Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (48 page)

Every Sunday morning in many parts of Italy, Mama will begin her “Sunday sauce,” a deeply flavored tomato sauce bubbling with assorted meats and flavored with basil, parsley, and, sometimes, fennel, depending upon which region she’s in. When the sauce has simmered all day, she serves it with pasta for Sunday dinner, and there is usually enough left over for meals during the week. Sunday sauce is a slow-simmering delight, and the slow cooker was made for it. The meats braise gently in the sauce, and the flavors come together without your ever having to stir during the day.

1½ pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ pounds sweet Italian sausages

2 pounds ground pork

2 cups chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Three 32-ounce cans crushed tomatoes in thick purée (you can also use tomato purée, or canned plum tomatoes in their juice; just make sure to crush them before adding)

3 tablespoons sugar

pat the short ribs dry with paper towels and sprinkle evenly with some of the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the ribs and brown on all sides. Transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the sausages to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer to the slow-cooker insert. Add the pork to the skillet and sauté until the meat loses its pink color.

drain off any excess water or fat that may have accumulated in the pan and add the onion, basil, parsley, and remaining salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slowcooker insert. Gently pour in the tomatoes and add the sugar. Stir the sauce until the mixture is well combined.

cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours. At the end of the cooking time, taste the sauce for salt, pepper, and sugar and add if necessary.

serve the meat separately from the sauce.

makes 8–12 cups

substitute a 3-pound chuck roast for the short ribs and sausage. Brown both as directed before adding to the slow cooker. When the sauce is finished cooking, remove the roast from the sauce, scrape off any fat from the meat, and cut into serving pieces.

substitute 2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces, for the ground pork.

substitute hot Italian sausage for the sweet sausage.

The slow cooker takes the guesswork out of sweet sauces, jams, marmalades, and chutneys. When fruits are in season, I’m at the farm stands stocking up for slow-cooked sauces that will keep in the freezer. Serve these sauces alongside entrées, or for dessert over ice cream, cake, or cream pie. With these sauces, the slow cooker relieves you of having to watch the sauce or jam constantly. The slow cooker takes good care of your fruits and turns them into splendid sauces.

I love blackberries, but then again I love all berries. When they are in season, you will see me loading up the back of the car with berries to make into this sauce. Not only do I make this sauce for myself, but I also make it for my friends so that they can share in my obsession. This deep purple sauce is a mixture of berries in lemon-flavored syrup thickened with cornstarch. You can choose your favorite berries, mixing and matching, or use only one type. Serve this sauce over ice cream. It’s delicious hot or cold over cake, waffles, pancakes, or as a sauce to serve over cream pie or cheesecake. It’s also delicious layered with cake and whipped cream in parfait glasses.

2 pints fresh blackberries

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled, cut into quarters if large

2 pints fresh blueberries, picked over for stems

1 to 1½ cups sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons cornstarch

mix all the ingredients together in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring twice during the cooking time.

allow the sauce to cool before removing from the cooker. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

makes about 10 cups

slow-cooker savvy

Frozen fruit doesn’t really work well in this sauce. It tends to fall apart, and the resulting sauce is mushy and the fruit unrecognizable.

This ruby-red sauce flavored with orange and a hint of nutmeg is terrific over ice cream, served with French toast for breakfast, or alongside scones or biscuits. Rhubarb is sold in stalks, and the redder the stalk, the more flavorful the rhubarb. When cooked, the rhubarb melts into the sauce and is almost indiscernible, except for its tart flavor. The sauce is delicious warm, cold, or at room temperature.

2 pints strawberries, hulled

2½ cups granulated sugar, plus more as needed

4 to 6 stalks rhubarb (about 12 ounces), tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ cup orange juice

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teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

place the strawberries, 2½ cups sugar, rhubarb, and orange juice in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours or low for 6 hours. At the end of the cooking time, stir in the nutmeg and taste for sugar. If the sauce is too tart, add up to ½ cup additional sugar and cook for another 1 hour on low.

remove the sauce from the insert and allow the sauce to cool. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.

makes about 4 cups

Highly spiced with cinnamon, this applesauce will wake folks up when they taste it. The apple flavor is very intense and delicious. If you like Granny Smith apples, I recommend you use half Granny Smith and another cooking apple (see savvy), because the tart Granny Smiths will need more sugar.

10 cups peeled, cored, and quartered cooking apples (about 12 large)

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cups sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup apple juice

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teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and apple juice in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, purée the applesauce.

stir in the nutmeg and let the applesauce cool to room temperature. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.

makes about 10 cups

apple savvy

Preferences for cooking apples will vary by region; these are some that work well in this recipe: Braeburn, Fuji, Rome, and Granny Smith.

Pumpkin butter is a smooth, intensely flavored pumpkin spread that can be used on toast, scones, or biscuits. A delicious addition to your holiday table, its maple-and-spice flavor will complement any type of roll or bread that is served.

Three 28- to 32-ounce cans pumpkin purée

¼ cup maple syrup

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cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

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

cool to room temperature and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

makes about 6 cups

Similar to apple butter, and intensely flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, pear butter can be served like pumpkin or apple butter with breads, biscuits, and cornbread. Pear butter makes a nice gift for a hostess or special friend.

12 medium Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks

½ cup pear nectar or apple juice

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground ginger

combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, until the pears are soft. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, purée the butter.

cool to room temperature and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

makes about 10 cups

Smoky Chinese five-spice powder, juicy red pears, and orange-flavored syrup combine to make a sauce that is delectable to serve anytime in place of applesauce. You will love the interesting flavors in this sauce, especially with roasted pork or poultry.

12 ripe red pears, peeled, halved, and cored

1 cup orange juice

½ cup rice wine (mirin)

1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

Grated zest of 1 orange

combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3½ to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the pears are soft.

uncover the slow cooker, and, using an immersion blender or potato masher, purée the pear sauce.

cool to room temperature and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.

makes about 10 cups

This luxurious sauce made with fresh or frozen peaches is delicious as a topping for ice cream, pound cake, French toast, bread pudding, or ice cream pies, or as a layer between ladyfingers or cake for a trifle. Easily put together in the slow cooker, the sauce will perfume your home with the aromas of peaches and cinnamon.

½ cup peach nectar or apple juice

3 tablespoons cornstarch

10 cups large ripe peaches (10 to 12 large), peeled, pitted and cut into thick wedges, or three 16-ounce bags frozen sliced peaches, defrosted

3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

put the peach nectar and cornstarch in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3½ to 4 hours or on low for 8 hours, until the sauce is thick and glossy.

remove from the slow cooker and allow to cool before storing in airtight containers. Refrigerate the sauce for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.

makes 4–5 cups

Peche Melba is a classic French dessert consisting of poached peaches covered with raspberry sauce. This combination of flavors also makes a great sauce. Try using it on ice cream, plain cheesecake, or layered with crème fraîche in parfait glasses.

Three 16-ounce bags frozen sliced peaches, defrosted and coarsely chopped, or 9 cups peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped fresh peaches

Two 16-ounce bags unsweetened raspberries, defrosted, or 6 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed and picked over

2½ cups sugar

Grated zest of 1 orange

2 tablespoons cornstarch

combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the fruit is softened and the sauce is thickened. Cool to room temperature. Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce, then push the purée through a fine-mesh sieve.

store the sauce in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 1 month.

makes about 10 cups

Chutney is a sweet and savory condiment that is served with Indian foods. When mangoes are on sale at my local grocer or farmers’ market, I’m there grabbing the plumpest ones for this terrific chutney. I will give this away as gifts in pretty jars to my friends at Christmastime; I’ll include the recipe to go with it, too. The chutney is traditionally served with curry, but it also can be spooned over a block of softened cream cheese and served with crackers. It’s delicious as well stirred into mayonnaise and used to dress chicken salad.

10 large ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup cider vinegar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup golden raisins

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon turmeric

Two 4-inch cinnamon sticks

combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until the mixture is thickened and the mangoes are soft.

cool to room temperature, remove the cinnamon sticks, and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

makes about 10 cups