The Gourmet Slow Cooker Volume II (2 page)

Santa Fe Sweet Potato Soup

The sweet potatoes in this comforting soup need nothing more than traditional Southwestern spices and a topping of jalapeños and toasted
pepitas
.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil or other vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks

4 cloves garlic, whole

6 to 8 cups chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 cinnamon stick

6 whole cloves

10 allspice berries

Salt

2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and julienned, for garnish

¼ cup toasted
pepitas,
chopped, for garnish

½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream, for garnish

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion and sauté for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and continue cooking for 10 minutes, until they begin to brown.

Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker and add the water. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, until the sweet potatoes are quite tender when pierced with a fork. Coarsely grind the oregano, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in a coffee mill or using mortar and pestle and add to the soup. Continue cooking for 1 hour. Using a handheld blender, gently purée the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Ladle into bowls and serve hot, topped with a few slices of jalapeño, a sprinkling of toasted
pepitas,
and a dollop of crème fraîche.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
A spicy white wine is in order here, something along the lines of a Cortese, Dry Creek Vineyard’s Chenin Blanc, or a Gewürztraminer.

This comforting soup is delicately spiced with classic flavors and ingredients of the Southwest.

Serves 4

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

6 cups chicken stock or water

3 cloves garlic, whole

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 (4-ounce) can diced roasted green chiles

1 bunch green onions, green parts only, thinly sliced

½ cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1 cup sour cream

Salt

Place the potatoes, stock, and garlic in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Using a handheld blender, carefully purée the potatoes and garlic until smooth.

Grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a coffee mill or using a mortar and pestle and add to the soup. Add the chiles, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, and salt to taste and stir well. Continue cooking for 1 hour. Ladle into bowls and serve at once.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
Mount Palomar Winery in Temecula, California, makes the only Cortese (a northern Italian white wine grape variety) in the United States, as far as I know. Winemaker Etienne Cowper discovered Cortese Vines in an abandoned vineyard in New Mexico and moved cuttings to a vineyard in Temecula. It’s a crisp, delightful wine and goes beautifully with this soup.

Black beans work so well in the slow cooker that they seem to be made for it. Grilling the onions and chiles adds an extra dimension of flavor to this dish, which can also be made without the chicken for a vegetarian version. This dish is best made one day ahead, then reheated and served when the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Serves 4

1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered

5 cloves garlic, peeled

2 green poblano chiles, halved

2 jalapeño chiles, halved

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 cups dried black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight

6 cups chicken stock or water

1 (16-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano

1 cup beer

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, for garnish

½ cup sour cream, for garnish

Preheat the broiler. Place the onion, garlic, poblanos, and jalapeños on a baking sheet, with the chiles skin side up. Place under the broiler and grill for about 10 minutes, until the onion and garlic are quite soft and the chile skins are blackened. Cover the chiles with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for about 20 minutes. Peel off the skins or scrape them off using a paring knife. Remove the stems and seeds. Coarsely chop the chiles, garlic, and onion.

Grind the cumin and coriander seeds in a coffee mill or with a mortar and pestle.

Drain the beans and place them in the slow cooker. Add the chiles, garlic, onion, ground spices, water, tomatoes, chili powder, and oregano. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Add the beer, cocoa powder, and chicken and continue cooking on low for 2 hours, until the meat is very tender. (In a pinch, you could put all the ingredients in the pot at the same time and cook for 6 to 8 hours. By adding the chicken during the last 2 hours, you will retain some of the chunks.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

VARIATIONS:
Use 6 chicken legs or 10 drumsticks rather than the cubed chicken breast. Add chorizo sausage for additional flavor.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
The town of Tecate is famous for its brewery and its numerous fine brews. A Tecate beer would be great with your chili.

Castroville, California (population 6,724 as of the 2000 census), is the self-proclaimed Artichoke Center of the World. About 75 percent of the state’s artichokes are grown there. In 1947, young Norma Jean Baker (later known as Marilyn Monroe) was crowned Castroville’s first “artichoke queen.” And as you might imagine, the local residents have invented a plethora of artichoke-based foods, this creamy soup not the least among them.

Serves 4

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

⅛ teaspoon dried thyme

2 (12-ounce) packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed

¼ cup uncooked converted rice

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy whipping cream or half-and-half

Dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice or dry white wine

Salt

Several sprigs of tarragon, for garnish

Sour cream, for garnish

Combine the flour, salt, and thyme in a resealable plastic bag. Add the artichoke hearts and shake until evenly coated.

Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add the oil and butter. In batches if necessary, add the artichoke hearts and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, until softened.

Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker and add the rice and stock. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the rice is quite tender. Using a handheld blender, purée the soup until smooth. Stir in the whipping cream and lemon juice and season with salt to taste.

Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with the tarragon and a dollop of sour cream. Serve immediately.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
Though artichokes are considered a difficult match for most wines, a crisp, dry white wine or a hearty beer would work here.

Located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the town of Gilroy is home to the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. As the artichoke is celebrated in Castroville, so is garlic in Gilroy. Although garlic soups can be found in many countries (made with chicken broth and red wine in southern France and with saffron and sherry in Spain, to name a couple), the following is a simple California recipe that I have enjoyed for years. This makes a great lunch, served with a crusty loaf of bread, a good red wine, and a salad.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

24 large cloves garlic

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

6 cups chicken stock or water

Salt

Several sprigs of thyme, for garnish

Several sage leaves, sliced, for garnish

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion is softened and the garlic cloves are slightly browned.

Transfer the onion and garlic to the slow cooker and add the potatoes. Cover with the stock. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the potatoes are very tender. Using a handheld blender, purée the soup until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with the thyme and sage. Serve at once.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
Try the unique Grand Noir from Storrs Winery in Santa Cruz, which is just west of Gilroy, or Bonny Doon’s Cigare Volant.

Green Posole

Posole is both an ingredient and a dish. The ingredient is dried field corn soaked in lye or wood ashes in order to loosen the thick skin and make it easier to remove the kernel. It is the primary ingredient in the dish posole, which is a Mexican and southwestern favorite for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Posole can be made with either red or green chiles. Canned kernels, known as hominy, can be used, but dried posole stands up the best in the slow cooker. Serve with warm, fresh corn tortillas.

Serves 4

6 Anaheim chiles, sliced in half lengthwise

6 ounces dried posole or 1 (12-ounce) can hominy

6 cups chicken stock or water

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed

1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms

Salt

Crumbled feta cheese or
queso fresco,
for garnish

¼ cup sliced green onion tops, for garnish

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, for garnish

1 lime, sliced into wedges, for garnish

Preheat the broiler. Place the chiles on a baking sheet skin side up. Place under the broiler and broil for 10 minutes, until the skins are blackened. Cover the chiles with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for about 20 minutes. Peel off the skins or scrape them off using a paring knife. Remove the stems and seeds. Chop the chiles.

Combine the posole and water in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, until the posole kernels are plump and softened. Add the roasted chiles, onion, oregano, cumin seeds, and mushrooms and continue cooking on low for 1 to 2 hours. Season to taste with salt.

Spoon into bowls and serve hot, garnished with the feta, green onions, and cilantro. Serve the lime wedges on the side.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
A crisp white wine.

Because they were generally planted and harvested together and subsequently combined in meals, beans, corn, and squash are known fondly as the three sisters of agriculture to Native Americans of the southwestern United States. Together here they make a healthy, hearty stew.

Serves 4

2 cups dried pinto, anasazi, or red beans, thoroughly rinsed

6 cups chicken stock or water

1 cup tomato or marinara sauce

1 tablespoon olive or corn oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon canned chile in adobo sauce, with sauce

1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ pound chorizo sausage, sliced in rounds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, crushed

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 ears corn, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 zucchini squash, cut in rounds

½ cup beer

Salt

½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, for garnish

½ cup sour cream, for garnish

Combine the beans, water, and tomato sauce in the slow cooker.

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the onion and sauté for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the adobo chile and sauce, poblano chile, and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the beans are very tender.

Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the chorizo. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add the chorizo, cumin, coriander, chili powder, corn, zucchini, and beer to the cooker and continue cooking for 1 hour, until the zucchini is tender and the corn is cooked. Season to taste with salt.