Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (33 page)

Most of us think of serving sweet potatoes during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, when in fact they are delicious year-round and don’t just complement turkey or chicken. This hearty one-dish meal of pork chops slowly cooked with orange-and-thymeflavored sweet potatoes is sure to become a family favorite. The best news is that once it goes into the slow cooker, you’ve got it made!

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 center-cut 1-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced into half rounds

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices

1 cup orange juice

combine the thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle half the mixture over both sides of the pork chops. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add the pork chops and brown on both sides. Tr ansfer the pork to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining thyme mixture and sauté for 1 minute.

add the onion and sauté until the onion is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion to the slow-cooker insert, leaving some of the butter in the skillet. Cover the onion with the sweet potato slices and pour the orange juice over all.

drizzle the potatoes with the butter remaining in the skillet. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours, until the sweet potatoes and pork chops are tender.

serve the pork chops with the sweet potatoes and some of the sauce.

serves 6–8

These pork chops are a terrific weeknight meal and give a sweet and savory spin to the traditional pork chop. Peaches, cippolini onions, and balsamic vinegar combine to make a delicious sauce perfectly balanced for serving with scalloped potatoes or rice.

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

6 center-cut, bone-in, 1-inch-thick pork chops

2 cups cippolini or small pearl onions, peeled and left whole

2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crumbled in the palm of your hand

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 cup peach preserves (see savvy)

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup beef broth, plus ¼ cup (optional)

2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional)

combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish. Dip each chop in the flour, coating both sides lightly and shaking off any excess flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the chops and brown on both sides. Repeat with the remaining chops.

transfer the chops to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet. Add the onions, sage, and sugar and sauté until the onions begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add the preserves, vinegar, and ¼ cup broth and stir to blend.

cover the chops with the onion mixture. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. Remove the cover from the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.

(If you would like to thicken the sauce, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup beef broth. Thirty minutes before the chops are done. remove the cover and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cover the cooker and cook on high for an additional 30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.)

serve the chops napped with some of the sauce and onions.

serves 6

preserves savvy

Try to find preserves marked “simply fruit,” with less sugar, otherwise this dish will be way too sweet. If you can’t find preserves without sugar added, then omit the brown sugar in the recipe.

Sweet and smoky, with a touch of heat, these pork chops will become a new favorite at your house. Serve them with rice or polenta to soak up the delicious sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Six 1-inch-thick pork loin chops

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, finely chopped

½ cup ketchup

½ cup bourbon

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ cup beef broth

heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the pork chops and add to the skillet.

brown the chops on both sides, adding a few at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan, and transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert.

cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6

Plum preserves, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice are braised with pork chops for a delicious dinner entrée. Serve with rice pilaf or wild rice. Cherry preserves may also be used in place of the plum preserves.

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Six 1-inch-thick pork loin chops

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 cup plum preserves

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup ketchup

heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the pork chops and add to the skillet. Brown the pork on all sides.

transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Lower heat to medium-high. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until the onions are sof tened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the preserves to the skillet and scr ape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Tr ansfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert.

add the mustard, lemon juice and zest, and ketchup and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3½ to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Skim off any fat from the surface of the sauce.

serve the pork chops from the slow cooker set on warm.

serves 6

Think of a bone-in pork chop. The smaller side of the chop is the tenderloin, and the other side is the loin. When the bone is removed, the meat—both tenderloin and loin—is rolled and tied into one compact piece called a “whole” pork loin. Sometimes the tenderloin is removed, leaving only the loin, a solid piece of delicious eating. Pork loin can be roasted and served in any number of ways. I like to braise it, or brine it and then roast it with garlic and herbs. I trim the fat from the roast after it has finished cooking, not before, because the fat helps keep the meat moist while cooking.

This gorgeous red pork roast is the perfect entrée to serve during fall and winter, especially at the holidays. The pork is infused with the flavors of orange and cranberry, and the resulting sauce is delicious spooned over the roast or served on the side. A wild rice pilaf with dried cranberries and bits of orange zest would be an ideal side dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil

One 3- to 4-pound pork loin roast, tied

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

Two 16-ounce cans whole-berry cranberry sauce

Grated zest of 2 oranges

Juice of 2 oranges (about 1 cup)

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

½ cup beef broth

spray the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.

heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Sprinkle the roast with 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and add to the pan.

saute the pork on all sides until browned. Transfer the roast to the slow-cooker insert. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook the roast on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

remove the cover, transfer the roast to a cutting board, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Stir the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

slice the roast and nap with some of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce in a gravy boat on the side.

serves 6–8

This flavorful dish is reminiscent of those served in bistros on the Normandy coast of France. The succulent pork, infused with the sweetness of cider, is perfect over buttered noodles. Leftover pork and sauce may be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to six weeks.

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup Dijon mustard

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

One 2½- to 3-pound pork loin roast, rolled and tied

1 large onion, finely sliced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ cup apple cider

1 cup beef stock

4 large Gala or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each

¾ cup heavy cream (see savvy)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound buttered cooked wide egg noodles

heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Make a paste of the mustard and sugar and spread over the roast on all sides. Add the roast to the pan and brown on all sides. Add the onion and thyme to the sauté pan and cook until the onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

transfer the roast, onion, and any bits from the bottom of the pan to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the cider and beef stock. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. Remove the cover and add the apples and cream. Cover and cook on high for an additional 1 hour.

remove the pork from the slow-cooker insert, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Remove the strings from the roast, cut into thin slices, and serve the pork on the buttered noodles, napping both with some of the sauce.

serves 6–8

low-fat savvy

For a sauce with less fat, omit the cream. The cream rounds out the sauce and gives it a luxurious flavor, but it’s good without the cream as well.

Pork loin is made sweeter with the addition of dried plums, and a smoky quality comes from the addition of bourbon to flavor the braise. The flavors are a terrific combination and pair well with scalloped potatoes or a vegetable gratin.

24 dried plums

1½ cups beef broth

One 4-pound pork loin roast, rolled and tied

½ cup Dijon mustard

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cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

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cup bourbon

1 teaspoon dried sage

1½ teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

combine the plums and beef broth in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Dry the outside of the roast with paper towels. Rub the meat all over with the mustard, then roll it in the brown sugar, coating it evenly.

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast and brown on all sides, making sure the sugar doesn’t burn. Transfer the pork to the slow-cooker insert. Add the bourbon, sage, and thyme to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the pork and plums to a serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow the roast to rest for 20 minutes.

strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and skim off as much fat as possible from the top of the sauce. Bring to a boil and taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the parsley.

cut the strings on the meat and cut into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve the pork and plums with the sauce on the side.

serves 8