Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (24 page)

Swiss steak is a blast from the past. A staple from the 1950s, when Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup was considered exotic, recipes called for round steak that was pounded until tender, coated with flour, and seared, then smothered with onions, tomatoes, and other flavors. For this version, you won’t need to pound the meat because the slow cooker tenderizes it. The addition of meaty cremini mushrooms and a savory mix of Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and smoked paprika makes this dish a delicious weeknight meal to serve with buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

One 1-inch-thick beef round steak (3½ to 4 pounds), cut into 6 pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (see savvy)

sprinkle the meat evenly with 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides.

transfer the meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions to the same skillet and sauté until they are softened and are beginning to turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms begin to color, 7 to 10 minutes.

add the Worcestershire, ketchup, broth, and paprika and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert, covering the beef with the sauce. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

remove the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

thicken the sauce if desired using any of the methods discussed in the introduction. Season with salt and pepper.

cover the meat and vegetables with some of the sauce and serve. Serve any additional sauce on the side.

serves 6

spice savvy

Paprika and other red spices (cayenne pepper, chili powder) can lose their potency quickly. Make sure that your red spices are bright red in color, not brown or dark rust. Paprika has a flavor—whether it is sweet, smoked, or hot—so make sure to smell it to see if it still has an aroma. If it doesn’t, it’s best to discard it and buy new. If you haven’t cooked with smoked paprika, you are in for a delicious surprise; it adds a lot of personality to dishes.

When I lived in Japan, I was served hot sake at most restaurants, which was delicious after a day in the cold and damp Japanese winter, where the wind would chill you to the bone. Sake is used in many dishes in Japan, but the most famous is sukiyaki. This is a slow-cooked variation on that dish, and it always brings me back to a simpler place and that beautiful country. There is no browning in this recipe, but you will need to marinate the meat overnight. Serve this with sticky rice to soak up the delicious sauce.

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cup soy sauce

½ cup sake

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

1 cup chicken broth

½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced

Two 10-ounce bags baby spinach

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water or chicken broth

combine the soy sauce, sake, garlic, pepper, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk.

add the meat and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 36 hours.

put the beef and marinade in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and chicken broth and stir to combine.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Skim off any fat from the top of the stew. add the mushrooms, spinach, and cornstarch mixture and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for an additional 1 hour, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened.

serve the beef from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

A riff on braciole, these beef rolls are stuffed with roasted green chiles and chorizo sausage and braised in a hearty, tequila-spiked ranchero sauce, filled with colorful bell peppers and onions. This is comfort food with a kick. Serve with rice and beans for a fiesta with some frosty margaritas and south-of-the-border beer. You can make the beef rolls ahead of time, refrigerating for up to 24 hours before making the rest of the dish.

Eight 6-inch-square slices round steak (2 ½ to 3 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 canned roasted green chiles, drained and rinsed

½ pound chorizo sausage, cooked and crumbled

5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

2 large sweet onions, coarsely chopped

2 medium yellow bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder

½ cup gold tequila (optional)

Two 28- to 32-ounce cans tomato purée

place the beef on a cutting board and sprinkle it with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cut a slit in the side of each chile. Stuff the chiles with the cooked chorizo. Place a chile in the center of each beef slice.

roll the beef and secure the seams with a toothpick or skewer. Place the rolls seam-side down on a plate and set aside.

heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the rolls and brown on all sides. Transfer the beef to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil in the skillet over medium-heat heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, cumin, and chile powder and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the tequila (if using; if not using, deglaze the pan with the tomato puree), scraping up any browned bits, add the tomato purée, and stir to combine.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert, covering the beef rolls. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the meat from the sauce, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

puree the sauce with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper.

remove the toothpicks from the rolls. Cut each roll in half and place on top of some sauce on a serving plate. Serve any additional sauce on the side.

serves 8

Stuffed with salty feta cheese, spinach, and dill, these beef rolls are braised in a red wine sauce and are perfect for entertaining. A side of orzo and a crisp salad with red onions, Kalamata olives, and a red wine vinaigrette will round out your dinner.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2½ cups finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Two 10-ounce packages baby spinach or one 16-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

Eight 6-inch-square slices round steak (2½ to 3 pounds)

1 cup red wine, such as Barolo or Chianti

1½ cups beef broth

put 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the flour in a shallow dish and stir to combine. Set aside.

heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the garlic, ½ cup of the onion, and the dill and sauté until the onion is softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté until the spinach is wilted and the moisture in the pan has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool. Add the feta, bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon pepper to the bowl and stir to combine.

place the meat slices on a cutting board and place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling on the meat. Roll the meat and secure the seams with a toothpick. Place the rolls in the shallow dish with the flour, coat the rolls with the flour, and shake off any excess. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the rolls seam-side down and brown on all sides.

transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining 2 cups onion to the skillet and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce the sauce slightly.

transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert and add the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits. Cover the slow cooker and cook on on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until the beef is tender. Remove the beef from the cooker, 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 10 minutes, until it is reduced and begins to thicken. Skim off any fat and season with salt and pepper.

remove the toothpicks from the beef rolls. Slice each roll into 3 pieces and serve the rolls in a pool of sauce.

serves 8

Slowly simmered and served over garlic mashed potatoes, pasta, polenta, or rice, this Italian beef stew will make everyone in your house cheer for snow days! Chuck roast becomes meltingly tender when it is braised in red wine, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs. Short ribs would also be a good choice for this recipe.

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large sweet onions, cut into half rounds

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed

½ cup red wine, such as Chianti or Barolo

One 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their juice

put 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and the garlic in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the meat to the bowl and toss to coat in the mixture.

heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat.

add the beef and brown on all sides. Transfer to a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker insert. Add the onions, sugar, and rosemary to the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the onions begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the wine and tomatoes and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours, until the beef is tender. Remove the beef from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and cover with aluminum foil.

skim off the fat from the top of the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

serve the beef with the sauce on a platter.

serves 6–8

The fragrance of Marrakech markets will perfume your home when cooking this succulent meat dish with spices from the Kasbah. Filled with hearty chunks of beef cooked until fork-tender, exotic spices, dried fruit, and garbanzo beans, it’s a wonderful weeknight dinner served with rice or couscous.

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups beef broth

One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup dried apricots, cut into ½-inch pieces

½ cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water

heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the meat evenly with the salt and pepper. Add the meat to the skillet a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

add the onion and garlic to the same skillet and sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, paprika, cumin, and cinnamon and sauté until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the remaining cups broth, the beans, apricots, and raisins.

cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender.

skim off any fat from the top of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

serve the stew warm from the cooker.

serves 8

If you have a family that turns up their nose at a “new” beef stew, this one will look just like your usual one, but without the time-intensive cooking. Just load it in the cooker in the morning, and by dinnertime you’ve got a terrific one-pot meal. Chuck works well here. Your market may sell stew meat, but check the price—it may be cheaper to buy the chuck and cut it yourself. Stew meat is usually the leftovers from many different cuts of meat, so some pieces may become tender faster than others.

6 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, quartered

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths

3 medium onions, quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 to 3 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ cups beef broth

2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 cups frozen petite peas, defrosted

2 cups frozen corn, defrosted

combine the potatoes, carrots, onions, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, and toss the vegetables to distribute the seasonings.

add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the flour to a large plastic bag and stir to combine. Add the meat to the flour, toss to coat, and shake off any excess flour.

heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker insert.

deglaze the skillet with the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert and add the thyme. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the meat is tender.

add the peas and corn and cook for an additional 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

serves 8