Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Cast iron Dutch ovens have been around a long time.

You may have seen something that your grandmother had –an old pot that she sat on the stove that was black.

Tim Spice is an education and outreach specialist at Parks and Wildlife. The ovens have changed little since great-grandma’s day, except some now come pre-seasoned.

You know, what’s neat is, in the last couple of years, one of the major manufacturers has come out with a pre-seasoned Dutch oven. And I swore as a purist I wouldn’t buy one, and I did get one, and wow – already seasoned – it was fabulous. Jump right in and start cooking.

If you prefer to season it the old fashioned way – use it.

And after you cook a few times it will be season. And what we mean by ‘seasoned’ is, as you cook, micro-layers of carbon build up on the cast iron, and gives it a non-stick quality.

You don’t have to cook alone. There are groups, such as the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society, dedicated to preserving this kind of cookery.

And, you can just do a search on your favorite engine, and you’ll find lots of different things. Some of these groups have ‘dogs’ is what they call them – Dutch oven gatherings – where they get together and they just all cook their favorite food, and have a grand old time.

Find recipes and links to Dutch oven groups at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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RECIPES FROM TIM SPICE

Hello folks. It is easy to get started with Dutch Ovens cooking. Here are some simple and great recipes! You want to cook these over a 350-degree heat. And to determine that, place your hand six-inches over the hot coals and count — one Mississippi…two Mississippi….three Mississippi…. If you can keep your hand over the coals for three seconds, then you have a temperature of 350-degrees. TS

CHICKEN STEW

Heat your Dutch oven over the coals with 1/8 inch of vegetable oil. When it is hot (not smoking), carefully place a cut up chicken in the oil and brown the chicken on both sides. When the chicken is browned cover the chicken with stock, (I use pre-made stock from the grocery).

Dice half an onion, place in the pot with one Bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and celery and continue to simmer until the chicken falls off the bone, approximately 45 minutes.

When the chicken is done, you may thicken the stew with flour or cornstarch.

For an added bonus, get some biscuit mix and make dumpling in a plastic baggie. Cut a hole in one corner and squeeze out golf ball sized dough right on the top of the stew. Cover and heat until the dumplings are done in the middle. Add a few more coals to the top for a golden brown dumpling.

NOTE: You can use this same recipe to make beef stew by just substituting beef for the chicken.

COBBLER

Nothing beats a hot cobbler sitting around the campfire!

Start with canned fruit. (Peaches for the traditionalist.) For a 12 inch Dutch, 4 standard size cans will do. I use 2 cans of fruit and two cans of fruit pie filling.

Drain the fruit and reserve the liquid. Place the fruit and a few dabs of butter in the Dutch oven along with brown sugar and cinnamon. (I have a big sweet tooth so I use up to a cup of brown sugar, you may use less or none at all.)

Next, take 1/2 a box of yellow cake mix and place it in a plastic baggie. Mix with the reserved fruit juice and water until it is a little thicker than cake batter. Cut a small hole in one corner and pipe the batter on top of the fruit mixture. Then take a handful of dry mix and sprinkle on top of the cobbler.

Place the Dutch oven on the coals and maintain a 350-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. If the top is not browning after 30 minutes add more coals to the top.

If the fruit filling is not bubbling gently, add more coals to the bottom. Finally, 5 minutes before the cobbler is done sprinkle with pecans. GUARANTEED TO PLEASE!

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Cast iron is a durable metal with an outstanding capacity to hold and transfer heat. No wonder Dutch ovens are made from it.

A Dutch oven is a cast iron pot that pioneers used to cook their meals in over an open fire.

Tim Spice work for Parks and Wildlife in education and outreach. He’s also an accomplished Dutch oven cook.

I’ve done some stuffed Cornish game hens and quiche. Whatever you can bake in your oven you can bake in a Dutch oven.

For the new Dutch oven enthusiast, Spice recommends starting with a foolproof recipe.

Stews are easy. Liquid recipes are forgiving in a Dutch oven. So, I just tell people to start with that. Pick a great beef stew or a chicken stew and go after it. Vegetables, stock and the meat of your choice – and just let it cook away. And you’ll have a great meal in a short period of time.

If you’re worried about using your Dutch oven for the first time in the wide open spaces, Spice recommends, doing a test run indoors.

If I want to try something on a fire, I’ll get my Dutch oven out and I’ll cook it in my oven so I don’t have to worry about temperature control. I can focus on recipe adjustment. Let’s face it, when you’re out in the woods, camping – you’re trying to have a good time –you don’t have a full kitchen behind you. So, that’s what I do. I use it a lot.

Find Dutch oven recipes at http://www.lodgemfg.com/recipe.asp.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Whether the Dutch invented the Dutch oven isn’t exactly clear. What is clear…says Tim Spice…is using one of these cast iron pots simplifies outdoor cooking.

And you can cook anything that you would at home, on a fire, outdoors, while you’re camping with your family or friends.

Spice is in education and outreach at Texas Parks and Wildlife. Dutch ovens are cast iron pots that have been in use since the 1700s.

Today the Dutch oven has legs on the bottom and a rim on the lid sop that you can put coals under it and on top of it and cook as you would in your oven at home.

The key to Dutch oven cooking success is temperature control. Without the luxury of a thermostat when cooking al fresco, you have to get creative – and daring.

You hold your hand six inches above the coals…thousand one…thousand two….thousand three…if you have to pull your hand away sooner because it’s uncomfortable from the heat – it’s hotter than three-fifty. If you can hold your hand longer than three seconds, it’s colder than three-fifty. And, since most food is cooked at three hundred and fifty degrees in the oven, that’s where you’ll want to start gaging your heat.

As always, you’ll find more information about this and other topics at passporttotexas.org.

Don’t be intimidated by that Dutch oven. Grab one and take it home and practice. And then, take your folks out to the state park and spend the day and have a great meal at the end of a great day outdoors.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

September 1, October 6 & November 3, 2007 — Mission Tejas SP — Dutch Oven Cooking — See what’s cooking as the Tejas Chapter of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society meets in the picnic area of the park, or the Pavilion in case of rain. 9 a.m.-noon (936) 687-2394.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Most Texans who live in “gator country” do so without incident. Yet, when the large reptiles get too close for comfort, they’re called nuisance alligators – although, to gators, we are the pests.

Human habitat is expanding- we’re encroaching on their home. We’re building our home in the alligator’s normal territory. So, we’re displacing them and sometimes pushing them into areas where we’re in conflict with them.

Jennifer Owen, Natural Resource Specialist Estero Llano Grande State Park, offers tips on gator etiquette.

If you find yourself a little too close to an alligator, what you should do is stop immediately, locate the alligator, and then slowly take steps backwards-don’t run. And then just turn around and walk away. If it is in a public area, you want to make sure to inform some authorities- either park rangers or you might want to call the game warden and let them know so that they can safely move the animal out of the way.

How can humans safely coexist with alligators?

Well, I think having a healthy respect for them and learning about them is number one. Realizing that they are amazing creatures and then realizing that they need their land. We need to save some area for them to have as their own so that they can continue their lives.

Find a link to information about nuisance gators at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

A modern day contemporary of dinosaurs, alligators have survived their prehistoric ancestors into the 21st century. One species of alligator is native to Texas.

The alligators that we have in Texas are the American alligator and it’s the largest reptile in North America. They can be about 6 to 16 feet long and they’re usually pretty dark green- sometimes they can appear black.

Jennifer Owen is the Natural Resource Specialist at the World Birding Center’s Estero Llano Grande State Park in the Valley.

You’ll find alligators in Texas basically all along the coast. They’re magnificent animals and amazing to see in the wild.

Once on the endangered species list, alligators were de-listed in 1980s; however, they remain protected in Texas, as well as the other ten states where they occur.

There used to be a big problem with alligator populations because they were hunted, not quite to extinction, but they were hunted to the point where they’re populations were severely dwindling. Then, Texas Parks and Wildlife here in our state developed programs to deal with hunting of alligators and protecting their habitat. They’ve really been on the rebound and have become a healthier population now.

Find a link to more information about alligators at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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