THE KITCHEN DIVA

Cast-Iron Cooking

By Angela Shelf Medearis

I've joined the cast-iron cookware collectors' cult. We're a small but passionate group with a common cause: the restoration of antique cast-iron cookware. I can't pass up a thrift store or garage sale without purchasing one or two pieces, as long as they're in good condition. My cast-iron cookware is not just for display; I use it on a daily basis.

My love affair with cast-iron cookery began when my mother, Angeline, gave me the heavy, black, cast-iron skillet that originally belonged to my grandmother, Willie Mae Davis. The thing I love most about cooking in my grandmother's cast-iron skillet is that it's a direct connection to my history and heritage.

I don't fry foods very often, but my heirloom skillet is my pan of choice for the task. As I stand there turning pieces of fish or chicken in the bubbling, hot oil, I think about all the other women in my family who have done the same with this pan.

In times past, properly seasoned cast iron was the nonstick cookware of its day. It can stand up to high heat and almost any type of utensil without damaging its surface. Cast-iron cookware also leaches small amounts of iron into the food, a helpful benefit for those who have iron deficiencies.

Cast iron heats up slowly, so using the cookware requires a little planning, but once it's hot, it distributes the heat evenly and holds it steadily like an oven, and seasoned cast iron doesn't require oil to sear or blacken meats.

Recently, I purchased a large, cast-iron skillet for my daughter, Deanna, which she immediately put to use to pan-sear fish. So, from mother to daughter to granddaughter and great-granddaughter, the cast-iron tradition continues in our family, one fabulous meal at a time. And to think that it all started with a single pan from my grandmother, Willie Mae.

CAST-IRON-STYLE SMOTHERED CHICKEN

1 large fryer (3 to 3 1/2 pounds), cut up into serving pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter

Place a large, cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the bottom of the skillet evenly with the salt. Wash the chicken pieces and pat them dry with food-safe paper towels. Sprinkle the pieces with the pepper and poultry seasoning. Place the chicken pieces, skin-side down, in the hot skillet. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes.

Cover the skillet with a heavy lid and turn the heat down to medium. The chicken will release juices and fats that will "fry" the chicken and crisp the skin. Let the chicken cook about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside on a plate. Combine the flour with the juices in the skillet until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water or broth. Stir to combine. Turn heat to high to thicken. Add the butter. Turn heat down to medium. Place chicken in skillet, skin side up. Cover skillet with the lid. Cook the chicken about 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Serve over rice. Makes 6 servings.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children's author, culinary historian and the author of five cookbooks. Her latest cookbook, "The New African-American Kitchen," is in bookstores now. She's known as The Kitchen Diva and is the executive producer and host of "The Kitchen Diva!" television cooking show. Visit her Web site at www.divapro.com.

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.