“Sisters on the Fly” is kind of like the Girl Scouts, but for grown-ups. Women find vintage trailers, gussy them up and take them camping. While they’re out, the sisters kayak, fish, shoot -- and cook in cast iron.
Their delicious concoctions, from cajun corn bread to sassy pulled pork, are collected in the new cookbook "Cast Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly," by Irene Rawlings.
Rawlings spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner and provided these recipes to try at home -- or on the go.
Recipes:
Classic Potato Salad—with a cinnamon twist
8 medium potatoes, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium red onion, minced
5 hard-cooked eggs
Flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Paprika, for sprinkling
Boil the unpeeled potatoes in salted water until done. Let cool to room temperature. Dice. Place in a large bowl.
Mix the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon in another bowl. Add to the potatoes. Add the celery and onion and mix well. Slice 4 of the eggs and gently stir into the salad. Slice the remaining egg and use to garnish along with the parsley. Sprinkle with paprika. Serves 8.
Pork and Blueberry Sausage Simmered in Maple Syrup
2 pound of freshly ground pork sausage
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup pure maple syrup (no substitutes!!)
Mix the sausage and blueberries together and form into 20 sausage balls (or 7-10 patties). Over medium heat in a seasoned cast iron skillet, cook the sausage, turning them every other minute for 6-7 minutes, until brown on all sides. Add the maple syrup and bring to a simmer, continuing to cook for 1 minute. Stir or roll around the patties while simmering so they're coated all over. Transfer to a serving platter. Strain the syrup mixture, pour over the sausage and serve with pancakes. Serves 4 to 6.
Mom’s Pancakes
This recipe has been in one Sister’s family for at least two generations.
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, plus more as needed
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter or bacon fat, plus more for the pan
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Combine the milk and egg. Add the melted butter, then the dry ingredients, and mix well. Thin the batter with more milk if needed. Beat well to remove any lumps.
Wipe a cast-iron skillet with butter or bacon grease on a paper towel. Heat the skillet over the grate on the fire, or on the stovetop over medium heat. The skillet is ready when drops of water flicked onto it dance and evaporate immediately.
Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to pour the batter into the hot skillet. Let the pancakes cook until the edges start to crisp up and bubbles form on the uncooked surface. Flip. Let the pancakes cook for another minute or two. Serve immediately. Makes about 12 pancakes.
Cowboy Coffee
Cowboy coffee has been made for centuries by cowpokes, wranglers, and settlers on the wagon road west. But it’s as simple to carry the ingredients (ground coffee and an egg) when fly-fishing as it is when herding a range of cattle. Making this coffee over the campfire first thing in the morning adds to the pleasure of this very basic brewing technique.
4½ cups cold water
1 cup ground coffee beans
1 large egg
In a large pot, bring 4 cups of the cold water to a boil over high heat. Put the ground coffee beans and the egg (still in its shell) in the middle of a piece of cheesecloth. Tie the opposite corners of the cheesecloth to make a sack. Break the egg in the sack and massage the bag to mix the egg with the coffee grinds. Drop the sack into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Top off with the ½ cup water (to settle the grinds). Pour the coffee into cups. Serves 4 to 6
Hint: You can make this in a coffee can over a campfire or on the stove. Our Canadian Sisters suggest swirling the coffee with a clean stick while it is brewing. This breaks the surface tension and allows the grinds to settle.
