Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (28 page)

This meat loaf is one from my childhood. Redolent with garlic, herbs, and pungent Pecorino-Romano, it’s delicious with pasta, polenta, or garlic mashed potatoes.

3 slices soft-crusted Italian bread, torn into pieces (about
²
/
₃
cup)

½ cup milk

1 pound 85% lean ground beef

8 ounces lean ground pork

8 ounces ground veal

8 ounces bulk Italian sweet sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

2 large eggs, beaten

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

put the bread and milk in a large mixing bowl and allow the bread to absorb the milk. Combine the meats in the bowl. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, basil, and marjoram and sauté until the onion and garlic are fragrant, about 3 minutes.

cool the mixture and transfer to the mixing bowl. Add the eggs and cheese. Using clean hands or a large wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until they are well combined, being careful not to compact the mixture.

pat the meat into a loaf 6 to 8 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 2 to 3 inches tall. Cover and refrigerate, up to 24 hours, while you make the sauce.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Three 32-ounce cans peeled plum tomatoes, with their juice

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, bell peppers, oregano, and basil and sauté until the bell peppers soften, about 3 minutes.

add the balsamic vinegar, reduce the heat, and cook, swirling the pan, until the vinegar is reduced by half and looks syrupy. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes and brown sugar.

transfer the meat loaf to the cooker and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Cook the meat loaf on high for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 hours, until the meat loaf registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

remove the meat loaf from the cooker, using two long and wide spatulas. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Cut into ½-inch slices with a serrated knife and season with salt and pepper.

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

serve the meat loaf napped with a bit of the sauce, and serve any remaining sauce on the side.

serves 8

Truck stops and diners serve what I call “the all-American meat loaf,” with onions, green bell peppers, and whatever else the cook decides to add in. In some areas of the country, the traditional milk-soaked bread is replaced with rolled oats, while other areas use saltine or other cracker crumbs. Our nation has dined on this dish for years, usually served with a glue-like brown gravy; it was what my husband would tactfully call “warm and filling.” This meat loaf, however, is moist and tender and crowned with a beautifully rich and scrumptious onion and mushroom gravy. You will be proud to serve it to anyone, even your mother-in-law! Mashed potatoes and two vegetables on the side will give you that famous combination found in the South called “meat and three.” Leftovers make terrific sandwiches on grilled sourdough bread with a bit of your favorite cheese on top.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced into half rounds

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups beef broth

¼ cup soy sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and thyme and sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

add the mushrooms and sauté until they begin to color and the liquid in the pan evaporates. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

whisk the flour and ¼ cup of the broth together in a large bowl. Add the remaining broth and the soy sauce to the slurry and whisk until smooth.

pour the mixture into the cooker. Cover and cook on high while you prepare the meat loaf.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crumbled in the palm of your hand

1½ pounds 85% lean ground beef

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup cracker crumbs (saltines or Ritz both work well here) or 1 cup dry unflavored bread crumbs

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup beef broth

heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and sage and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Cool the mixture and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

add the remaining ingredients. With clean hands or a large wooden spoon, mix together until well combined, being careful not to compact the mixture. Pat the meat into a loaf shape 6 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 2 to 3 inches tall.

set the loaf on top of the sauce in the slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 to 6 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 165°F.

remove the loaf from the cooker using two long, wide spatulas. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

cut the loaf into ½-inch slices with a serrated knife and serve napped with some of the sauce. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.

serves 6

As a child, the only meat loaf my mom made was a large Italian-style meatball in loaf form. I preferred the meat loaf my aunt made, which was seasoned with onion, thyme, and ketchup and then covered with bacon and baked in a barbecue sauce. I loved to eat it with lumpy mashed potatoes and green beans. I still love to eat meat loaf with mashed potatoes, but a green salad on the side is now my favorite!

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (use a sandwich bread with some structure like Pepperidge Farm)

¼ cup milk

1½ pounds ground 85% lean ground beef

½ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ cups ketchup

1 cup tomato sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 dashes Tabasco sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

place the bread in a small bowl, pour the milk over the bread, and let soak for 5 minutes. Put the meat in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients, including the milksoaked bread. Do not squeeze the moisture out of the bread because the milk actually helps tenderize the meat loaf.

using clean hands or a large spoon, stir the mixture together until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

form the mixture into a loaf about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide and tall. Set aside while you mix the sauce ingredients, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

stir together all the sauce ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and set the meat loaf in the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the meat loaf to coat it.

cook the meat loaf on high for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to low and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat loaf registers 165°F, 5 to 6 hours. Using two long, wide spatulas, remove the meat loaf from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

season the sauce with salt and pepper. Cut the meat loaf into ½-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Serve with some of the sauce.

serves 6

Although we all associate meatballs with Italian cuisine, you hardly ever see them on a menu in Italy. They are more home cooking than
ristorante
fare. That being said, meatballs make a terrific slow-cooker meal and they can be made into smaller sizes for appetizers to serve a crowd. Either way, there are quite a few recipes for meatballs in this book that use various meats and flavors. The following meatball recipes are two that I’m quite fond of and use ground beef as the main ingredient. The meat loaf recipes also make terrific meatballs—just use a scoop to shape them and then put them into the sauce. You can either sauté meatballs to get a nice, crispy crust on the outside or you can just plop them in the sauce. Plopping the meatballs into the sauce without browning actually makes them even more tender and delicious when they are slow cooked. In order for the meatballs to cook evenly, use a small scoop to form them so that each ball has the same density. I have a variety of scoops just for this purpose.

Actually called
polpette
in Italian, these little gems are terrific to serve in your favorite tomato sauce with pasta. The fact that this makes a lot of sauce and meatballs gives you the option of serving this to a crowd (see savvy), or being able to freeze the leftovers for another meal.
Mangia bene,
as Grandma used to say!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Four 28- to 32-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes, with their juice

4 slices soft-crusted Italian bread, torn into pieces (about 1 cup)

²
/
₃
cup milk

1 pound 85% lean ground beef

1 pound bulk Italian sweet pork sausage

1 pound lean ground pork

1 medium onion, finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Vegetable oil for frying (optional)

heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and oregano and sauté until the onions begin to soften.

transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and tomatoes. cover and cook on high while making the meatballs.

put the bread and milk in a large mixing bowl and allow the bread to absorb the milk. When the bread has absorbed the milk, add the remaining ingredients. With clean hands or a large wooden spoon, stir the mixture to combine, being careful not to compact it. Using a scoop, form the meatballs, and place in the cooker.

cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce the temperature to low and cook for 3 hours, until the meatballs register 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

(For crispier meatballs, heat ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown, turning them when they begin to form a crust on each side. Transfer them to the slow cooker and cook as directed.)

serve the meatballs directly from the cooker set on warm, speared with 6-inch skewers.

makes about 24 two-inch meatballs

meatball savvy

If you would like to serve the meatballs for an appetizer, form them into ¾- to 1-inch balls (they will shrink during the cooking process), and cook as directed.

These spicy meatballs are flavored with Indian spices and yogurt, and bubble away in a cinnamon-infused tomato sauce. They make a perfect nibble for a cocktail party or you could serve them over rice as a main course. Make sure to serve traditional
raita
, a cooling yogurt sauce, on the side to tame some of the spiciness.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Two 32-ounce cans tomato purée

1 pound 85% lean ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garam masala

¼ cup finely minced fresh cilantro

½ cup nonfat yogurt

Vegetable oil for frying (optional)

heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, ginger, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and cinnamon and sauté until the onions begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.

transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the tomato purée. Cover and cook on high while making the meatballs.

combine the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. With clean hands or a large wooden spoon, stir the mixture to combine, being careful not to compact it. Using a scoop, shape the mixture into 2-inch balls.

place the meatballs in the sauce and cook for 1 hour on high, then reduce the temperature to low and cook for 3 hours, until the meatballs register 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. When the meatballs are done, they can be kept warm in the slow cooker or served immediately.

(For crispier meatballs, heat ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, turning them when they begin for form a crust. Transfer them to the slow cooker and cook as directed.)

serve the meatballs directly from the cooker set on warm, speared with 6-inch skewers.

serves 8