Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (42 page)

A terrific vegetarian entrée or side dish, cassoulet is usually made with lots of meats, including duck and sausages, but for this cassoulet, we’ll forgo the meats and use legumes, chunky vegetables, and tangy orange zest to fortify the pot. I actually like this better the next day, after the flavors have gotten to know each other.

2 cups Great Northern beans, soaked overnight in water to cover and drained

½ cup brown lentils

½ cup yellow split peas

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch of red pepper flakes

4 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch rounds

4 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 parsnips, cut into ½-inch rounds

1 cup red wine, such as Burgundy

Grated zest of 1 orange

One 14- to 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

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cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup finely chopped Italian parsley combine the beans, lentils, and split peas in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes and sauté until the onions are softened.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Stir in the carrots, celery, parsnips, wine, zest, tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, until the beans are tender. Check after several hours to see if the beans need additional broth.

remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Combine the butter, bread crumbs, cheese, and parsley in a mixing bowl and sprinkle over the top of the cassoulet. Cook uncovered for another 30 minutes.

serve from the cooker set on warm, as a side dish or vegetarian main dish.

serves 8

Robust and bursting with chunks of sausage in a savory sauce, these beans are terrific for a barbecue. Serve alongside burgers, hot dogs, grilled meats, or pulled pork. If you have an outdoor kitchen, plug in the cooker and keep the beans warm.

1½ pounds bulk pork sausage (Jimmy Dean is a good brand)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

Four 16-ounce cans plain baked beans

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

brown the sausage in a large skillet over high heat, breaking up any large chunks with the back of a spoon. Add the onions and chiles and sauté until the onions are softened. Drain off any excess fat.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until the beans are tender.

serve the beans from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) are a staple in Mediterranean cooking, and these beans become soft and creamy in your slow cooker. Fragrant with garlic, rosemary, tomatoes, and a bit of red wine, the beans make a terrific side dish to serve with grilled meats or seafood.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

Two 14- to 15-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons dry red wine

Four 14- to 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (see savvy)

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and rosemary and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and swirl in the pan to combine.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the beans along with the salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, until the beans are soft and creamy.

stir in the parsley and serve.

serves 6–8

bean savvy

I am a spur-of-the-moment cook in many ways, and sometimes I won’t have thought to soak dried beans the night before. If you plan ahead and want to use dried garbanzo beans in this recipe, instead of canned beans, soak them overnight in water to cover, drain, and cook as directed but increase the cooking time to 8 to 10 hours.

Southern cooks are proud of their green beans, which are typically slowly simmered with bacon, giving the beans their distinctive flavor. My version of this dish has whole garlic cloves and chicken broth added for more flavor. I love to serve these beans with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and cream gravy.

6 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces; reserve some for garnish

2 pounds green beans, ends snipped, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1½ cups chicken broth

4 cloves garlic, peeled

6 whole black peppercorns

combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, until the beans are tender.

drain the beans and discard the peppercorns and garlic.

serve garnished with the reserved bacon.

serves 6–8

This recipe is similar to one I have enjoyed at a local restaurant. The pomegranate dressing has a sweet-and-sour quality that gives the beets a nice flavor, and the goat cheese adds a tangy note. The dressing is equally good on field greens, or you can serve the beets on a bed of field greens, garnished with some
Spicy Crocked Nuts
. Roasting beets develops the sugars and makes them not only sweet but also full flavored. I recommend beets that are around two to two-and-a-half inches in diameter. Baby beets, generally about one inch in diameter, are expensive, and it would take a boatload to fill your cooker. Once the beets are cooked, they keep refrigerated for several days and stay nicely in the vinaigrette for three to four days.

6 to 8 medium beets, scrubbed, stem ends trimmed

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

½ cup pomegranate juice

¼ cup rice vinegar

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil for garnishing

8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled for garnishing

wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and arrange in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours, until the tip of a knife inserted into the thickest part of the beet goes in without any resistance.

remove the beets from the slow-cooker insert and allow them to cool. Unwrap the beets and slip the skins off with a sharp paring knife.

cut the beets into wedges and transfer to a bowl. Whisk together the oil, pomegranate juice, vinegar, shallots, sugar, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Pour the mixture over the beets and toss to coat.

marinate the beets for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

drain the beets and arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with the basil and goat cheese.

serves 6–8

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, and a slow cooker does a great job on this casserole of layered eggplant, garlicky tomato sauce, and cheese. Make sure to use a slow-cooker liner, or coat the insert of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, for easy cleanup. I actually like this dish the day after, so you can definitely layer everything and refrigerate it, then bring it to room temperature and cook the next day.

1 large purple eggplant (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds

3 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons dried basil

One 28- to 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Salt the eggplant generously. (This step will remove the excess water from the eggplant, giving you a nice dish rather than a slow cooker full of water). After 10 minutes, turn the eggplant and salt the other side. Let stand for another 10 minutes. Blot the slices dry with paper towels and set aside while making the sauce.

heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and basil and sauté until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, and sugar; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.

spread a layer of the sauce on the bottom of the slow-cooker insert, then top with a layer of the eggplant. Spread an even layer of the mozzarella over the eggplant and sprinkle with some of the Asiago and Parmigiano. Top with a bit of the sauce. Continue to layer the sauce, eggplant, and cheeses, ending with the last bit of Asiago and Parmigiano.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is melted in the center. Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

serves 6–8

A dish from Provence, ratatouille was made famous by a Pixar movie starring a gourmand named Remy, a rodent to rival Mickey. In order to appeal to a food critic, Remy went back to the man’s roots and prepared a dish his mama used to make: ratatouille. Comfort foods soothe the soul, and in this instance, the Gallic soul. Ratatouille is a mélange of eggplant, zucchini, onions, and tomatoes, seasoned with the herbs of Provence, cooked low and slow. It can be served as a side dish or as main course with salad and a cheese course. Make sure to salt the vegetables before cooking to eliminate any excess liquid in the finished dish.

1 large eggplant (about 1½ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

3 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 medium onions, cut into half rounds

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and sliced ½ inch thick

2 teaspoons herbes de Provence (see savvy)

1 bay leaf

¼ cup dry red wine

One 14- to 15-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed in the palm of your hand, drained

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

put the eggplant and zucchini in a large colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let the vegetables stand in the colander for 1 hour, tossing them every 10 minutes or so. Press any excess water out of the vegetables by pressing down on them in the colander and then blotting with paper towels. Set aside.

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, herbs, and bay leaf and sauté until there is no liquid left in the skillet, about 7 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

stir in the eggplant and zucchini, the wine, tomatoes, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thickened. Remove the cover and discard the bay leaf. Cook on low for 30 minutes.

serve the ratatouille hot, warm, or at room temperature.

serves 8

provence savvy

You can make your own combination of herbes de Provence by combining 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried chervil, and ½ teaspoon dried basil.