Clay Pot Everyday Recipes
Although clay pot cooking isn't especially conventional these days, there are still wonderful recipes you can try in a clay pot, that are both tasty and nutritious. And clay pots are not just for cooking meat dishes; vegetarian meals taste wonderful in clay pots, and because of the pot's ability to retain the moisture and texture of food, all nutrients in vegetables are retained during cooking. Below are some clay pot recipes that you can try anytime; whether you're planning on something different for tomorrow's dinner, or planning a get-together, you can find a clay pot main course, dessert, or side dish that you and your family will love.
If you're planning on making these dishes for a party and get-together, try baking them in your clay pot a few times for lunch or dinner before inviting guests over, so that you can time soaking your clay pot, or vary the baking times for each dish depending on your oven or taste preferences.
Meatloaf
One of the best main dishes to cook in a clay pot is meatloaf. You can use the same ingredients that you would if you were making the meatloaf in a casserole dish, but you may have to bake the loaf a little longer to solidify all the ingredients. Before you begin making your meatloaf, soak your clay pot in water for at least 15 minutes so that the flavors of the meatloaf won't be stifled with other foods you've prepared in the pot before. To make basic meatloaf, you'll need:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup iced water
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbs. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cider vinegar
Mix all ingredients except for ketchup, brown sugar, and cider vinegar in a large bowl. Mix salt, pepper, or other seasoning to taste. Pat the ingredients into the clay pot, then mix remaining ingredients and spread on top of the meatloaf. Bake for about an hour and a half. Set oven to 400 degrees for cooking.
Asian-inspired Chicken
Chicken dishes are also ideal for dinner time, and can be prepared in clay pots as well. Here's a suggestion for clay pot Asian-inspired chicken:
- 1 pound chicken, cleaned
- 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 6 thin slices young ginger, peeled
- 3 ounces Chinese mustard greens (choy sum)
- 10 cloves garlic, sliced and deep fried
- 10 shallots, sliced and deep fried
- 1 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dark soya sauce
- 2 teaspoons Chinese yellow wine or sweet sherry
- 1 teaspoon light soya sauce
- 3 dashes pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Dry with kitchen paper. Place a claypot over high heat for one minute, add oil and when smoking, add oil and when smoking, add ginger, garlic and shallots. Stir-fry with a pair of chopsticks (or tongs if you don't have chopsticks) for one minute till fragrant.
Add chicken and stir fry for about 2 to 3 minutes till the chicken changes color and is slightly browned. Add oyster sauce and dark soya sauce and stir fry briefly. Add remaining sauce ingredients.
Cover with the lid and boil over high heat for about 8 minutes. Wash choy sum, and cut off the root end. Pluck or cut into finger lengths. Remove lid from the claypot, sprinkle some pepper and place the vegetables over the top. Cover and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Serve.
Cod or Hake with Vegetables
Try making fish in your clay pot. It's especially important to soak your clay pot before and after making fish dishes, since fish has a very strong smell and you don't want any other dishes to pick up the taste. If you're thinking of using fish as the main course, try:
- 4 pieces of cod/hake, approx. 150 g (6 oz)
- 2 onions
- 1 large fennel (or 2 small)
- 1 leek
- 2 carrots
- 50 ml (2 fl oz) white wine
- 50 ml (2 fl oz) water
- Salt and pepper
- Flakes of butter
Soak the clay pot. Clean and chop the fennel green and put to one side. Clean and shred the bulb. Peel the onions, cut into cubes. Clean and shred the leek and carrots. Mix together all the vegetables, season to taste, place in Romertopf. Rinse the cod or hake pieces. Dry and season them. Place on top of the vegetables and add butter flakes and cover.
Place in cold oven, then cook at 225°C (450°F, Gas Mark 7) for about 50 minutes. Garnish with chopped fennel green.
African Vegetable Stew
For a vegetable dish, you can steam fresh mixed vegetables with seasonings or cheese-for seasoning with onion or garlic, sauté these items in safflower or olive oil while the clay pot is soaking, then add the onion, garlic, and oil to the bottom of the pot. You can add any vegetables you want, like broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, chestnuts, or even potatoes (leave the skin on for more nutrition; your potatoes will also come out more tender). You can layer your vegetables with cheese or butter (no water is necessary), and set the dish in the oven, then set the oven to 480 degrees. Cook for about an hour. For another clay pot vegetable dish, try:
- 1 Onion (very large), chopped
- 1 Swiss chard bunch
- 1 can Garbanzo beans (known also as chick peas, ceci, etc.)
- 1/2 c Raisins
- 1/2 c Rice, raw
- 2 Yams
- Several fresh tomatoes (or large can)
- 1 Garlic clove (or more to taste)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Tabasco sauce, to taste
Fry onion, garlic and white stems of chard until barely limp. Add chopped greens and fry a bit. Either peel the yams or scrub them well with a vegetable brush, then slice them into thick slices. Add garbanzos, raisins, yams, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook a couple of minutes in skillet or saucepan. Make a well in the center of the mixture in the clay pot by adding all ingredients except rice. Put the rice in the well and pat it down until it's wet. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 25 minutes. Add Tabasco sauce to taste.
Clay Pot Desserts
Clay pots are usually used for main dinner dishes, such as meatloaves, stews, and casseroles, but you can also use your clay pot to make everyone's favorite part of the meal-dessert. Clay pot desserts include cakes, cobblers, and even pies, and your dishes are kept moist and flavorful during and after baking-this is especially true for desserts containing fruit, or to preserve rich flavors like vanilla or nutmeg. Here are some clay pot desserts that you and your family will love; and you can prepare them in time to serve right after dinner.
Dirt Cake
- 1 bag Oreo cookies
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 2 small boxes instant French vanilla pudding
- 12oz. Cool Whip
- New clay flower pot
- New garden trowel
First, wash garden trowel and flower pot. Plug hole in bottom of the pot with a plastic lid from a coffee can. Then, cream butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar; set aside. Mix milk, instant pudding and Cool Whip. Add butter and cream cheese mixture. Layer pudding mixture and crushed cookies. Be sure top layer is crushed cookies. Refrigerate overnight. Decorate with gummy worms. Serve with trowel. This recipe does not require baking, but serving it in a clay pot will help all the flavors to combine well. So, instead of using a flower pot, you can use a traditional clay cooking pot. This dish is great for parties and get-togethers, and is easy and safe to make with your kids.
For baking recipes, try a bread with berries or bananas, a cake, or traditional favorite, like apple pie or peach cobbler. These dishes taste much fresher in a clay pot, and desserts made with flour are less likely to dry out, even if the family doesn't get to them right away.
Bread & Butter Pudding
- 1/2 stick softened sweet butter, for spreading
- 6 slices Italian white bread
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 3/4 cups milk
- Confectioners sugar, for dusting
Spread the butter over the bread. Place the slices, crusts upward, in a large buttered ovenproof china pie dish. Sprinkle with raisins and sugar. Beat eggs and milk together, pour over the bread and soak for 5 minutes. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the bread is fluffy, the custard set and the top browned. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve with a pitcher of cream.
Moist Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 small ripe bananas or 2 large ripe bananas
- 4 large tablespoons sour cream
- 1 white cake mix
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 1/3 c. milk
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
Frosting:
- 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
- 1 stick butter
- 1/3 c. nuts of your choice (i use walnuts)
- 1 box of powdered sugar (4 cups)
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
Blend bananas with mixer, adding your sour cream. When mixture is well blended, not lumpy, add your cake mix, egg whites, oil, milk, flavoring together and mix. Add milk last so you will be able to judge the consistency of the cake and adjust as needed. Once will blended, pour the mixture into a greased or sprayed 9x13 cake pan or 3 cake layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake is done. The cake will spring back to the center when touched if done. Remove cake from oven and allow cake to cool. Use wax paper over cakes to capture and retain moisture while cooling.
For frosting, mix cream cheese and butter together in a bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix to desired consistency. If you like creamier frosting, you can add a little milk to the mixture. Then, add walnuts to icing, and frost each layer after the cakes have cooled.
Crusty Peach Cobbler
Cobbler:
- 2 c. sliced fresh peaches
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. butter
Shortcake:
- 2 cups sifted flour (all-purpose)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
Cobbler: Place peaches in greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with mixture of sugar and flour, then lemon juice; dot with butter.
Shortcake: Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until like coarse crumbs. Combine egg and milk. Add, stirring only until moistened. Drop in 6 mounds over peaches. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6.
Once you try some of the recipes mentioned here, you may even become inspired to whip up an original clay pot dessert of your own.
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