The Great American Slow Cooker Book (69 page)

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Here’s a slow-cooker version of the creamy casserole. Stirring it twice during cooking will keep the pasta from clumping together.

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The required amount of diced turkey may not represent all the meat from a breast. Our advice? Buy an equivalent amount of turkey breast cutlets and dice what you need, or dice a larger boneless breast and freeze the rest in a zip-closed plastic bag for the next time you want comfort food like this.

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Whole wheat pasta will stand up better to the long cooking; it will also offer a firmer bite, better against the creamy sauce.

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Don’t use fat-free sour cream; it can break and cause the sauce to appear to have curdled.

1
Set a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then pour in the oil. Add the sausages, working in batches as necessary, turning them to brown to get good color on the casings, 4 or 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and continue browning more as necessary. Once done, cool the sausages for 5 minutes, then slice into 2-inch pieces.

2
Stir the tomatoes, tomato paste, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt (if desired) in the slow cooker until the tomato paste dissolves.

3
Set the sausage pieces in the slow cooker; add the cubanelle peppers, turkey strips, and scallions. Toss well.

4
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the sausage is cooked through and the sauce has thickened a bit.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Although you can use turkey sausage links for this dish, full-size turkey sausages are often more flavorful. Look for them in the meat case of your supermarket.

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We tested this recipe with Italian-seasoned turkey sausage, but you could use other flavors as desired so long as you keep in mind that the overall dish should be oriented toward traditional Italian flavorings. Sage and lemon turkey sausage would work; Asian-flavored turkey sausages wouldn’t.

•
The salt is optional because those canned seasoned tomatoes are often loaded with sodium.

Serve It Up!
Steam or boil white potatoes like Irish creamers, then peel them and mash with equal parts cream cheese, sour cream, milk, and butter. Season the potatoes with salt and ground black pepper, then plop some in every bowl and dish up the stew on top.

1
Fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet set over medium heat until crisp, stirring often, between 4 and 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to move those bits into the slow cooker.

2
Set a few drumsticks into the hot bacon fat in the skillet; cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Move the drumsticks to the slow cooker; continue browning more as needed.

3
Mix the carrots, leeks, brown sugar, and thyme in a big bowl until the brown sugar coats everything; pour into the slow cooker. Tuck the bay leaves among the vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper; pour in the cider.

4
Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is wonderfully tender. Use tongs to transfer the turkey drumsticks to a large platter. Discard the bay leaves; use a slotted spoon to transfer the carrots and leeks to a serving bowl. Skim the sauce for fat on its surface, then serve the sauce on the side with the drumsticks and vegetables.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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It’s all about the browning. If you don’t take your time to brown the drumsticks properly, the skin will turn unappealingly spongy.

•
For a somewhat less sweet, more sweet-and-sour dish, add up to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with the cider.

Serve It Up!
Make an easy side salad by tossing small broccoli florets, seedless green grape halves, chopped celery, and salted sunflower seeds with some mayonnaise, some plain yogurt, a little white wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a little salt.

1
Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add a few of the turkey drumsticks and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. (If working with several batches, divide the butter among them and melt more each time.) Transfer the drumsticks to the slow cooker.

2
Dump the pearl onions into the skillet; brown, stirring occasionally, between 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the batch. Scrape these into the slow cooker. Pour the wine and cassis over the legs and onions; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3
Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is falling-apart tender, particularly at the thick end of each leg. Transfer the drumsticks to a serving platter; tent with foil to keep warm.

4
Skim the fat from the juices in the slow cooker (by way of a flatware spoon or a fat separator). Pour the juices into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil furiously until reduced to about two-thirds the original volume, until a glaze-like sauce, between 3 and 8 minutes. Serve on the side with the drumsticks.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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A kir (
keer
) is a classic cocktail made from white wine and cassis, a syrupy black currant liqueur. Here, that combo becomes a braising medium for chewy, meaty turkey drumsticks, a sweet pop of flavor balanced by butter and salt.

•
Brown the drumsticks well. That caramelization will provide essential bitter and even sour notes to balance the sweet liqueur.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Crème de cassis (
crem duh cah-SEES
) is a black currant liqueur. The name indicates a product of France, though any domestic black currant liqueur will work as well. Do not use black currant
eau de vie,
which is too strong for this dish.

1
Cut the meat off the bones of the turkey thighs. Discard any cartilage, joints, and the bones themselves. Chop the meat into ½-inch pieces.

2
Stir the turkey meat with the mushrooms, potatoes, carrot, onion, celery, cranberries, flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker. Pour the broth over this mixture.

3
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the stew is thickened and rich, the vegetables are tender, and the meat is still juicy. Switch the cooker to warm.

4
As the appliance keeps the stew warm, preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay the puff pastry squares on a large baking sheet; bake until browned and (indeed) puffed, about 12 minutes.

5
Ladle the stew into serving bowls; top each with one of the puff pastry squares.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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There’s a bit of work to do here, what with chopping all those vegetables and deboning the turkey thighs. Still, you’ll end up with a rib-sticker that just might be the perfect dinner solution for weekend guests.