To make topping- mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until it resembles little pebbles.  

When you're ready to bake, sprinkle topping on top of bread mixture and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you like it a bit firmer, with less liquid, bake for one hour.

Serve with maple syrup.