Fresh | Dutch oven brings delicious promises

YAKIMA, Wash. -- For the last few months, I have been coveting Dutch ovens. Swinging into Target for cat litter, I'd linger down the aisle of pans, noticing the selection of colors and shapes -- oval and round -- and placing them in my imaginary kitchen. You know, the one where I always have hours available to cook and where dirty dishes magically disappear.

One weekend in Seattle, I got sucked into a Williams-Sonoma store, lured in by the bright display of Dutch ovens sitting near the cash register. Any color but green, I decided. Red, maybe, like a fast sports car or sexy dress.

In grad school, I had a clay baking pot that I used to cook a whole chicken in -- a meal I'd have at least once a week. It was so easy to throw a chicken in, cut up some potatoes, maybe some carrots, and three hours of homework or housework later, a delightful dinner.

Lately I've been craving the same thing -- the ease of making a healthy, warm meal that is something a bit more substantial than a Lean Cuisine pulled out of the freezer. So I was delighted to find a beautiful blue enamel Dutch oven in my Christmas box from my father, who is always supportive of any new kitchen tool I might want to have.

My first experiment was French Chicken in a Pot, made from a recipe given to me by fellow photographer and foodie Andy Sawyer. It was as simple and good as I remember that clay pot chicken being.

Basically, you pour some oil in the Dutch oven -- I used olive oil -- and heat it on the stove. When it's hot, sear the outside of the chicken, then throw in some veggies. The original recipe called for onion, a stalk of celery and six garlic cloves.

Although it turned out tasty, I went a little crazy with my second attempt, using the onion, celery and garlic, but also adding carrots, red potatoes, parsnips and turnips. I cut up so much that I ended up having to put the overflow into a cast iron skillet and cook it separately.

Once you've thrown in the veggies, cook them for just a couple minutes on the stove, add some salt and pepper and then put the lid on the Dutch oven and put the whole thing into the oven at 250 degrees for 21/2 to 3 hours. It's as simple as that.

You can experiment with spices. The first time, I used a sprig of rosemary, the second time I used a bit of thyme and a couple of bay leaves.

When the chicken is done, let it rest a few minutes before you cut it and serve it with some of the juice in the bottom of the pan. The first time I made it, I also made rice, and used the juices to make gravy. To do that, put the liquid into a skillet, heat it and whisk in some flour -- about 2-3 tablespoons -- until it thickens. Delicious.

* Fresh is photo/food column by Yakima Herald-Republic photographer Sara Gettys. To see more photos, visit the photo blog at yakimaheraldphotos.com.