Make It Fast, Cook It Slow (15 page)

SUPEREASY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

makes approximately
9
cups

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the ground turkey meat to the crock. Dump in the cans of tomatoes with their liquid, and break up the ground meat with a large spoon. Stir in the Italian seasoning and mushrooms. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. When the cooking time has elapsed, break the ground meat up a bit more and season to taste with the Italian seasoning.

Bottled pasta sauce is awfully salty; I didn’t add any salt, but your tongue might desperately want you to. Serve right away, or package for freezing. If you decide to use a different type of meat, you can chill the sauce, and scrape off the collected fat before freezing or using.

The Verdict

There aren’t any rules when it comes to making spaghetti sauce. Use tomatoes from your garden, what’s on sale at the supermarket, and feel free to add lots and lots of garlic.

TAMALE PIE

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Dump in the filling ingredients (cheese too!) and stir well to distribute the spices. You will not be able to stir this
again, so please check to see that the spices aren’t clumpy. In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. When combined, pour the batter evenly over the filling, spreading it with a spatula, if needed. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 7 hours or on high for 2 to 4 hours.

The Verdict

I was shocked at how quickly this cooked. I set it on low and expected it to take about 8 hours, but it was all brown and golden and perfectly crispy at the 6-hour mark. So we ate it for lunch!

ZITI

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Spray the sides and bottom of the stoneware with cooking spray. Rinse the pasta in a colander to add a bit of moisture to the noodles, and put into the slow cooker. Add 1 cup shredded cheese, and the jar of pasta sauce. Stir in the sliced mushrooms. Put the rest of the cheese on top. Add the water to the empty pasta sauce jar, and shake to release any remaining sauce. Pour evenly over the top of the pasta. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or until pasta has reached the desired tenderness. If you find that your noodles are getting crispy on top, you can push them down a bit more into the sauce an hour before serving to ensure proper tenderness.

U
sing your slow cooker for soups and stews is a no-brainer, and I certainly made quite a few during my one-year slow-cooking challenge. I enjoy making a big batch of soup or stew on the weekend to package in single-serving containers for lunch throughout the week or to freeze for use later. I also appreciate how I can sneak extra vegetables into soups and stews for added nutrients and fiber.

ALBONDIGAS SOUP

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the broth, vegetables, pasta sauce, and mint into your slow cooker. Stir in the frozen meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. The seasoning from the meatballs is what is going to flavor your soup. The longer and slower you cook the soup, the more flavor the broth will have. Stir in frozen peas 20 minutes or so before serving. Garnish with a bit of shredded cheese before serving.

The Verdict

The mint is what differentiates Albondigas (meatballs in Spanish) from other soups and provides a unique flavor. I was happily surprised by the subtle mint, and how it provided a cooling sensation on my tongue. If you’d like a punch of heat, you can add some hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes at the table.

AZOREAN SPICED BEEF STEW

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the meat into your stoneware; frozen is fine. Add the stock. Add the potatoes, tomatoes (ha, that rhymed!), carrots, green onions, and garlic. Stir in the salt, red pepper flakes, allspice, and cumin. Float the bay leaf on top and add the cinnamon sticks. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for about 6 hours.

The Verdict

This is a very good stew. It has a fantastic cinnamon-y flavor, but it isn’t sickly sweet or weird. It’s just good. A big thank you to Sean Timberlake and DPaul Brown for this great recipe.

BEEF STOCK

makes
3
quarts

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. This will take 2 days. Prepare yourself. Roast whatever meat and bones you are going to use on a high-sided baking sheet in the oven at 400°F for 30 minutes.

While the meat is roasting and releasing flavor, wash and coarsely chop the vegetables and put into the cooker. They do not need to look pretty.

When the meat is done, let it cool a bit, then scrape it into your stoneware. Include any juices. Add the seasonings and vinegar, and enough water to fill the remainder of the stoneware, minus 2 inches. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Let your slow cooker cool down on the countertop, then place the removable stoneware into the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning the fat will have floated to the top. It’s quite gross. Skim off and discard the fat, and drain the broth through a colander into a large pot or bowl. Discard the bones and vegetables. Your stock is now ready to be used in your favorite soup or stew, and can be frozen for later use.

The Verdict

Although time-consuming, homemade broth provides a flavorful punch to any recipe, without excess salt or chemicals. Kalyn Denny, who writes kalynskitchen.blogspot.com, recommends saving meat scraps and bones for a few months in the freezer to use for broth, and using past-prime vegetables. This saves a lot of money.