The Gourmet Slow Cooker Volume II (6 page)

Place the loaf into the slow cooker and pour the ketchup evenly over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 165°F and the meat is browned.

Lift the meatloaf from the cooker by gently grasping the aluminum foil and pulling it out. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
A good Syrah or medium-to full-bodied red wine.

Chicken Adobo

The national dish of the Philippines, chicken adobo is popular in Filipino immigrant communities all over the world, including the Hawaiian Islands. This recipe comes from my auntie’s friend, Violet Sadural, who was born in the Philippines and now lives in Honolulu. Beef, fish, vegetables, chicken, and pork can all be cooked adobo style. Although open to the discretion of each cook, the basic adobo ingredients are usually vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns, and sometimes ginger. The dish is served simply, with white rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Serves 4

1 (3-pound) frying chicken, skinned and cut into serving pieces

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

¾ cup soy sauce

¼ cup apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh peeled ginger

¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ cup chicken stock

Green onions, white and light green parts, sliced, for garnish

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, peppercorns, and brown sugar and toss until thoroughly mixed. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and stock and mix to form a slurry. Add to the pot and gently stir in.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat is very tender. Leave the chicken pieces whole or shred the meat, whatever your preference. Serve at once, garnished with the green onions.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
For an adventuresome experiment, try a bottle of Volcano Winery’s Symphony Dry. The winery is located on the side of an active volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

This recipe departs from the traditional pastry crust potpie, using instead a layer of herb and garlic mashed potatoes. The topping is so delicious it can just as easily be served alone as a side dish. If you want to be true to your slow cooker and use it for both steps, the potatoes need to be made first and set aside, or, if you’re lucky enough to have two slow cookers, at the same time as the filling. They can, however, be made just as easily on a stovetop.

Serves 4

Mashed Potato Crust

4 large russet potatoes (optionally peeled)

1 cup sour cream or half-and-half

4 cloves garlic, pressed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

Filling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock or milk

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 leek, white and light green parts only, thoroughly washed, thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and diced or cut into rounds

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cups chicken or turkey breasts, cubed (about 2 cups)

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley

To prepare the crust, place the potatoes in the slow cooker and cover with cold water. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain off the water and increase the heat to high. Cook for about 30 minutes, until dry. Add the sour cream, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. Add the chives at the last minute and mix in thoroughly.

If using the conventional stovetop method, cut the potatoes in chunks and boil until very soft, about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and drain off the water. Add the sour cream, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. Add the chives at the last minute and mix in thoroughly.

To prepare the filling, place a large saucepan over high heat and add 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the stock and continue cooking and stirring for 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the leek, carrots, and celery and sauté for about 10 minutes, just until soft. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the chicken and sauce. Gently fold in the peas and fresh tarragon. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Spoon the potato crust over the top of the filling and cook for about 1 hour, until the potatoes brown at the edges. Garnish with the parsley and serve piping hot.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
A crisp, un-oaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chenin Blanc, but a Pinot would work too.

Simple Poached Salmon

Poaching salmon, or any fish for that matter, in the slow cooker is a no-brainer. Although it isn’t a traditional dish for long, slow cooking, it is one of the things that the low, even temperatures of the slow cooker does well with. Poached salmon, needing no oil to cook, makes a light lunch paired with lemon rice, steamed vegetables, and salad, or a sumptuous dinner with herbed mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.

Serves 4

1 cup water

½ cup dry white wine

1 yellow onion slice

1 lemon slice

1 sprig dill

½ teaspoon salt

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Combine the water and wine in the slow cooker and heat on high for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the onion, lemon, dill, salt, and salmon.

Cover and cook on high for about 20 minutes, until the salmon is opaque and cooked through according to taste. Serve hot or cold.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
Salmon, a classic Pacific Northwest ingredient, generally fits like a glove with pinot noir, Oregon’s most beloved grape.

Country Ham in Pineapple Sauce with Dried Cherries and Raisins

Nothing can compare to a Virginia baked ham, but any good-quality ham used in this recipe will yield surprisingly delicious results. This is truly one of those foolproof throw-everything-in-the-cooker-and-walk-away kind of dishes. Mashed potatoes and green beans make a great accompaniment.

Serves 4

1 (4-pound) bone-in ham

10 whole cloves

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 (18-ounce) jar pineapple-apricot preserves

¼ cup dried sour cherries

¼ cup golden raisins or currants

Stud the ham with the cloves, then place in the slow cooker.

Drain the pineapple juice into a bowl and add the cornstarch. Stir until thoroughly blended. Add the pineapple and preserves and mix well. Pour and spoon over the ham.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. Sprinkle on the cherries and raisins and continue to cook for 1 hour, until the meat is very tender.

Remove the ham from the sauce and allow to cool for about 15 minutes on a cutting board. Cut into slices and arrange on plates or a serving platter. Generously spoon the sauce over the meat and serve at once.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
A crisp, aromatic white wine such as a Gewürztraminer or a Sauvignon Blanc Musqué with a bit of residual sugar. Or explore some of the well-made wines now coming out of Virginia.

Cranberries are native to North America and were used by indigenous peoples long before the Pilgrims arrived. They were mashed with deer meat for pemmican because their natural benzoic acid helps slow spoilage. For a slightly untraditional cranberry sauce, the dried berries, citrus flavor, and port beautifully complement a juicy turkey. Serve with wild rice pilaf or mashed potatoes.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

⅔ cup port

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups chicken or turkey stock, or water

½ turkey breast, skinned and trimmed of fat

8 ounces dried cranberries (orange flavored makes a nice variation)

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange, tangerine, or blood orange, unpeeled, sliced thinly

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, combine the port and cornstarch and mix to form a slurry. Add to the sauté pan and stir well. Add the stock and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes translucent.

Place the turkey in the slow cooker and pour in the sauce. Add the cranberries, cinnamon, and orange slices. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the turkey is very tender and cooked through and the sauce is thick. Serve at once.

SUGGESTED
BEVERAGE:
The crispness and acidity of a Sauvignon Blanc or a lighter Pinot Noir matches the acidity of the cranberries.

Preserved cod holds up well to several hours in the slow cooker. Salting and drying fish and packing it in barrels is a time-honored method of preservation brought to California by Portuguese immigrants like my grandmother’s people, who came to this country from their home in the Azores.

Serves 4

1 pound salt cod

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for coating

1 large yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

½ cup heavy whipping cream

20 stuffed green olives, for garnish

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Soak the cod in the refrigerator in two or three changes of water overnight. Remove any bones or skin and, using your fingers, shred the flesh.

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sauté the onion until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Coat the bottom of the slow cooker with olive oil. Arrange half of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the cooker. Cover with a layer of half the fish, followed by a layer of half the onion mixture. Pour half of the crushed tomatoes on top.

Repeat the layering with the remaining potatoes, fish, onion mixture, and tomatoes.