Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (37 page)

This leg of lamb is almost too simple to include, but sometimes the simplest preparations deliver the most extraordinary results. Marinate the lamb overnight in a Zinfandel marinade, then pour everything into the cooker and fire it up! The meat is infused with the flavor of the wine, garlic, and herbs, and the marinade cooks down into a delicious sauce (see savvy) to serve over the meat at the end.

One 3- to 4-pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied

4 cups Zinfandel wine

¼ cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

put the lamb in a zipper-top plastic bag. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour over the lamb in the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

put the marinade in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and tie the lamb at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string or silicone loops. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is tender.

carefully remove the meat from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and remove any fat from the surface. Boil the sauce until reduced by half.

slice the meat and serve with the sauce napped over the lamb.

serves 8

saucing savvy

If you would like to thicken this sauce, it does well with buerre maine, 1 part unsalted butter and 1 part flour kneaded together and whisked into the boiling liquid.

Straight from the Lone Star state, this dish is hearty stick-to-your-ribs fare. I prefer to cut up the leg of lamb, rather than cook it whole with the beans, because the lamb falls apart and mingles with the beans creating lamb-and-bean stew. This makes a terrific supper to serve at a make-your-own-burrito bar with tortillas, shredded cheeses, pico de gallo, and sour cream.

2 cups pinto beans, soaked overnight in water to cover and drained

¼ cup olive oil

3 pounds leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks

½ teaspoon chili powder

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 Anaheim chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

One 14- to 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with their juice

1½ cups beef broth

put the beans in the bottom of the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

sprinkle the meat with the chili powder. Add the meat a few pieces at a time to the skillet and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to the slow-cooker insert. Add the onions, chiles, cumin, and oregano to the same skillet and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

add the tomatoes to the skillet and heat, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the cooker and stir in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat and beans are tender.

remove any fat from the top of the stew and serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Tangy Dijon mustard, lemon, oregano, and garlic all contribute to the flavor of this delicious leg of lamb. It is perfect paired with orzo and grilled vegetables.

½ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Grated zest of 2 lemons

6 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

One 3- to 4-pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied, fat trimmed

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

combine the mustard, lemon juice, zest, garlic, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Pour the marinade into a zipper-top plastic bag, add the lamb to the bag, and turn it to coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

drain the marinade, and roll the meat into a compact cylinder, tying the meat at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string or silicone loops, and put the lamb in insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the wine. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and remove any fat from the surface. Boil until the sauce is reduced by half. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding the parsley to the sauce.

cut the meat into ½-inch-thick slices and serve with the sauce on the side.

serves 8

Perfect for long braises, lamb shanks make delicious stews because the bones contribute flavor and the meat falls into the rich sauce. Lamb shoulder can be substituted for the shanks in any of these recipes; you will need ten to twelve ounces boneless shoulder to replace each lamb shank.

Lamb shanks are some of the best eating in the world, but most people walk right by them at the butchers. The meat becomes fall-apart tender after a long braise in the slow cooker. The shank bones flavor the sauce when cooked in the same style as osso bucco, with tomato, vegetables, wine, garlic, and citrus zest to brighten the stew. Serve the lamb shanks with pappardelle or other wide flat noodles to soak up the sauce.

6 meaty lamb shanks (about 1 pound each), fat trimmed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 medium carrots, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Grated zest of 2 lemons

Grated zest of 1 orange

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cup full-bodied red wine

One 18-ounce can tomato purée

1 cup beef broth

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

sprinkle the lamb shanks evenly with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add as many lamb shanks as will fit in a single layer and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned shanks to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Brown any remaining shanks and transfer them to slow-cooker insert.

add the onion, carrots, garlic, and citrus zests to the same skillet and sauté until the onion begins to soften. Add the wine and heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Stir in the tomato purée and both broths. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low. Remove the shanks from the cooker and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced a bit. Add the parsley to the sauce.

mix the butter and flour until smooth in a small bowl and whisk, a bit at a time, into the sauce, bringing it back to a boil after each addition. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

return the sauce and the shanks to the slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve.

serves 6

Lamb shanks take on a sweet flavor when braised in Guinness with carrots, parsnips, and onions. The resulting stew is a terrific dish to serve on a cold winter’s night with plenty of mashed potatoes to soak up the hearty sauce.

½ cup all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 meaty lamb shanks, fat trimmed (lamb shanks range in size from 12 to 16 ounces, depending on the size of the bone)

¼ cup olive oil

3 large onions, cut into half rounds

One 12-ounce bottle Guinness or other dark ale

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths

4 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch lengths

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup beef broth

mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a large zipper-top plastic bag. Add the meat, toss to coat, and shake off any excess flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat 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 onions to the same skillet and sauté until they begin to soften and turn translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in the Guinness 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 carrots and parsnips, and stir to distribute evenly. Stir the tomato paste into the broth and pour into the insert. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is tender. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce.

serve the lamb directly from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6

Lamb in rosemary-scented stew, thickened with white beans, makes a hearty dish to feed and soothe the hungry on a cold winters’ night. Cassoulet, made with duck and sometimes pork, is found on bistro menus throughout France, but lamb and rosemary are a classic combination that also pair well with the creamy beans.

1 pound dried white beans (in France they use the larger white beans), soaked in water to cover overnight and drained

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 meaty lamb shanks, fat trimmed

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 medium onions, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

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

5 cups chicken broth

3 cups beef broth

1 bay leaf

1½ cups fresh bread crumbs

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

place the beans in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the meat evenly with the salt and pepper. Add as many lamb shanks as will fit in a single layer and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned shanks to the slow-cooker insert. Brown any remaining shanks and transfer them to the slowcooker insert.

add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and rosemary to the same skillet and sauté until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of the chicken broth to the skillet and heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the tomato mixture to the slowcooker insert and stir in the remaining broths, and the bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or low for 10 to 12 hours, until the beans and lamb are tender.

combine all the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl while the lamb is cooking. Cover and refrigerate.

uncover the cooker and spoon off any fat on the surface. Taste and adjust with the seasoning. Sprinkle the topping over the cassoulet, cover, and cook on high another 30 minutes.

serve the cassoulet from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6

Lamb shoulder, cut from the foreleg, is generally tough and needs to braise in liquid to become rich and tender. Shoulder meat and blade-cut chops are great choices for the slow cooker. The lamb melts into the sauce as it cooks and becomes flavorful and tender. Lamb shoulder is generally inexpensive, and the rewards from the slow cooker are delicious curries, Mediterranean stews, Moroccan tagines, and, that old English favorite, cottage pie.

Fragrant lamb becomes succulent in this coconut milk–and-curry-flavored sauce. With potatoes and green beans cooking along with the lamb, this dish makes a terrific one-pot meal. Serve this slow-cooked meal with flatbread (see savvy) and condiments on the side. If you would prefer, beef may be used instead of lamb.

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds lamb shoulder meat, fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch cubes

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sweet curry powder

Pinch of red pepper flakes

One 14-ounce can coconut milk

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup chicken broth

8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

8 ounces green beans, ends snipped and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 bay leaves

Major Grey’s chutney

Chopped green onions

Raisins (dark or golden)

Toasted unsweetened coconut

Chopped roasted peanuts or cashews

Dried banana chips

Lime pickle

heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the meat evenly with the salt and pepper. Add the meat to the skillet and brown on all sides. Transfer the meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the same skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and red pepper flakes and sauté to release the oils in the spices and to soften the onions, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk to the skillet and heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert and stir in the tomatoes, broth, potatoes, beans, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the lamb is tender. Remove any fat from the top of the sauce, discard the bay leaves.

serve the lamb with the condiments.

serves 8

flatbread savvy

Traditional Naan flatbreads are sold in stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes, or in ethnic markets. Pita may be used as a substitute if Naan isn’t available.