Cooking with A Dutch Oven

I'm on something of a cooking kick.

They comes in spurts.

And this Christmas I got something I'd wanted for a while. Never mind that I bought it myself. It's still a gift.

A dutch oven, or a Le Creuset, from Williams-Sonoma.

I had to make sure it arrived before Christmas so I could use it Christmas Day.  I was eager to try a Barefoot Contessa recipe for beef stew.

Beef stew on Christmas Day?

I know, nowhere is that a traditional Christmas meal. It just sounded good, homey and warm on a cold day.

While I loved cooking in my new pot for the first time, I'm not sure that's a recipe I'll be repeating. The meat, soaked in red wine for a full 24 hours, was too sweet for me. I prefer a stronger salty taste to my meat.

I didn't want the let-down of the stew to throw me off, so I decided to turn to Le Creuset again three days later. I cooked a Paula Deen goulash, and it's a keeper. I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers again tonight

One of the things I'm most impressed about is how quickly the meat cooks. I used more than 2 pounds of beef in the goulash, something that would have taken the equivalent of forever in a normal pot or pan, and it took a mere 20 minutes. 

My next attempt will be another goulash. This one is a pork and apple dish by Rachel Ray.