The Great American Slow Cooker Book (105 page)

2
Tuck the lemon halves and rosemary sprigs among the artichokes. Pour in the wine, then add enough water to the slow cooker so that the liquid comes halfway up the artichokes.

3
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the stem ends of the artichokes are tender when pricked with a fork. Use tongs to remove them, draining them of excess water by turning them upside down before placing on plates.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Although it seems you lose a lot when you trim an artichoke, most of what disappears is too fibrous or thorny to make for good dining. That said, if the stems are not too thick, toss them into the slow cooker.

•
If you add some purchased cooked shrimp and a tangy cocktail sauce, you’ve got dinner.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Artichokes are prone to discoloration, thanks to the way oxidizing compounds turn brown when exposed to the air. Rubbing the prepared vegetables well with lemon juice may take care of some of the problem. However, the artichokes may still turn brown during the long cooking. It may be unsightly but they are still perfectly edible.

Serve It Up!
Eat the artichoke by pulling off the leaves and drawing the inside curve against your upper teeth, thereby scraping off some of the edible bits. Once you get down to the heart, it becomes a fork-and-knife affair. Melted butter is the usual dipping medium for the leaves, but there’s no reason to stand on ceremony. Try cocktail sauce, ketchup, mustard, Ranch dressing, Russian dressing, a creamy vinaigrette, or even salsa.

1
Put the Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, leeks, butter, sage, salt, and nutmeg in the slow cooker. Stir well.

2
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, tossing after the first and second hours, until the Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender when poked with a fork.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
The best Brussels sprouts are the smaller heads, sweeter and not quite so bitter. You may have to poke around in the bin to find the small ones.

•
To trim Brussels sprouts, cut off the woody stem end and pull off any fibrous, yellowing, or loose outer leaves until you have a compact head. If you’re lucky enough to find
Brussels sprouts still on the stalk, slice them off one by one and trim them as well.

•
For some heat, add up to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

1
Stir the green beans and scallions in the slow cooker. Whisk the ginger jam, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a large bowl until the jam dissolves. Pour over the vegetables and toss well.

2
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the beans are crisp-tender.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
These green beans would be a welcome treat alongside almost any Asian stir-fry, as well as most things off the grill—especially tuna steaks with a wasabi rub.

•
We like some crunch to our green beans. If you want them softer, cook for 3 hours.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Ginger jam is a salty, spicy condiment often found in the international foods aisle, usually near other British foods.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Most green beans have a small bit of their stem and blossom at one end; this should be removed. The other end has a small “tail,” as it were, which can be excessively fibrous. While edible, it’s considered culinarily unappealing and so is usually snapped or cut off—and thus, the green beans will have been
tipped
.

1
Mix the tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

2
Add the kale; stir well. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes. Stir again, then continue cooking on high for another 45 minutes, or until the kale is wilted and tender.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Good enough to be a light, vegetarian entree on its own when served over whole wheat pasta, this tasty side dish would also be welcome alongside a steak, a veal chop, or roast chicken.

•
Kale leaves often have a tough, fibrous center stem that should be removed from each leaf before chopping. However, some varieties of kale have a much smaller center stem that tenderizes quickly. Ask the person in the produce section of your supermarket for guidance—or the farmer, if you’re lucky enough to buy the kale at a farmers’ market.

1
Fry the bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally, between 4 and 7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook until the garlic begins to brown at the edges, about 1 minute.

2
Scrape the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker, then set the skillet back over the heat and pour in the wine. Raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet. Continue boiling until the wine has reduced by half its original volume, between 2 and 4 minutes. Pour the reduced wine sauce into the slow cooker.

3
Stir in the vinegar. Add the collard greens and toss well, getting the garlic and red pepper flakes distributed evenly throughout the greens.

4
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the greens are tender but not squishy.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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If you’re making fried chicken or a pan-fried slice of ham, you’ll want to have this side dish going—and maybe have some cornbread baking in the oven as well.

•
Collard greens can be quite sandy, particularly if you bought them at a farmers’ market. Wash the leaves well, then dry them between sheets of paper towels before chopping.

1
Use a metal skewer or a meat fork to poke holes all over the spaghetti squash. Set in the slow cooker. Pour water into the cooker to come 2 inches up the squash.

2
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the squash feels tender to the touch and is perhaps even collapsing at points.

3
Transfer the squash to a cutting board; drain the liquid from the cooker. Turn the cooker off and cool the squash for 30 minutes, or until easily handled.

4
Stir the butter, pine nuts, sage, and salt in the slow cooker; cover and cook on high while you complete the next step.

5
Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds, then use a fork to scrape the flesh into threads. Transfer the squash threads to the cooker and stir well.

6
Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes to heat everything through. Stir well again and scoop up by the spoonful.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Spaghetti squash cooks up into little threads, about like spaghetti only sweeter and a bit firmer. Mixed with butter, sage, and pine nuts, it’s a wonderful side dish—or even a simple vegetarian dinner.

•
Use the squash as a bed for pan-fried pork chops or chicken breasts. For a fancier presentation, mound the squash on a platter, and top with one or two whole grilled fish.

•
If you can only find large spaghetti squash, say 5 to 7 pounds, you can make it in the large slow cooker; however, plan on cooking it on low for 8 hours to get tender.

Serve It Up!
Toss the cooked squash with finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.