Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (23 page)

Simple, spicy, and delicate are all words that describe this dish. Ordinarily I wouldn’t cook sole in the slow cooker because it’s too thin and might disintegrate, but if it is rolled up, it cooks evenly and absorbs the garlic and oregano–flavored tomato sauce. Serve this over orzo to soak up the sauce.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

Pinch red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

One 28- to 32-ounce cans crushed plum tomatoes, with their juice

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

2 pounds sole fillets

½ cup finely shredded mozzarella

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

mix together the oil and seasoning in a shallow dish. Dip each fillet in the oil mixture and roll up from the narrow end.

place the rolled fillets in the slow cooker, wedging the pieces to fit. Spoon the sauce over each roll and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Cover and cook on low for 35 to 45 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.

sprinkle the parsley over the fish and serve immediately.

serves 6–8

When Nobu Matsuhisa introduced this simple dish to New York City, everyone was raving about the delicious sweet, salty, and rich fish. Although the cod at Nobu is a bit different, the slow cooker poaches the cod in miso-flavored broth. You can then reduce the poaching liquid to a caramelized glaze and pour it over the top of the fish. Five- star restaurant food is only a few hours away!

½ cup white miso paste

¼ cup rice wine (mirin)

¼ firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 ½ cups water

2 pounds black cod (if unavailable, use fresh cod, halibut, sea bass, or salmon)

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

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds for garnish

combine the miso, rice wine, sugar, rice vinegar, and water in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add the cod, spooning the sauce over the top. Cover and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.

remove the cod from the slow-cooker insert and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce by half until it begins to look syrupy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the green onions to the sauce.

serve each piece of cod in a pool of the sauce, and sprinkle each serving with sesame seeds. Serve any additional sauce on the side.

serves 6

If you have leftover salmon or other fish, this is a terrific recycled dinner. Salmon, mixed with marinated artichokes, bread crumbs, and cheese, is formed into cakes and poached in a white wine and garlic-butter sauce that can be spooned over the cakes when serving.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 ½ cups white wine or vermouth

4 cups cooked salmon, flaked

One 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 large egg, beaten

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

put all the sauce ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

put all the salmon cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Form the mixture into 2-inch cakes. Place the cakes in the simmering sauce and spoon the sauce over the cakes.

cover and cook for an additional 1 hour, until the cakes are tender. Carefully remove the cakes to a serving platter.

strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce by half.

serve the sauce over the cakes, or serve on the side.

serves 6

This sweet and spicy salmon is a terrific dish to serve for dinner any night of the week. Serve it hot or cold—the flavor is a real wake-up call, with hot English mustard pairing with honey and dill. Serve on a bed of rice pilaf or with a fennel gratin.

3 pounds salmon fillets

½ cup Colman’s English mustard

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

place the salmon in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Put the mustard, honey, and dill in a small bowl and stir to combine.

pour the mixture over the salmon, spreading evenly.

cover and cook on high for 1½ hours, until the salmon is cooked through.

serve the salmon from the slow cooker topped with some of the sauce.

serves 6

Thin slices of Creole-spiced Yukon gold potatoes surround sea bass in the slow cooker to create a terrific dinner to serve with your favorite green vegetable. The lemon-butter sauce is a nice contrast with the somewhat spicy potatoes.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

½ cup fresh lemon juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

2 to 3 pounds sea bass fillets, cut to fit the slow-cooker insert (see savvy)

6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

stir the butter, lemon juice, zest, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together in a small bowl. Combine the remaining 6 tablespoons oil and the seasoning in a large mixing bowl.

paint the sea bass with some of the butter sauce and set aside. Toss the potatoes in the seasoned oil. Pour half the butter sauce in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

place half the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the sea bass on top of the potatoes and pour half the remaining butter sauce over the sea bass. Place the remaining potatoes on top of the sea bass and drizzle with the remaining butter sauce.

cover and cook on high for 1½ hours, until the potatoes begin to turn golden and the sea bass is cooked through and opaque in the middle. Remove the cover and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

serve immediately.

serves 6

slow-cooker savvy

This recipe only worked with sea bass, which has a different protein structure than other fish. If you would like to use a different fish, I recommend you use two 16-ounce packages frozen and defrosted shredded hash browns instead of fresh potatoes, and proceed as directed.

Most cooks think that beef stew or pot roast are the only beef dishes that can be prepared using a slow cooker. Sadly, they haven’t tried beef braciole, Italian-style braised beef in red wine, or stuffed flank steak in a savory sauce. This chapter will take you through the cuts of meat that are best to use in the slow cooker as well as some of the most flavorful recipes you’ll ever make.

Slow-cooked beef is a miracle in many ways. A slow cooker can take a tough, sinewy piece of meat, melt away all the fat and connective tissue, and give you a melt-in-your-mouth entrée. The sauce that comes from the slow cooker is concentrated not only with the beefy flavor, but also with the flavors that have been added to the pan before the lid is put on. Tough cuts, such as chuck, short ribs, bottom and top round, and rump all become fork-tender when they are braised in the slow cooker. Using these cuts, beef for dinner is a bargain, with short ribs, chuck, and rump all in the $4.00 per pound and under range. If you are able to get them on sale, your dinners can be even cheaper. Round
and flank cuts make delicious meals in the slow cooker and, although they can be more expensive, they are virtually fat-free meats and can be stuffed and used for entertaining. Just set your slow cooker in the morning and a delicious meal awaits you and your company later that day.

In most of these recipes I recommend that you brown the meat before adding it to the slow-cooker insert. The reason for browning is because a layer of flavor is created that carries through the entire dish as it simmers. The caramelization that takes place on the outside of the meat helps to give a depth of flavor that you won’t have if you just plop the meat and vegetables into the slow cooker and turn it on. Browning ahead of time to release the flavors of the meat produces a balanced and flavorful dish.

In recipes using chuck, brisket, or other fatty meats, use the minimum amount of liquid. These cuts actually contain a lot of water and fat, and, when braised, give off a lot of liquid. In order to concentrate flavors, use a little liquid to start with. By the end of cooking , however, there will be a good quantity of liquid to sauce the meat.

Straining sauces and thickening them are personal choices. If your family wants a smooth sauce without bits of onion or other aromatics, then strain the sauce before serving. But if you like the rustic feel of the bits in the sauce, leave them in. If you want a gravy or thickened sauce, there are several options. One is to transfer the sauce to a saucepan and add a
“beurre manié”
or add instant-blending flour such as Wondra brand. Either way, these two methods will thicken the sauce. Cornstarch mixed with water or stock will thicken sauces, as well. Sauces can also be puréed—the bits of onion and other vegetables will help to thicken the sauce without the addition of a thickener.

Labeling in the beef department is not as standardized as it is with poultry or pork. When I recommend a certain cut, I try to specify those that are readily available in most parts of the country. Most of the beef sold in supermarkets comes in three grades: Prime, which is the top of the line, heavily marbled with fat, and usually aged; Choice, the grade that I recommend for the slow cooker because it’s not as pricey and still has good flavor; and Select, which will not have much marbling and, although it will be cheaper, I don’t recommend that you buy it because the cuts aren’t as flavorful.

Round comes from the hind leg of the cow. It is leaner than most cuts and can tend to be dry, but when braised in the slow cooker it becomes tender. The best part about round is that it can usually be cut in neat slices so you can serve it arranged on a platter. When braising, I like to use rump roast or eye of the round, which have a layer of fat that helps to flavor the braise. Thinly sliced round steaks can be used in braciole or beef rolls, or braised until they are fall-apart tender.

The aroma of beef, wine, and tomatoes will entice your family into your kitchen, waiting for the slow cooker to finish so they can eat this hearty, comforting pot roast. The addition of dried porcini mushrooms enhances and deepens the flavor of this savory stew, which is delicious served with garlic mashed potatoes, polenta, or pasta. Any leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 bottom round roast (about 3 to 3 ½ pounds), tied with butcher’s twine

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled

1 cup Zinfandel wine

4 dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled

One 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with their juice

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish

heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Rub the meat with the garlic, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the meat to the skillet and brown on all sides.

transfer the browned meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and rosemary to the same skillet and sauté until they become fragrant and the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert.

add the wine, dried mushrooms, and tomatoes and stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 10 hours, until the meat is tender.

remove the meat from the slow-cooker insert, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil the sauce for about 10 minutes, to concentrate the flavor. Blend the flour and butter in a small bowl and stir to form a paste. Add the flour mixture to the saucepan a bit at a time, whisking until the sauce is thickened.

remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the meat, cover it with some of the sauce, and serve. Serve any additional sauce on the side.

serves 6–8