The Great American Slow Cooker Book (88 page)

Read The Great American Slow Cooker Book Online

Authors: Bruce Weinstein

BOOK: The Great American Slow Cooker Book

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•
Here’s a fine opportunity to substitute small clams or even mussels for the shrimp.

shrimp
in asian black bean sauce

EFFORT:
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
2 HOURS THROUGH STEP 1
•
SERVES:
3 TO 8

2- TO 3½-QUART

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 medium whole scallions, thinly sliced

2 tblsp minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tblsp dry sherry

2 tblsp
jarred Asian black bean sauce
or chile sauce with preserved black beans

1 tblsp soy sauce

1 tsp
toasted sesame oil

1¼ pounds shell-on medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), deveined

4- TO 5½-QUART

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

3 medium whole scallions, thinly sliced

¼ cup minced peeled fresh ginger

¼ cup dry sherry

¼ cup
jarred Asian black bean sauce
or chile sauce with preserved black beans

2 tblsp soy sauce

2 tsp
toasted sesame oil

2½ pounds shell-on medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), deveined

6- TO 8-QUART

1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth

4 medium whole scallions, thinly sliced

7 tblsp minced peeled fresh ginger

7 tblsp dry sherry

7 tblsp
jarred Asian black bean sauce
or chile sauce with preserved black beans

3½ tblsp soy sauce

1 tblsp
toasted sesame oil

4 pounds shell-on medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), deveined

1
Stir the broth, scallions, ginger, sherry, black bean sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until bubbling and aromatic.

2
Stir in the shrimp. Cover and continue cooking on high for 20 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
You can vary the flavors in this dish by looking through the various sorts of preserved black bean sauces available in your local grocery store. Some will be quite hot, others salty and mild. However, if you do make a trip to an Asian grocery store or even look at online suppliers, you’ll find an astounding array.

•
Using low-sodium fat-free chicken broth instead of vegetable broth would give this dish more heft—maybe too much for some tastes.

shrimp creole

EFFORT:
A LOT
•
PREP TIME:
30 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
2 HOURS THROUGH STEP 3
•
SERVES:
2 TO 6

2- TO 3½-QUART

2 tblsp peanut oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

1 medium celery ribs, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tblsp all-purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1¾ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes

1 tsp mild paprika

½ tsp dried sage

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp celery seeds

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne (optional)

¾ pound medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

4- TO 5½-QUART

3½ tblsp peanut oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 medium celery ribs, chopped

3½ tsp minced garlic

5 tblsp all-purpose flour

1⅔ cups low-sodium chicken broth

2¾ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes

2 tsp mild paprika

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp celery seeds

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne (optional)

1¼ pounds medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

6- TO 8-QUART

⅓ cup peanut oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

4 medium celery ribs, chopped

2 tblsp minced garlic

7 tblsp all-purpose flour

2⅔ cups low-sodium chicken broth

4½ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes

1 tblsp mild paprika

½ tblsp dried sage

½ tblsp dried thyme

¾ tsp celery seeds

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp cayenne (optional)

2 pounds medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

1
Put a large saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes, then pour in the oil. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom, then add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have begun to soften a bit, between 4 and 7 minutes.

2
Add the garlic, stir well over the heat, then sprinkle the flour over everything. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the flour coating begins to brown, perhaps 5 minutes. Pour in the broth and stir constantly until bubbling and thickened slightly.

3
Scrape the contents of the saucepan into the slow cooker; stir in the tomatoes, paprika, sage, thyme, celery seeds, salt, and cayenne (if using). Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until bubbling and aromatic.

4
Stir in the shrimp. Cover and continue cooking on high for 20 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Yes, this dish is a complex mix of flavors—and perhaps even more complex when made with chicken broth, used here in the absence of good fish or shellfish stock (unless you
make your own
).

•
Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce with the tomatoes and some chopped parsley leaves with the shrimp if you want to make the flavors even more ornate.

•
The most important task here is properly browning the flour coating on the vegetables. Not only do you want to get rid of that raw flour taste, you also want to deepen its flavors to add a toasty note underneath the stew.

SHORTCUTS
Omit the paprika, sage, thyme, celery seeds, and salt; instead, use 2½ teaspoons bottled Creole seasoning in a small batch, 4½ teaspoons in a medium batch, or 2½ tablespoons in a large one. Check the bottling and see if the blend includes hot stuff like cayenne. If so, omit the cayenne as well.

shrimp
with olives, fennel, and capers

EFFORT:
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
15 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2 HOURS 50 MINUTES
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
1 HOUR THROUGH STEP 1
•
SERVES:
3 TO 8

2- TO 3½-QUART

½ cup trimmed and chopped
fennel

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

⅓ cup chopped yellow onion

⅓ cup chopped celery

¼ cup thinly sliced, pitted green olives

2 tblsp drained, rinsed, and minced capers

2 tsp
Herbes de Provence

1½ pounds medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

4- TO 5½-QUART

1 cup (about ½ pound) trimmed and chopped
fennel

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

⅔ cup (about 1 small) chopped yellow onion

⅔ cup (about 2½ medium ribs) chopped celery

½ cup thinly sliced, pitted green olives

3 tblsp drained, rinsed, and minced capers

1 tblsp
Herbes de Provence

2½ pounds medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

6- TO 8-QUART

1¾ cups trimmed and chopped
fennel

1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1¼ cups chopped yellow onion

1¼ cups chopped celery

¾ cup thinly sliced, pitted green olives

¼ cup drained, rinsed, and minced capers

1½ tblsp
Herbes de Provence

4 pounds medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

1
Stir the fennel, broth, onion, celery, olives, capers, and herbes de Provence in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2½ hours, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is bubbling.

2
Stir in the shrimp. Cover and continue cooking on high for 20 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
More the foundation for a stew rather than a sauce, the vegetables here should retain a bit of their fresh crunch to stand up to the sweet shrimp.

•
Shrimp are by nature salty. To keep the meal from being doped with sodium, make sure you rinse the capers before mincing them.

•
Feel free to substitute small clams or even cockles for the shrimp.

Serve It Up!
Rather than just standard garlic bread to dip into the stew, try this: rub thick slices of sourdough bread with quartered peeled garlic cloves and halved plum tomatoes (the tomato juice and pulp will seep into the bread). Toss out the used tomatoes and garlic, then drizzle the bread with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper before broiling on a large baking sheet until lightly browned and crunchy.

cajun shrimp boil

EFFORT:
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
4 HOURS 20 MINUTES
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
NO
•
SERVES:
2 TO 8

2- TO 3½-QUART

About 3 cups water

1 tblsp chopped yellow onion

1 tblsp Old Bay seasoning

2 medium celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 garlic cloves, peeled

½ pound small red-skinned potatoes

¼ pound smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

¾ pound shell-on medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), deveined

2 4-inch pieces of husked and silked corn on the cob

4- TO 5½-QUART

About 5 cups water

2 tblsp chopped yellow onion

2 tblsp Old Bay seasoning

4 medium celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 pound small red-skinned potatoes

½ pound smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

1½ pound shell-on medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), deveined

4 4-inch pieces of husked and silked corn on the cob

6- TO 8-QUART

About 8 cups (2 quarts) water

¼ cup chopped yellow onion

¼ cup Old bay seasoning

8 medium celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 pounds shell-on medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), deveined

8 4-inch pieces of husked and silked corn on the cob

1
Fill the slow cooker with water until it comes about a quarter of the way up the sides. Stir in the onion, Old bay seasoning, celery, and garlic.

2
Slip the potatoes and sausage into the water. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the potatoes are almost tender and the sausage is cooked through.

3
Stir in the shrimp and corn. Cover, set the heat to high, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm. Drain the stew into a large colander before dumping everything in a big serving bowl, or use tongs to transfer the shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes to a bowl.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
There’s really no substitute for Old bay seasoning, a mix of dry mustard, paprika, cinnamon, bay leaves, and other spices.

•
We prefer smoked kielbasa in this boil. However, you can use other smoked sausages, even turkey or chicken sausages. Just do not use breakfast links or any sausage laced with cheese or ingredients not in the spirit of Louisiana.

•
The garlic cloves are tender and edible, if strong. Mash and spread them on toast.

coconut curry shrimp

EFFORT:
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
15 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
1 HOUR THROUGH STEP 2
•
SERVES:
3 TO 8

2- TO 3½-QUART

1 cup coconut milk

Up to 3 tblsp
yellow Thai curry paste

2 tsp
fish sauce

2 tsp packed light brown sugar

3 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

1 medium whole scallions, thinly sliced

2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger