Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (41 page)

This savory dressing is filled with nuggets of smoked ham, flavored with rosemary and sage, and scattered with bits of onion, celery, and dried apricots for a little sweetness. Many grocery stores sell cornbread in their bakeries around the holidays, but if you can’t find cornbread, it’s easy enough to make either from scratch or using a packaged mix.

8 cups crumbled stale cornbread

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 cups finely diced smoked ham

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup whole milk

2 to 3 cups chicken broth (see savvy)

3 large eggs, beaten

coat 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. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, ham, rosemary, sage, and parsley and sauté until the onions and celery are softened. Transfer to the bowl with the cornbread and add the apricots. Put the hot sauce, milk, broth, and eggs in another bowl and whisk until blended. Pour over the cornbread mixture and stir until well combined. Transfer the stuffing to the slow-cooker insert.

cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 4 to 5 hours, until cooked through, 170°F on an instant-read thermometer.

serve the stuffing directly from the slow cooker.

serves 12

stuffing savvy

You may need more broth depending upon how dry the bread is. Use the lesser amount called for, and if the stuffing appears dry, add more chicken broth.

This savory bread pudding is loaded with caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese chunks that melt into the stuffing. Serve this instead of mashed potatoes the next time you make a roast beef. It tastes something like the best bowl of French onion soup.

8 cups stale white bread cubes with crusts removed

2 cups Gruyère cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 8 ounces)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 large onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, mashed

5 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

coat 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. Combine the bread and cheese in the slow cooker.

heat the butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter melts and the foam subsides. Add the onions, stir to coat with the butter, and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Sprinkle with the sugar, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions become golden. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool.

whisk together the eggs, cream, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and parsley, in a large bowl, and stir in the cooled onions. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and cheese and press down on the bread to saturate it. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the stuffing is puffed and registers 185°F on an instant-read thermometer. Uncover and allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Spoon bread is a creamy cornbread that was served in colonial days. You don’t see this on many restaurant menus anymore, except at historic inns and taverns in the South, and that’s a shame because it is a delicious accompaniment to roasted meats, pork, and poultry. At Christiana Campbell’s tavern in Williamsburg, they actually spoon it out of a large cast-iron pot. I love to serve this with maple syrup or honey on the side.

3 cups cornmeal

3 cups water

3 cups milk

¹
/
₃
cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

8 large eggs

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

put the cornmeal, water and milk in a large mixing bowl and stir for 3 to 5 minutes. (This will ensure a light spoon bread). Add the sugar, baking powder, butter, and eggs and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the top is set. Uncover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

serve the spoon bread from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Grits cook up creamy and smooth in a slow cooker. All that’s left for you to do is to add flavor and pizzazz to this classic Southern dish. I’m not fond of plain grits, but you can definitely make them in your slow cooker, especially if you like them for breakfast. My favorites are dishes where the grits peek out from under a stellar entrée such as barbecued shrimp New Orleans–style, a lamb shank, or a pot roast. Any way you decide to make them, the slow cooker will treat them well.

This recipe contains just a few ingredients and is for the purists in the crowd who love plain grits with eggs over-easy in the morning. If you want to dress this up, substitute chicken broth for the water, and add one to two cups shredded cheese at the end for a simple side dish. For grits casseroles, see the recipes on the facing page.

1¼ cups stone-ground grits

5½ cups water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for serving

coat the insert of a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.

stir all the ingredients together in the insert. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the grits are creamy.

serve from the cooker set on warm with additional butter on the side.

serves 8

This delicious casserole will be a star at your next dinner. The grits are cooked in broth, rather than water, for a richer flavor, and then further enriched with eggs, cream, and cheese halfway through the cooking. This dish is a standout with grilled meats, poultry, and seafood. I love to serve New Orleans-style barbecued shrimp over these grits.

1 cup stone-ground grits

4½ cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

2 large eggs, beaten

½ cup heavy cream

2 cup finely shredded mild Cheddar cheese (see savvy)

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

stir the grits, broth, and butter together in the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in the eggs, cream, and cheese. Cover and cook for an additional 4 hours, until the grits are creamy and the cheese has melted.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

cheese savvy

You can substitute your favorites here: Swiss, Havarti with dill, sharp Cheddar, Asiago, provolone, Monterey Jack, and pepper Jack are all great choices.

Whether or not you have vegetarians in your life, the slow cooker can be used to make a wide variety of vegetable dishes, including potato casseroles, root vegetable braises, eggplant Parmesan—the list goes on! Vegetables in the slow cooker can be an accompaniment or main course any night of the week. Vegetables and side dishes seem to require a lot of forethought for some home cooks, but the slow cooker takes out a lot of the guesswork. The ingredients are layered, the machine turned on low, and hours later a delicious vegetable dish emerges from the slow cooker.

An easy Southwestern side dish, these beans are spicy, creamy, smooth and cheesy. Serve them at a build-your-own-taco bar or with carne or pollo asada.

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

Four 14- to 15-ounce cans refried beans

1½ cups sour cream

2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese

coat 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 small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, cumin, and oregano and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the refried beans and sour cream. Spoon half the mixture into the slow-cooker insert and sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining beans and sprinkle with the pepper Jack cheese.

cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the beans are heated through and the cheese is melted.

serve the beans from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Black beans, fragrant with island spices and cooked in the slow cooker, are a great side dish to serve at a barbecue or as part of a Southwestern dinner. Black beans need to be covered with liquid at all times, so this is one recipe where lifting the lid and stirring is encouraged!

1 pound black turtle beans, soaked overnight in water to cover and drained

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium red onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Anaheim chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon jerk seasoning

1 bay leaf

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

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

5 cups chicken broth

pour the beans in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, chile, bell pepper, jerk seasoning, and bay leaf and sauté until the vegetables are softened.

add the tomatoes and transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Stir in the lime juice and broth.

cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Check the level of the liquid after 3 and 4 hours of cooking; stir and add more chicken broth if needed. The beans should be tender and creamy.

serve the beans from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

White beans are a staple in the Mediterranean, and this simple dish flavored with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and rosemary is a winner any night of the week. The beans become creamy as they cook and are terrific served as a bed for lamb or chicken. The leftovers can be puréed and served as a dip or spread, like hummus.

2 cups dried small white beans, soaked overnight in water to cover and drained

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

6 to 8 cups chicken broth

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pour the beans in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the oil in a small skillet over very low heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for about 10 minutes, taking care that the garlic doesn’t brown.

add the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert and stir in 6 cups chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Check to make sure that the beans are not sticking to the pot and add more broth if needed. Cover and cook for an additional 1 hour. Season with the salt and pepper.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6