Slow & Easy: Fast-Fix Recipes for Your Electric Slow Cooker

340 Pages·2008·1.47 MB·English

by  Natalie Haughton

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Copyright © 2009 by King Hill Productions. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Haughton, Natalie Hartanov.
Slow & easy : fast-fix recipes for your electric slow cooker / Natalie Haughton.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-470-22940-8 (paper : alk. paper)
1. Electric cookery, Slow. I. Title.
TX827.H3887 2008
641.5’884—dc22
2007046846
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my children, Alexis and Grant Haughton. Heaps of
love and good eating!
acknowledgments
Special thanks to my family—husband, Fred, and children, Alexis and
Grant Haughton—for their constant support, love, encouragement,
and laughter throughout this project, even when I was frazzled. They
never tired of sampling just one more dish, whether it was early
morning, noon, or even late night, and their honest opinions provided
valuable input. Alexis, my appreciation for your computer assistance,
sharing your style, smile, and inspiration as well as your enthusiasm,
which always added sparkle to my day.
My passion for food dates back to my growing-up years in Northern
California where my mom and dad, Phyllis and Andrew Hartanov,
encouraged my youthful experimentation in the kitchen (provided I
cleaned up my mess). My mother was a fabulous cook who
entertained often and constantly exposed us to something new,
delicious, and interesting at the dining table. A big thank-you to them
for the many fond memories of wonderful cooking and eating of my
childhood.
Thanks to my Wiley editor, Justin Schwartz, who recognized the
potential for new ideas with the electric slow cooker. Many thanks to
editor, Susan Wyler, who had confidence in my cooking talents,
expertise, and know-how. Also, my gratitude to Amy Golino, culinary
analyst for Rival, for readily sharing slow cooker information.
I hope the recipes in this volume bring delicious dining to your
table. Cheers and most of all, have fun!
INTRODUCTION
celebrating a great way to cook
A
s a slow cooker fan from way back, I came to appreciate this
versatile appliance early on. When my children were young, it was a
lifesaver that allowed me the satisfaction of setting a tasty, nutritious,
home-cooked meal in front of the family despite long hours at the
office. Slow cooking is a subject that resonates with many home
cooks. And these days, whether I’m preparing dinner for my husband,
entertaining friends, or working on one of my cookbooks, I enjoy
developing recipes that take advantage of what the slow cooker offers
most: convenience and low, even heat.
Slow & Easy contains a vibrant collection of recipes that
incorporate popular new ingredients and seasonings and a variety of
international culinary heritages, so you’ll never be at a loss for new
ideas. They raise the soups, stews, and braises the slow cooker has
always been celebrated for to a higher level. This book also takes the
slow cooker interesting places it doesn’t often go—into the realm of
salsas, preserves, and fabulous desserts, especially cakes. There is a
generous chapter filled with wonderful ideas for vegetables, beans,
and whole grains, plus an entire chapter of pasta dishes and pasta
sauces.
Electric slow cookers are a breeze to use, and they are cost, time,
and energy efficient. For the most part, they require little or no
tending. The pot is also economical, as many recipes rely on less
expensive cuts of meat. It’s a great tool for cooking dried beans; they
don’t need any presoaking. The slow cooker also does a great job with
rice. For most all-purpose dishes, you’ll get far and away the best
results with converted long-grain rice—i.e., Uncle Ben’s. Using
ordinary white rice risks its being gummy and sticky. You can,
however, make excellent risotto in the pot with Arborio rice, and it
requires no stirring! Just be sure to time it closely so that it doesn’t
overcook. I’ve also included instructions for cooking brown rice and
wild rice.
In keeping with contemporary taste as well as health concerns, these
recipes call for unadulterated fruits and vegetables and only the
simplest of processed foods, such as canned tomatoes and broth. In
many instances, I’ve given hints for even more time-saving ways of
cooking in the pot by using the already cut-up or prewashed
vegetables sold in the produce departments of most supermarkets. Of
course, as with any cooking, the quality of the ingredients you use will
influence the results. I buy the best-quality produce, poultry, and
meats I can and opt for organic whenever possible.
When all is said and done, slow cookers are extremely versatile.
While they’re ideal for long-cooking stews, chilies, soups, and many
meats, they also lend themselves to some dishes that require shorter
cooking times. It’s amazing what you can use them for, if you keep an
open mind. Ever thought of making chutney or jam in a slow cooker?
How about lasagna, chocolate cake, or cheesecake? Slow & Easy
explores them all.
put your pot to good use
Of course the pot is great for everyday food. But it can go much
further. Whatever your level of cooking, whether you entertain once a
week or once in a while, the slow cooker makes it easier. The
appliance frees up the oven or stove-top for other dishes, especially
during holidays and multicourse dinner parties. As a novelty, you can
even plan a party based on serving the entire meal from start to finish
in a variety of slow cookers, so there is no last-minute work at all.
Potluck fans find the appliance a huge asset for soups and big pots of
chili, and there’s no arguing that electric slow cookers have starred on
many a buffet table—at home, at schools, and at charity events. They
also offer a welcome heat-free cooking option in summer.
Slow & Easy offers a variety of recipes designed to appeal to both
veterans and first-time users of the appliance. It turns this hands-free
style of cooking into easy, user-friendly, stylish, and delicious eating
with the use of a variety of contemporary ingredients like balsamic
vinegar, smoked paprika, ground chipotle chile, fresh ginger, roasted
red peppers, edamame, and more.
You’ll find global flavors here: Chunky Fresh Beet Soup, Beef
Stifado, Braised Lamb with Moroccan Flavors, Tangy Red Cabbage
with Apples, Asian-Style Country Ribs, and several curries; not to
mention all the popular Italian, Mexican, and down-home American
recipes you’ll encounter along the way. Shortcut Lasagna, Tamale Pie,
and New England Baked Beans with Molasses and Bacon are just a
few.
You’ve got the slow cooker—why not put it to work all the time?
Tempting condiments like Mango-Ginger Chutney, Cranberry-
Raspberry Relish, Fiery Green Pepper Jelly, and Apricot-Pineapple
Jam are simple to make and store beautifully in the refrigerator or
freezer with no processing necessary.
Chocolate-Pecan Bread Pudding, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake,
Cinnamon-Raisin Rice Pudding, Rich Hot Chocolate, Pineapple-
Carrot Cake, and Crème Brûlée lead the list of sweets from the slow
cooker.
usda recommended safe minimum
internal temperatures
Although these are minimum temperatures, usually items cooked in the
slow cooker will reach higher temperatures.
Beef, veal, lamb steaks, and roasts 145 degrees F
Ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork 160 degrees F
Pork chops and roasts 160 degrees F
Ham, fully cooked 140 degrees F
Fish 145 degrees F
Poultry breasts and whole poultry 165 degrees F
Ground poultry 165 degrees F
Egg dishes and casseroles containing eggs 160 degrees F
Meat and poultry casseroles, soups, and stews 165 degrees F
adding ingredients to the slow cooker
Though you may not be aware of it, any well-written recipe adheres to
certain rules. Ingredients are conventionally listed in the order in
which they are discussed in the instructions. If a number of
ingredients are added at once, they are usually grouped by type—i.e.,
vegetables, liquids, seasonings—and within type by amount, with the
larger amount first. In the case of the electric slow cooker, this is not
always true.
When all the ingredients are simply added together and stirred to
mix before cooking, these guidelines are appropriate, and the
ingredients should be listed in this same fashion. However, because
food resting on the bottom of the pot will inevitably receive a little
more heat than the rest before the pot warms up and because some
ingredients may exude a significant amount of moisture that you want
to use to baste other ingredients, when foods are layered in the pot the
order may seem random. It is not. Trust me, I’ve been cooking in the
pot for many years, and this has all been carefully calculated to yield
the very best results in flavor and texture.
know the limitations
To be fair, cooking in a slow cooker is not magic. Like any other
kitchen appliance, the slow cooker has its limitations. To fully enjoy