Foodsday Tuesday: Grazie, Mario!

First of all: the pot is gorgeous. And heavy. Made from cast iron and then coated with a deep crimson ("Chianti") enamel on the outside and not-quite-white, eggshell-colored enamel on the inside, the Dutch oven weighs in at an impressive seventeen pounds. When you add food to that, watch out! The pot roast I made on Sunday (recipe follows) rendered the pot nearly impossible to lift. That's not a criticism. On the contrary, it means that while stirring and basting, you don't have to worry about your pot sliding around. It reduces the risk of splatter, and the more serious risk of dumping scalding soup or gravy down your body.

This is a gift for the serious chef in your life. Or, if not serious, for someone who really knows his or her way around the kitchen. For many people, a Dutch oven is just the pot you boil water in when you're making pasta. In that case, it needn't be expensive. You can get a perfectly good non-stick pot for under $40. But if you really love to cook, you know the joys of using cast iron pots and pans: they heat evenly and stay warm long after the heat's been turned off. Quite often, though, they're difficult to clean. Enter Mario Batali's enamel coating, which is easier to clean than even Teflon (and far more durable and less likely to harm you). Five minutes of light scrubbing, no elbow grease required, left my pot looking as clean and shiny and new as it did out of the box.

As an added bonus, the pot is completely oven-safe (up to a point: be sure to check the instructions for the maximum heat threshold of all your kitchenware). When I made soup last week (recipe follows), I didn't feel comfortable leaving it to simmer on the stove while I ran a few errands (the cats might have tried to climb up), so I left it in the oven on its lowest setting (about 175 degrees) and came home to soup that had been simmering as if it were still on the stovetop.

What follows are two Phillyist-exclusive, very easy recipes made in the new pride and joy of my kitchen. It's important to note that when using this pot, or when cooking on cast iron in general, you'll get your best results if you pre-heat it first, before adding any ingredients. If you'll be cooking with oil, pre-heat your pot, then add oil and allow it to heat until it is smoking (be sure to turn your vent fan on!), then add the ingredients you'll be browning, sauteing, or frying.

Turkey Bacon, Tomato, and White Bean Soup with Spinach
Three cloves garlic, diced
Six strips of turkey bacon (preferably peppered), chopped
Two tablespoons olive oil
42 ounces (one box plus one can) fat-free chicken broth
8 ounces (approximately half a bag) whole wheat pasta shells (other shapes may be used, but shells are best for holding the other ingredients)
Two cans diced tomatoes, seasoned as you wish (I used one can basil and garlic, and one can Italian-style)
Two cans cannellini beans, drained
One bag fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat Dutch oven, then add olive oil. When oil begins to smoke, add diced garlic and chopped turkey bacon. Saute until garlic softens and bacon is cooked, but not crispy (approximately five minutes). Without removing the bacon and garlic, add some of the box of chicken broth to the pot to deglaze the bottom of it. Then add the remainder of the box and one can of tomatoes. Add pasta and bring mixture to boil, cooking until pasta is almost al dente. (Note that whole wheat pasta takes longer to cook than regular pasta.) Reduce heat and add remaining chicken broth and tomatoes, plus white beans. Simmer at a low heat for at least ten minutes, or, if you need to keep your soup warm for a longer period of time without supervision, place pot in oven at a low setting for up to ninety minutes. Shortly before serving, return soup to stovetop (if it had been in the oven) and wilt spinach into the pot in small batches, stirring frequently. Do not allow the soup to boil once the spinach has been added. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Braised Garlic Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots in Tomato Gravy
Note that the cooking time for a pot roast varies greatly, depending on elements like the weight and thickness of the roast, whether you are cooking on gas or electric appliances, and even your altitude. Provided there's enough liquid in your pot, it's hard to overcook a pot roast, so it's usually best to err on the side of too much cooking than not enough. You'll know when your roast is ready to eat based on its tenderness: if it's about to disintegrate into the gravy, you're in a good place.

One three-pound pot roast
At least ten cloves garlic, peeled but not chopped
Three tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
At least one cup water
Two cans diced tomatoes (This time, I used one can roasted and one can Italian)
One pound small red-skinned potatoes (unpeeled), cut in half
One bag (approximately 12 oz.) baby carrots

Using a very sharp knife, cut a series of one inch-deep holes in the pot roast, then insert garlic. Season pot roast with salt and pepper liberally on all sides and rub the seasoning into the meat. Pre-heat pot on stove then add oil. Continue heating until oil is almost smoking, then sear the meat on all sides until a brown crust begins to develop. Without reducing heat, briefly remove pot roast from pot, and add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom to deglaze. Return meat and add one cup of water and both cans tomatoes, making sure there is at least an inch and a half of liquid in the bottom of the pot. Bring mixture briefly to a boil then reduce heat and cover pot, simmering on low for at least two hours, basting every half hour and stirring gravy, until meat is almost fully cooked. Approximately forty minutes before serving, add potatoes and carrots. Stir until they are coated in gravy, then generously add more salt (the starches will absorb any salt already in the pot, so it's very important that you add more). Replace cover and increase heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool five minutes. Serve.

Well, there you have it, folks! Get yourself a Mario Batali Dutch oven* and you, too, can make some pretty delicious (if I do say so myself) food at home. At $99.99, it's more expensive than your average pot, but trust me: if the kitchen is your domain, the price is well worth it.

*While both the Chianti-colored Dutch oven, which I was sent, and the Pesto-colored pots are currently out of stock on the Food Network shop (red and green! how festive and seasonally appropriate!), the pot is still available in a deep brown (Espresso) and in give-Mario's-Crocs-a-run-for-their-money orange (Persimmon).

Image via the Food Network Store website