Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (8 page)

I have always been fascinated by the foods of Morocco. Using a diverse palate of flavors, the food is spicy with a hint of sweetness that comes from using dried fruits and spices like cinnamon and clove. This soup is reminiscent of one that I enjoyed with my daughter on a rainy night in Paris at a delightful restaurant called Table de Fes.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 medium zucchini, diced

2 medium yellow squash, diced

One 14- to 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice

6 cups chicken broth

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

½ cup golden raisins

3 cups cooked couscous

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add the onion, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne and sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash, and tomatoes and toss to coat with the spices and onion.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Stir in the broth, chicken, and raisins.

cover and cook on low for 6 hours, until the chicken and vegetables are tender.

serve the soup over couscous in individual bowls.

serves 8

Fragrant with curry and filled with vegetables and a hint of apple, this chicken soup makes a delicious change of pace for lunch or dinner. Serve the soup over rice, if you are looking for a heartier presentation.

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon sweet curry powder (see savvy)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

8 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons honey

2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2 cups diced small new potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted, for garnishing

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, apple, curry powder, and flour; sauté until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Stir in the chicken broth, honey, chicken, and potatoes, stirring to distribute the ingredients.

cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5½ to 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper.

serve the soup garnished with the toasted almonds.

serves 8

curry savvy

If you prefer your soup with a bit more spice, add ½ teaspoon hot curry powder along with the sweet curry powder. This will give you about a 7 on a 10-point heat meter.

more curry savvy

Curry powder should smell fresh. If yours doesn’t have an aroma or smells flat, toss it and buy new. Penzey’s Spices carries a variety of curry powders and they are terrific, but you can find curry powder in your grocery store, too.

This simple soup with a complex character is inspired by a favorite of mine at a local San Diego area restaurant called Le Bambou. Flavored with ginger and chili garlic sauce, it is filled with shredded chicken, rice, and delicate ribbons of carrot, green onion, and Napa cabbage.

8 cups chicken broth

4 chicken breast halves, skin and bones removed

3 dime-size thin slices fresh ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

½ cup grated carrot

1 cup thinly sliced Napa cabbage

6 green onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 cups cooked jasmine rice

pour the broth into the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

place the chicken in the bottom of the slow-cooker insert with the broth and add the ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili sauce. Cover the cooker and cook on high for 4 hours.

strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, at the end of the 4 hours, and shred the chicken.

return the chicken and broth to the slow-cooker insert and add the carrot, cabbage, green onions, and rice. Keep warm on low for up to 2 hours before serving. If the soup thickens, add more broth.

serves 8

Gumbo makes me smile—it’s simple to prepare and reminds me of New Orleans, a city with a rich culinary heritage. I make it to soothe our souls during the winter. Gumbo is one of those recipes that you can tinker with and it always turns out delicious. Try using other meats or seafood, and garnish it with green onions and, of course, filé powder (crushed sassafras), which is de rigueur in the South. This gumbo begins with a roux, which you can make the night before putting your gumbo into the slow cooker. Although the roux is not hard to make, it does require some attention, so leave yourself some time to make it.

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

1½ cups chopped onions

1½ cups chopped celery

1½ cups chopped green bell peppers

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Old Bay or Creole seasoning

1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch dice

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken

1 bay leaf

3 cups cooked long-grain rice

6 green onions, chopped, using the white and tender green part, for garnishing

Gumbo filé powder for serving

Assorted hot sauces for serving

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk the roux until it is a dark golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

add the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, and seasoning and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Rewarm the roux before adding it to the slow cooker.)

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the sausage, broth, chicken, and bay leaf. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the bay leaf from the gumbo.

serve the gumbo over the rice and garnish with the green onions. Serve with the filé powder and assorted hot sauces on the side.

serves 8–10

okra savvy

If you love okra, you can add it to this recipe, but don’t add it till the last hour of cooking. Two cups sliced ( ¼ inch) fresh okra works well here. Frozen or canned okra becomes stringy and is unappetizing.

This soup is one of my favorites with its ginger-flavored broth, red cooked pork, noodles, and vegetables. Basically a stir-fry-soup, you can swap leftover chicken, seafood, or beef, for the pork.

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup rice wine (mirin)

Pinch five-spice powder

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 pork tenderloin 1¼ to 1½ pounds, silver skin removed, cut into ½-inch slices

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 bunch bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips

8 cups beef broth

8 ounces fresh soba noodles, or 12 ounces dried

4 green onions, finely chopped, using the white and tender green parts

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, rice wine, five-spice powder, and sesame oil in a large glass bowl. Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and add to the skillet. Stir–fry, a few pieces at a time, until the pork begins to color, 3 to 4 minutes.

transfer the pork to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the ginger and garlic to the same skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the onion, bok choy, and carrots and stir-fry until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the remaining 7 cups broth to the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork and vegetables are tender. Add the noodles and green onions. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes.

serve the soup garnished with the toasted sesame seeds.

serves 8

This soothing slow-cooked meal-in-a-bowl is a terrific way to use up leftover turkey from a holiday meal. Brimming with vegetables, turkey, and cheese tortellini, it is sure to please on a cold fall or winter evening. The rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese flavors the soup, and although it’s optional, it gives the soup a great depth of flavor. Save rinds in zipper-top plastic bags in the freezer for adding to soups and sauces.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped sweet onion

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

½ cup dry white wine

One 14- to 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with their juice

5 cups chicken broth

Rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces (optional)

3 medium zucchini, diced (about 1½ cups)

1 cup 1-inch pieces green beans

(about 5 ounces)

4 cups bite-size pieces cooked turkey or chicken

One 15-ounce can small white beans or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 head escarole, tough leaves removed, cut into 1-inch pieces, or two 10-ounce bags baby spinach

1 teaspoon salt (you will need more if you don’t use the cheese rind)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces fresh cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions and drained

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnishing

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add the onion, carrots, celery, and rosemary and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and allow it to boil for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, until some of the liquid evaporates.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the broth and cheese rind (if using). Add the zucchini, green beans, turkey, white beans and escarole and stir to combine.

cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

season with the salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked tortellini. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes or on low for 1 hour.

garnish with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese before serving.

serves 10–12

starchy savvy

Whenever you add pasta, rice, or other starches to a soup, make sure to cook it separately first and then add it to the soup. It will still absorb some of the liquid but will not suck up so much that there is no broth left.