One-Pot Wonders: Great Meals, In A Skillet
That basic kitchen tool, the skillet, can be used for more than sautéing chicken breasts or scrambling eggs.
Few people realize just how versatile the skillet is.
And on The Early Show Wednesday, Chris Kimball, editor in chief of Cook's Illustrated magazine and host of "America's Test Kitchen", showed skillet recipes for everything from pasta to pie!
His teams at "Cook's Illustrated" and "America's Test Kitchen" have a new book out, called "The Best Skillet Recipes."
RECIPES
Baked Ziti
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 T olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 T)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
3 cups water
12 ounces (about 3 3/4 cups) ziti
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
ground black pepper
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Method
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses.
2. Cook the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes together in a 12-inch ovensafe non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the processed tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the water, then add the pasta. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
4. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and browned 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.
Cheese Pizza
Makes two 11-inch pizzas; serves 4
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup pizza sauce
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 ounce grated parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
Method
1. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Grease a 12-inch ovenproof skillet with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide it into two equal pieces, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep the other piece covered), press and roll the dough into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet.
3. Spread 1/2 cup of the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan over the top. Set the skillet over high heat and cook until the outside edge of the dough is set, the pizza is lightly puffed, and the bottom crust is spotty brown when gently lifted with a spatula, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the edges are brown and the cheese is golden in spots, 7 to 10 minutes. Using pot holders, transfer the pizza to a carving board, slice into wedges and serve.
5. Wipe the skillet clean, let it cool slightly, then repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a second pizza.
For the blueberry pie skillet recipe, go to Page 2.
Rustic Blueberry Pie
Serves 6
Note: We prefer using fresh blueberries here, but 6 cups of frozen blueberries, thawed, can be substituted. If using frozen berries, don't mash them in step 3. If the dough is very firm, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly for about 10 minutes before rolling it out in step 5. Store-bought pie dough can be substituted for the crust if desired.
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 T vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
5 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
4-6 T ice water
Filling
6 cups blueberries
2 T juice from 1 lemon
2 T water
3 T cornstarch
1 tsp grated zest from 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Method
1. For the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor to combine. Sprinkle the shortening over the top and pulse until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 pulses. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with butter bits no larger than small peas, about 10 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 4 T of the ice water over the mixture and fold to incorporate with a rubber spatula. Press down on the dough with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding the remaining 2 T ice water as needed if the dough does not come together. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
3. For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook 2 cups of the berries in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher, until the mixture is hot, thickened, and measures 1 cup, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Whisk the lemon juice, water, and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch, then stir into the cooked blueberries. Stir in the remaining 4 cups blueberries, lemon zest, sugar, vanilla, and salt and sprinkle the butter over the top.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface into an 11-inch round. Following the illustrations, loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin, then gently unroll it over the blueberry filling in the skillet. Use a sharp knife to cut six vent holes in the dough. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Using a potholder, remove the skillet from the oven. Let the pie cool in the skillet for at least 15 minutes before serving.