Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (11 page)

Because this Tex-Mex favorite will serve an army, you can make a batch and freeze for up to six weeks. Real Texas chili, according to my Texan friends, doesn’t include beans or tomatoes. Since I’m not a real Texan, I’ve adapted this recipe to make it a crowd pleaser using Lone Star beer and chunks of sirloin and black beans. When you serve it, provide a condiment bar with tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and chopped pickled jalapeños for your guests to add as they please.

2½ pounds beef sirloin, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 teaspoons salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño

2 teaspoons ancho chile powder (see savvy)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ cup cornmeal

2 cups beef broth

One 12-ounce bottle Lone Star or other beer

One 14- to 15-ounce can tomato purée

Two 14- to 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

sprinkle the beef evenly with the salt and cayenne (if using). Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides.

transfer the meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

lower the heat to medium-low and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeño, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, being careful to stir the mixture so the chile powder doesn’t burn. Add the cornmeal and stir until blended with the other ingredients, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, whisking, and bring to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the beer, tomato purée, and beans. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened.

skim off any fat from the top of the chili and stir in the cilantro before serving.

serves 8–10

chile savvy

Ancho chile powder can be found in the Hispanic section of your grocery store and sometimes in the spice section. If you would prefer to use an all-purpose chili powder, Gephardt’s is a good brand, or try mail ordering from Penzey’s Spices (www.penzeys.com).

more savvy

Always sauté dried herbs and spices to release their oils, otherwise the finished dish will not have a balanced flavor. This is especially true of chili powders, which need to “bloom” in fat to reduce their harshness.

Smoky, creamy, and sweet, this delicious warm-up filled with sweet corn, bacon, and potatoes is terrific to serve in mugs on a cold winter day. Cream and whole milk are my choices for this chowder; add them at the end of the cooking time to prevent separating.

8 strips bacon, cut into ½-inch dice (see savvy)

1 cup finely chopped onion

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1½ teaspoons dried thyme leaves

½ cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Tabasco sauce

4 cups diced red potatoes (see savvy)

One 16-ounce package frozen petite white corn, defrosted

1 cup heavy cream

Salt

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add the onion, celery, and thyme and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften. Add the flour and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the broth and 8 drops of Tabasco, whisking until smooth, and bring the mixture to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and corn. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.

at the end of the cooking time, stir in the cream, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt and Tabasco.

serve the chowder hot.

serves 8

bacon sauté savvy

When sautéing bacon with other ingredients, make sure to render the fat, and cook the bacon until it is just crisp. The addition of vegetables like onions to the sauté will add some water and prevent the bacon from becoming crisp, so make sure it is crisp before adding the vegetables. I usually cook a whole pound of bacon and use the extra for garnish because we all know everything tastes better with bacon!

potato savvy

I will leave the skins on potatoes if they are unblemished and don’t have a greenish tinge. If they do look a bit green, it is from exposure to light and the green tinge should be peeled off because it is a toxin and can give you a tummy ache. Choices for potatoes in this soup would be the waxy varieties: red, Yukon gold, fingerling, or white creamers. Baking potatoes aren’t recommended because they have a tendency to fall apart in soup.

Filled with potatoes, onion, celery, bacon, and fresh fish, creamy seafood chowders are a staple not only in New England but across America. This fish chowder is a basic slow-cooker recipe for any type of creamy chowder—it’s a matter of substituting more than changing the cooking technique. Fish chowder should be made with a thick-fleshed fish that will not disintegrate in the cooker, such as halibut, sea bass, or cod. Make sure the fish is fresh, not frozen. Frozen fish tends to disintegrate when cooked low and slow. Fish stock can easily be made on your stovetop, but if you don’t have any, a mixture of chicken broth and clam juice also works well. Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon has a clam base as well as a delicious lobster stock that you could certainly use.

8 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken broth

Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice

5 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks

1 bay leaf

1½ pounds thick-fleshed fish, such as sea bass, halibut, haddock, or cod, cut into 2-inch cubes

1½ cups heavy cream

¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnishing

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives for garnishing

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove all but ¼ cup of the bacon drippings from the skillet.

add the onion, celery, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the roux constantly (see savvy). Gradually stir in the broth and clam juice and bring to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender.

stir in the bacon, fish, and cream. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the fish is cooked through.

remove the bay leaf and serve the chowder garnished with the parsley and chives.

serves 8

roux savvy

When whisking a roux with vegetables, I use a flat whisk because the veggies don’t get stuck in it. Also, after adding the liquid to the roux, always bring it to a boil, otherwise it won’t thicken properly.

Although it’s most often called “New England clam chowder,” each state in the Northeast has its own chowder. This recipe is based on what is served in Massachusetts, where I spent time growing up. The original recipes call for salt pork, but I like the flavor that thick-cut bacon brings to this hearty soup.

8 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ cups chicken broth

Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice

5 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks

Three 10-ounce cans chopped or minced clams, with their juice

1 bay leaf

2 cups milk

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove all but ¼ cup of the bacon drippings from the skillet.

add the onion, celery, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the roux constantly. Gradually stir in the broth and clam juice and bring to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes, clams, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender.

stir in the bacon and milk. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the soup is heated through.

remove the bay leaf before serving.

serves 8

As a child I loved this chowder because it was so different from its creamy New England cousins. Thyme, tomato, clams, and vegetables flavor the soup, giving it great character. Tomato-based chowders started appearing the mid-1800s when Italian and Portuguese fishermen started adding tomatoes to chowder rather than cream or milk. Some say this was originally called “Fulton Market Clam Chowder,” but whatever you call it, it is a satisfying meal any day of the week.

8 strips bacon, cut into ½-inch slices

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ cup dry white wine or vermouth

One 14- to 15-ounce can tomato purée

Two 10-ounce cans chopped or minced clams, with their juice

One 8-ounce bottle clam juice

1 bay leaf

5 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp and remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings.

add the onions, celery, and thyme and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

stir in the remaining ingredients, except the salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

remove the bay leaf before serving.

serves 8

Plump shrimp, spicy Old Bay seasoning, and smoky bacon give this chowder lots of personality and pizzazz. Serve this in hollowed-out sourdough bread bowls for a great casual meal.

8 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken broth

Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice

5 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks

1 bay leaf

1½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1½ cups heavy cream

¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnishing

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives for garnishing

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove all but ¼ cup of the bacon drippings from the skillet.

add the onion, celery, thyme, and seasoning and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking the roux constantly. Gradually stir in the broth and clam juice and bring to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Stir in the potatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the bacon, shrimp, and cream.

cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the shrimp is cooked through.

remove the bay leaf and serve garnished with parsley and chives.

serves 8