Slow Cooked: 200 exciting, new recipes for your slow cooker (19 page)

SERVES 4 AS A MAIN

200g mung beans

100g yellow lentils

2 tablespoons ghee (see
here
)

4 cloves of garlic

3–4cm piece of fresh ginger

2 dried chillies, whole

4 tablespoons tomato purée

2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon chilli powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 litre cold water

120ml cream

50g fresh coriander

1 teaspoon Garam Masala (see
here
)

Traditionally, dal makhani uses urad sabot, or black lentils, but they are very hard to find in the UK unless you have a specialist shop nearby. I find the much more common mung bean does the trick beautifully.

This is incredibly simple to make in the slow cooker. Basically put all the ingredients except the cream, garam masala and fresh coriander in your slow-cooker crock.

Put the lid on and cook on low for 12–14 hours, checking about halfway through to stir it and add another 250ml water if needed. The texture should be quite loose rather than thick. The beans and lentils will thicken and collapse into a rich, glossy sauce and the aroma will be incredibly alluring.

When you are ready to serve, stir the cream into the dal and scatter with the fresh coriander and garam masala (I add the cream and the coriander to the serving bowls, rather than the crock, if I’m reheating any of the dal). It should be almost soup-like in its texture, so devour it with a spoon and maybe a chapatti to make sure you can wipe the bowl clean. Bet you can’t do that in a five-star hotel!

People think lentils are dull or worthy, but they clearly haven’t had a proper bowl of dal or they’d think again. Done properly, the lentils become creamy, bolstered with spices and slow-cooked to a heavenly texture. Adding the tarka, or spiced butter, adds a depth and intensity that will make you crave dal when you need comforting.

Make a big batch of this dal as you won’t be able to resist a second helping and maybe a third. And dipping your spoon in every time you pass the fridge. There are never any leftovers when I make it for people, just dishes that have been scraped clean.

Dal is simply a term in India for the split version of peas, beans or lentils and chana dal is actually a type of split chickpea rather than lentils. These, or the yellow split peas, are better for the slow cooker than the usual red or brown lentils, which can become waterlogged.

SERVES 4 WELL

2 onions, sliced, or 150g Caramelised Onions (see
here
)

25g butter

2 large fresh tomatoes

200g chana dal or yellow split peas

4cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 litre boiling water

1½ teaspoons Garam Masala (see
here
)

salt and pepper

If you don’t have any of the Caramelised Onions from
here
, simply cook the 2 sliced onions in the butter over a low heat for about 25 minutes until they start to soften and brown round the edges, before proceeding with the recipe as below.

Start by peeling the tomatoes. The best way to do this is to cut a cross in the top and the bottom of the tomatoes and pour boiling water over the top of them. The skin will wrinkle and you can peel it off easily.

Then cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut each quarter in half again and chop roughly. They will dissolve into the dal in a tomatoey haze that tinned ones just can’t quite replicate, so do use fresh ones if you can.

Put the chopped fresh tomatoes into the slow-cooker crock. Add the lentils and onions, including the butter if you’ve caramelised them specially. Add the ginger and garlic.

Measure the spices into the crock and add the butter if you haven’t used it to soften the onions. Pour the boiling water into the crock and stir well so the butter starts to melt. Season the dal well. It needs a fair bit of salt to boost all the other flavours.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours minimum. I like it best stirred after 8 hours and given another hour or so to just come together completely. Add the garam masala just as you serve it.

Serve as a main meal with just a tiny smidgen more butter or on the side of a curry. If you don’t eat butter, it works just as well with oil.

I know every vegetarian in the country is thinking ‘more goat’s cheese?’ after eating their own body weight in the tartlets and risottos on every veggie menu in the nation’s pubs and restaurants, but I promise this dish is really delicious. Equally popular with meat eaters, it uses those beautiful green Puy lentils from France.

A little bit more expensive than green lentils, these dappled little gems hold their shape well in the slow cooker and, as you’d expect from a Gallic delicacy, they love to be combined with garlic and onions for a nutty, rich flavour. The goat’s cheese complements it all nicely. Use one as mild and creamy or strong and crumbly as you prefer.

SERVES 2 AS A MAIN MEAL OR 4 AS A SIDE

200g Puy lentils (uncooked weight)

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 sprigs of fresh sage, finely chopped

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

350ml water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

25g fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve

100g goat’s cheese, sliced, to serve

salt and pepper

Put the lentils in the slow-cooker crock along with the onion, shallot and garlic. Add the sage, thyme and rosemary and season well.

Pour the water over it all and put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook the lentils on low for 7–8 hours until they are tender and have absorbed most of the water, but have a lovely thick sauce coating them.

Make a quick vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar together with the mustard and pouring it over the hot herbed lentils. Allow to cool slightly and serve scattered with the chopped parsley and slices of the goat’s cheese.

Note:
If your tastes are more carnivorous, you can make this dish without the goat’s cheese and with sausages instead. Simply brown a few plump pork sausages, such as sage-rich Lincolnshires, and nestle them into the lentils as you cook them. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and parsley and serve.

I’m on a mission to introduce more people to pearl barley. This chewy, nutty grain is an underrated ingredient that I just adore. Incredibly inexpensive, it works brilliantly in soups such as the Scotch Broth
here
or the Black Bean and Squash Stew with Kale and Barley
here
, but it gets to dress up for the evening and show itself off when it comes to making an orzotto.

This is the Italian word for a pearl barley risotto and I think it works much better in the slow cooker than the traditional rice-based risotto, which can become mushy. Pearl barley retains some bite and texture while intensifying the flavours you add to it. This is the thing to cook when people come round and you want to impress with minimal effort.

Dried porcini mushrooms may seem expensive, but they are so packed with flavour than you will get five or six dishes from one packet, which makes them a great store cupboard ingredient. They are particularly rich in umami, or the fifth taste, which has the savoury tones usually associated with meat, making them many a vegetarian’s secret weapon.

SERVES 2–4 (ANY LEFTOVERS ARE GREAT IN STUFFED TOMATOES OR CABBAGE LEAVES)

5g dried porcini mushrooms

100ml boiling water

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

200g pearl barley

550ml hot stock

100ml vermouth or white wine

250g cooked prepacked beetroot

50g Parmesan or another Italian hard cheese (to be vegetarian), grated

salt and pepper

Start by rehydrating the porcini mushrooms in the boiling water and allowing them to soak for 10 minutes.

Put the onion, garlic and pearl barley in the slow-cooker crock. Finely slice the rehydrated porcini and add them along with the soaking liquid. Pour the hot stock over it all and stir it well. Add the vermouth. Season with pepper and a cautious amount of salt if using a stock cube.

Put the lid on the slow-cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. The pearl barley will plump up and make a rich, chewy orzotto.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, finely chop or purée the beetroot with a hand blender and stir it through the orzotto. Put the lid back on the slow cooker and allow it to heat through.

Stir the grated Parmesan through it all and serve with good company and a cold glass of wine. It is the most vividly pink meal you’ll have eaten since you were about six and all the better for it!

You can also take inspiration from the porcini here and replace the beetroot with a selection of fresh mushrooms. White, chestnut and portobello ones all work well sliced and added at least an hour before the end of cooking.

Buckwheat, despite the name, isn’t related to wheat and is naturally gluten free and especially popular in Eastern Europe, where it is also known as
kasha
. Buy it toasted and it has a rich, nutty flavour. It is immensely filling and can be bought in Polish delis or supermarket sections cheaply under the name of
kasza
. It is especially good as a cold salad or mixed with Puy lentils to make them go further.

Tahini is sesame paste, often used to give hummus its nutty flavour. It may seem expensive to buy, but it keeps forever and a little goes a long, long way. Look for Lebanese brands like Al Nakhil, which have a loose texture, as these are even better value.

SERVES 2 WITH LEFTOVERS

500ml water

100g buckwheat

drizzle of olive oil

50g kale, finely shredded

dash of vegetable oil

pinch of sea salt

2 cloves of garlic

50ml plain yoghurt (see home-made Yoghurt
here
)

50ml tahini

½ lemon, juiced

50g feta or Greek-salad cheese, cubed

1 Whole Spiced Cauliflower (see
here
), cut into florets

salt and pepper

Start by cooking the buckwheat. If you are in a rush, you can do this on the hob. Boil 500ml water and salt it generously. Add the buckwheat and boil for 8–10 minutes until the grains start to puff up and there isn’t much water left. Lower the heat to the lowest setting, put the lid on and cook for another 10–15 minutes until the buckwheat is puffed up, each grain is separate and the water totally absorbed.

To do it in the slow cooker, boil as above. Then pour the buckwheat and the remaining water into your slow cooker. Put the lid on and set it on low for 1 hour. This mimics the Eastern European method of putting your buckwheat into a special low oven to dry out.

When the buckwheat is ready, drizzle with olive oil and allow to cool slightly while you prepare the kale and make the dressing.

Mix the kale with a dash of vegetable oil and a pinch of sea salt. Using clean hands, massage the kale between your palms for about 3 minutes to soften it. This makes it tastier and gives it a delicious texture.

Crush the garlic and mix with the yoghurt and tahini. Add the lemon juice and about 25ml water if you have a thicker tahini like most British brands. If you have a looser Middle-Eastern version like the Al Nakhil brand, you don’t need the water. You want the dressing to be pourable.

Toss the massaged kale, feta and the cauliflower florets through the buckwheat and season. Pour some dressing over it all and serve. This will keep for a day in the fridge, even when dressed, and makes a great packed lunch.

Pasta isn’t the only carb in town in Italy. Northern Italians traditionally eat polenta, which is best (if a little unromantically) described as a slow-cooked porridge made from cornmeal. These days you can get all kinds of quick-cook or ready-made versions and they are as lacking in charm as my description of polenta. Nothing beats doing it slowly to get the correct creamy texture. And best of all, the slow cooker saves you the old-fashioned hassle of stirring and stirring to get it right like Nonna would have done. A generous knob of butter will finish it off in style.

Before you start, it’s useful to know that in supermarkets anything labelled ‘polenta’ will cost twice as much as ‘coarse cornmeal’. Hunt around, usually on the lowest shelf, and you will probably discover bags of cornmeal from a well-known Caribbean company, which is extremely good value. This bottom-shelf trick also works well with bags of pulses and soup mixes.

SERVES 4 WITH LEFTOVERS

175g coarse cornmeal

850ml boiling water or stock

50g butter

50g Parmesan, grated (optional)

salt and pepper

Pour your cornmeal into the slow-cooker crock and add the boiling liquid. Season well and put the lid on. Cook on low for 6–7 hours or high for 3–4. The polenta will have thickened and become creamy.

Stir in the butter and Parmesan, if using (omit the Parmesan or use another Italian hard cheese instead to make this dish vegetarian), and serve alongside the Meat Ragu
here
or the Squash and Spinach Ragout
here
. It’s spectacularly filling, so a little goes a long way and you’ll have leftovers.

Note:
To turn the leftovers into something special, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spread the remaining polenta out on it so it looks like a pizza base. Allow to cool completely. It will set firmly and you can then slice it up into chunks. Fry these cubes in olive oil so that the edges crisp up and go golden. Scatter over salads, like the Octopus, Polenta and Pepper Salad
here
, stews or onto soups as a gluten-free take on croutons.