Peter Clenott

Small-batch, one-pot dishes to share with close friends and family! In Cast-Iron Cooking for Two, Joanna Pruess celebrates the enduring appeal of cast-iron cooking and the countless twosomes who love sharing home-cooked food. Her 75 easy and flavorful recipes feature versatile cast-iron skillets that are the right size for people cooking for two (or three), whether they be empty nesters, college students, or just anyone who is not feeding a group. From Spicy Beer-Battered Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce to Homey Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs and Legs with Pan Gravy to Orange-Sesame Shortbread Cookies, you’ll find dishes that are perfect for any occasion when it’s just the two of youؙ—or maybe even a few! Date night, Sunday morning with a couple of kids, or a casual drop-in dinner for a close friend. Real ingredients that are easily accessible, along with a smattering of high-quality convenience foods (think prepared pesto, pumpkin pie spice mix), help the home cook save time, money, and cupboard and counter space. Home cooks are discovering the cast-iron pan, popular for centuries, as a tool for economical, easy, elemental ways to cook. Pruess includes a section about caring for pans and debunking some commonly held myths about cooking with cast-iron. Joanna invites the cook to get creative, mix and match, and buck tradition: Buckwheat Crêpes with Smoked Salmon can be served for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner. Blackberry Cobbler with Candied Ginger and Oat Streusel Topping could even become a celebratory breakfast instead of a dessert. And some of the side dishes, such as Roasted Corn Pancakes with Cherry Tomato Salsa and Sweet Potato Pancakes with Brussels Sprouts Slaw, could be the center of a light dinner or lunch. There’s something for everyone—and their closest friends and family—in Pruess’s latest, Cast-Iron Cooking for Two.