Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (56 page)

Southern cooks swear by their Coca-Cola hams, which are basted with cola throughout the baking time. I decided to have some fun with this one and made a slurry paste out of cola, brown sugar, rum, and lime juice and zest. The paste gives the ham a sweet and tart flavor, and the juices from the ham make a terrific glaze to serve with the ham.

½ cup Coca-Cola

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼ cup dark rum

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Grated zest of 1 lime

One 5-pound smoked ham

mix the cola, sugar, rum, and lime juice and zest in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Set the ham on top of the mixture and spoon some of the glaze over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, spooning glaze over the ham a few times as it cooks.

remove the ham from the slow-cooker insert, cover with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. If you would like to reduce the glaze, spoon off any fat from the top and pour the glaze into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until reduced to about 2 cups. (You will have a lot of liquid from the ham that has diluted the glaze.)

slice the ham and spoon the glaze over the slices.

serves 6–8

Boneless leg of lamb gets dressed up with a stuffing flavored with dill and feta, and then is braised in a ratatouille mixture of eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes. The succulent meat absorbs the flavors from Provence in the sauce. Serve this meal with mashed potatoes or cooked orzo to soak up the delicious sauce.

2 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed, cut into ½-inch dice

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium onions, cut into half rounds

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-thick slices

2 medium yellow peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch-thick slices

2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

Pinch of red pepper flakes

½ cup full-bodied red wine

One 14- to 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their juices

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

put the eggplant in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Shake the colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Press down to remove any excess water and pat dry with paper towels.

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, eggplant, bell peppers, herbs, and red pepper flakes and sauté until the vegetables have sof tened, 10 to 15 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scr aping 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 tomatoes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Turn the cooker on high and cover.

One 4½- to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Two 10-ounce packages baby spinach

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

lay the leg of lamb on a cutting board, place a piece of plastic wrap over it, and pound the lamb to an even thickness of about 1 inch. Sprinkle the lamb on both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted.

transfer the spinach to a mixing bowl and let cool slightly. Add the dill and feta and stir to combine. Spread the mixture over the boned side of the lamb and roll up the lamb from the short side. Tie the lamb with kitchen string or silicone loops and add to the slow-cooker insert.

spoon some of the sauce over the top of the meat. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the lamb is tender. Remove the lamb from the cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Remove the strings or loop from the meat and cut into ½-inch slices.

serve the lamb in a pool of the sauce and pass the remaining sauce in a serving dish.

serves 6–8

Stroganoff was popular in the 1950s when mushrooms and sour cream were considered exotic, but today most cooks have to dust off an old cookbook to find a recipe for this classic Russian dish. The original recipes called for beef to be quickly sautéed and then cooked with mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. This recipe uses lean round steak, tenderizes it with low slow cooking, and flavors it with meaty cremini mushrooms and dried porcini. At the last minute, add the cream and serve over rice or noodles.

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 to 2½ pounds round steak, cut into 1-inch pieces, fat removed

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

2 medium onions, cut into half rounds

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup beef broth

¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled

1 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche

Noodles or long-grain rice for serving

mix the salt, pepper, paprika, and flour in a large plastic zipper-top bag. Add the meat, toss to coat, and shake off the excess flour. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides.

transfer the browned meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and cremini mushrooms to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until the vegetables are softened and the mushrooms and onions begin to color, 7 to 8 minutes.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire, and broth and heat. Tr ansfer the liquid to the slow-cooker insert and stir in the porcini mushrooms.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Stir in the cream, cover, and cook on low for an additional hour.

serve with noodles or steamed long-grain rice.

serves 8

The slow cooker makes an ideal “butler” to prepare overnight oatmeal. It’s best to use nonstick cooking spray to coat the inside of the cooker when making oatmeal or egg dishes, or you can fit the insert with a liner to help with cleanup.

Waking up to a steaming bowl of oatmeal from the slow cooker is as easy as just adding water and salt. The oats cook to creamy goodness, and your only job the next morning is to pour on warm cream or milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Check out the variations that follow as well.

3¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

8 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups milk or cream, warmed, for serving

¼ cup cinnamon sugar for serving

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

combine the oatmeal, water, and salt in the cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the oats are creamy. Stir in the butter.

serve with warmed milk and cinnamon sugar.

serves 8

A savory ranchero sauce, flavored with sausage nuggets, chipotles, onion, bell peppers, and tequila, bubbles away in the slow cooker and waits for eggs to poach on top before being served for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. Don’t forget the requisite margaritas and tortillas!

1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

3 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

¼ cup tequila

Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

Eight 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (see savvy)

8 large eggs

2 cups finely shredded mild Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper Jack cheese, or crumbled
queso fresco

8 warm flour or corn tortillas for serving

cook the sausage in a large skillet over high heat until it is no longer pink. Drain it and transfer it to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Wipe out all the fat in the skillet, add the oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chipotles and sauté until the onions begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

add the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the bell peppers, cumin, and oregano to the skillet and sauté until the bell peppers begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tequila to the skillet and scr ape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the tomatoes and tor tilla strips and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the cilantro. Crack the eggs one at a time in a small bowl and place on top of the sauce, arranging the eggs so that they all fit.

sprinkle the cheese over all the eggs. Cover and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, until the eggs are set.

put a tortilla on each plate and gently lift an egg out of the cooker onto the tortilla. Spoon the sauce over the eggs and around the tortillas.

serves 8

slow-cooker savvy

If you have a round slow cooker, you may only be able to poach six eggs; larger oval cookers will poach all eight.

cilantro savvy

Don’t like the taste of cilantro? If it tastes like soap to you, you are not alone, for many people with an acidic pH in their systems don’t enjoy cilantro. Feel free to leave it out or substitute Italian parsley.

A
strata
is a dish of layered bread, cheese, and flavorings, covered with an egg custard and baked to golden perfection. The slow cooker makes these dishes perfectly, and they are always moist and delicious, where the oven may dry them out a bit. Your choices for flavorings can be almost anything, from leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner to leftover grilled salmon. Feel free to play with the flavors here and make them your own. The only “have to” is the proportion of bread and egg custard; after that it’s your palette to paint.

Frittatas are Italian dishes using eggs stirred into leftovers and cooked on the stovetop. The slow-cooker frittatas use the strata formula to help you use up leftover veggies and bread, making a terrific meal for your family or friends.

Strata are layers of bread, soaked with an egg and milk mixture and baked with cheese. This is the basic formula. Feel free to add your own flavors to the basic recipe.

8 cups torn or cubed (1-inch) stale bread, tough crusts removed

3½ to 4 cups shredded cheese

10 large eggs

3 cups milk

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon hot sauce

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 bread into the slow cooker and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Continue layering the bread and cheese until it has all been used, saving some cheese for the top.

whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Pour the mixture over the cheese and bread and push it down to make sure the bread becomes saturated. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the strata is cooked through (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

serve the strata from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8–10

A toasted ham and cheese sandwich in France is called a
Croque Monsieur
. Generally made with Gruyère cheese and high-quality French ham on delicious bread, it is one of my favorites for lunch. This strata takes the combination and makes it into a delicious brunch dish. It is terrific served with a green salad; a vinaigrette on the salad will cut the richness of the ingredients, making this a wonderful way to start your weekend.

8 large eggs

2 cups whole or low-fat milk

6 shakes Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

8 cups torn soft-crusted French bread (if the crust is crispy, remove it and use the center of the bread)

8 ounces sliced Black Forest ham, cut into matchsticks

3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

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

whisk together the eggs, milk, Tabasco, and mustard in a large bowl until blended. Add the bread and ham to the bowl and stir to saturate the bread and distribute the ham.

spoon half the bread mixture into the slow cooker and sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat the layers and drizzle with the melted butter.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the strata is cooked through (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

serve the strata from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8