When I was younger I was pathetically weedy about the weight of cast iron cookware, but now I find it hard to cook with anything else: the flavour this traditional cookware imparts is incomparable. And this book justifiably celebrates it! I've chosen the recipe for Asian-style Braised Short Ribs, as I feel that beef short ribs are one of the delights of the American kitchen, though unfortunately they are not easy to find in the UK. Butchers will supply them — and they are quaintly known as Jacob's Ladder — but as yet they don't seem to be in supermarkets. I feel on a mission to change this, and once you've tried them, you'll see why.
From Cooking In Cast Iron by Valerie Aikman-Smith, published by Weldon Owen, 2010.
Photos by Ray Kachatorian.
