Dutch oven arroz con pollo

Late last week I roasted two chickens in the oven. After they cooled, the meat was picked and and divided between several zipper top bags. I then roasted the bones with mire poix. A pot of stock bubbled on the range all night as we prepared for a family trip.

I prepared a large pan of arroz con pollo for the residents at work Monday evening. As often happens, I came home and cooked the same dish in a deep skillet. It was the prefect way to some of the chicken and stock. Chicken stock from the roasted bones and the onions, carrots and celery gave the rice a nice rich flavor.

I last featured chicken and rice in January 2011. In the pictorial recipe, I used chicken thighs on a family camping trip to Kit Carson Campground in Humboldt-Toyable National Forest. I wrote: "The marriage of rice, tomato sauce and chicken thighs makes one of the best Dutch oven dishes that I can think of. Sprinkle a healthy dose of hot pepper sauce over the rice and you have created a dish that qualifies as pure comfort food."

In need of pictures, I though a second helping of my favorite rice dish was in order. To prepare the dish again doesn't bother me as I enjoy it at home and in camp. It's pure comfort food for my family. I can easily eat two helpings, then feast on leftovers for lunch the next day.

DUTCH OVEN ARROZ CON POLLO (SPANISH CHICKEN WITH RICE)

If desired, 1 cup canned diced tomatoes can be used in place of the tomato paste. Use tomatoes and their juices. Reduce stock to 2-1/2 cups and proceed with recipe.

2 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno chile pepper, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups long grain rice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken stock
1 pound cooked diced chicken
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat fat in 10-inch Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute onion, chile pepper and garlic over until nearly tender. Add rice and paprika. Stir until the grains are coated with fat. Add tomato paste, stock and chicken. Bring to a boil. Season liquid with salt and pepper to taste.

Place lid on Dutch oven. Bake with coals for 350 degrees (about 6 under oven and 14 on lid) until rice cooked, about 20 to 30 min. Garnish with cilantro and serve. Serves 6 to 8.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 7, 2012) -- Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Kyle Woolf prepares peppers for dinner aboard the forward deployed Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63).

PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 7, 2012) -- Culinary Specialist Seaman Bradley Baxter pours marinade into a kettle of chicken aboard the forward deployed Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63).

Cowpens is part of the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, the US Navy's only continuously forward deployed carrier strike group based out of Yokosuka, Japan and is currently conducting a routine Western Pacific patrol in support of regional security and stability of the vital Asia-Pacific region.

U.S. Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Kelly.

Chef Tyrone's pulled pork technique

Chef Tyrone of the Tyronbcookin: Seasoned and highly flavored blog has been running a series on menu items from his job. Last week he featured red beans and rice along with his thoughts on two fundraiser menus (pancake breakfast and Thanksgiving dinner. Interesting food related tidbits fill the spaces in between food articles.

Today Tyrone posted the first of a promised series of short how-to videos. "I am trying out a few introductory videos from the work kitchen and maybe even my home kitchen," said Tyrone on his blog. "(Each video) will be short and to the point. If you would like more details of the video in each post, please be sure to comment!"


YouTube video description: "Cooking Boston Butt in convection oven for pulled pork sandwiches."

Sea going pizza maker

This photograph exhibits the reality of life for a U.S. Navy culinary specialist on an aircraft carrier. Much of your time on watch is spent repeating the same task over and over. I counted six sheet pans of pizza in each upper convection oven.

With two pizzas per sheet pan, Seaman Beverley has 24 pizzas in the oven. Another 24 pizza pre-baked shells in the stack stand ready for the oven. More product awaits on the right side of the picture. I suspect Seaman Beverley worked up to half of her 12-hour shift on pizzas on last Saturday.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 3, 2012) -- Culinary Specialist Seaman LaDecha Beverly, from Pittsburgh, prepares pizzas in the galley aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class William Pittman.

Gobble 'Till You Wobble menu

Ron Clanton shared the menu for Gobble 'Till You Wobble this evening. While 10 menu items being cooking in cast iron Dutch ovens is a lot of work, I'm confident Ron and his crew will do a great job. I've asked Ron to report back next week on the success of the event.

Gobble 'Till You Wobble Menu

Dutch Oven Roasted Turkey

Corn Bread Dressing (Century Old Recipe)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce with Marsala and Rosemary

Root Beer Glazed Yams

Carrots with Raisin-Fennel Vinaigrette

Pumpkin-Parmesan Biscuits

Dessert Menu

Retro Apple Cobbler

Almost Pumpkin Pie

Gingerbread

Smoky tortilla soup for a potluck

While Debbie and I knew of the after worship potluck for a week or so, we didn't learn of its theme until late last night. Debbie was told the theme is Mexican after a phone call to the hostess. My initial thought was to prepare tortilla chips and salsa. All I needed were tomatoes since we have tortilla chips in the cupboard.

I changed my mind after returning from the corner market (appropriately named the Busy Spot!). I didn't want to duplicate another dish at the potluck. So I prepared a large pot of smoky tortilla soup. As it turned out, I made a good move. Another person brought chips, salsa and guacamole. With tacos, taquitos, flautas and enchiladas, the soup was a winner. Most enjoyed its flavor and mild bite.


I cooked the soup out on the patio this morning. With the range and oven in the shop for repairs, I've been cooking most of our meals over the two-burner Camp Chef stove. The soup was similar to my recipe from September 2010. Smoked paprika and chipotle powder gave the soup a smoky flavor. And canned crushed tomatoes stood in for tomatillos.



I prepared the soup base at home. Corn tortillas strips, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro (for garnish) went into containers. Once we arrived at the the potluck, the hostess let me re-heat the soup on her range. I dumped the tortilla strips into the soup and heated it until they dissolved into the soup. The soup was served with cheese and cilantro on the side.



Gobble 'Till You Wobble looking for cooks

Goggle 'Till You Wobble Harvest Feast is looking for cooks on Saturday, November 10, 2012. Featured will be a five to six course Thanksgiving dinner prepared in Dutch ovens at the Butte Creek Mill, Eagle Point, Oregon.

You can cook, "help serve, or just move pots around for us and learn to cook in the Dutch oven," said Ron Clanton on the Rogue Dutch Oven Cookers blog. "We have tons of fun, and a little hard work, all worth it."

The Cookers will start cooking around 9 a.m.and serve dinner around 12:30 to 1 p.m. Turkey, dressing, cranberries and dessert are on the menu. Dinner rolls and a "few other things" may be added . The cooking is being done by the members of Rogue Dutch Oven Cookers for the third year. The Cookers are a chapter of International Dutch Oven Society.

The event is free to the public.Thanksgiving meal will be served until the food runs out. Mill owners Bob and Debbie Russell are sponsoring the dinner.

Email Ron if you can cook or assist. The Butte Creek Mill is located at 402 Royal Ave. N., Eagle Point, OR, 97524.

Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures from the 2010 event at the mill.

Lora Lee of the Rogue Dutch Oven Cooker surveys the serving table. The Cookers prepared a 50-pound Turdocken, two (20-pound) turkeys, fresh cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing (Ron's grandmother's recipe) and all the timings. "They ate it all," said Ron on the Cooker's blog. "About 200 people came out to see us cook, or just to eat (I don't know)."

Charles Lee begins work at the 2010 feast. The Cookers used all of the Dutch ovens in the picture "and then some." "I was beat from all the cast iron I pumped that day," said Ron. "But it's always worth it."

Dave Herzog, Medford, Oregon, "pumps iron" at the 2010 Gobble 'Till You Wobble Harvest Feast. Dave roasted the 50-pound Turducken in his 22-inch MACA Dutch oven (pictured at his feet).