The Great American Slow Cooker Book (85 page)

4
Cover and continue cooking on high for 1 hour, or until the stew is aromatic and irresistible. Discard the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves before serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Long an economical staple, salt cod here becomes a rich addition to a rather simple stew. In order to balance the fish’s oily flavor, cook the onion quite a bit, at a fairly low heat, so that its sweetness stands out.

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If you find rosemary too aggressive, substitute tarragon or even thyme sprigs.

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If you want to thicken this stew, scoop out about a third of the beans and mash them to a paste in a bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir the puree back into the soup and cook on high for 10 minutes to warm through.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Traditionally called “dried and salted cod” (which explains exactly what it is), salt cod has provided cold-weather food for centuries. You must soak salt cod to rehydrate it as well as change the water while soaking to pull as much salt out as possible. These days, because of overfishing on a global scale, other white fish are often sold as salt cod, the words now more of a generic label. But there’s no need to worry—any variety will work here.

Serve It Up!
Ladle this stew over cooked wide noodles, tossed with poppy seeds and a little butter.

1
Mix the tomatoes, fennel, onion, olives, tomato paste, capers, rosemary, garlic, and thyme in the slow cooker until the tomato paste has evenly coated everything. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until bubbling and steamy.

2
Nestle the swordfish in the sauce. Cover and continue cooking on high for 30 minutes,
or until the fish is firm and cooked through. Serve by transferring the steaks to a cutting board, mounding the vegetables and sauce in bowls, then topping with the fish.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Make sure the fennel and red onion are chopped into pieces no larger than ½ inch. They’ll need a head start to soften and meld into a sauce.

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Substitute tuna steaks, if desired. Consider cooking them only 20 minutes for medium-rare.

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The only thing that would make this dish better would be bacon. So add some: cook up a few strips, crumble them in with the tomatoes, and have a go at it.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Swordfish is an oily fish, a migratory predator, often cut into meaty steaks. The skin is tough and won’t soften much in the slow cooker, so it should be removed. Ask the fishmonger to get rid of it for you.

1
Grease the inside of the slow cooker canister with unsalted butter. Sprinkle the onion in an even layer in the crock, then set the swordfish steaks on top.

2
Sprinkle the fish with the parsley, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Set a pat of butter on top of each fish steak.

3
Cover and cook on high for 1½ hours, or until the fish is cooked through without being dry.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Spoon every speck of sauce over these meaty steaks.

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Make sure the lemon zest is actually minced, not just grated. Otherwise, it won’t soften quickly enough.

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The cooking time is longer here since the fish is dry-roasted, not put into a bubbling sauce.

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Substitute halibut steaks for the swordfish, if desired.

1
Grease the inside of the slow cooker canister with unsalted butter, taking special care to coat the bottom generously.

2
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and pine nuts; cook, stirring often, until the shallot softens, between 3 and 5 minutes.

3
Scrape the contents of the skillet into a large bowl. Stir in the breadcrumbs, parsley, cheese, vinegar, and mustard until everything is uniformly combined. Cool for 10 minutes.

4
Lay the sole fillets on a clean, dry work surface (or as many as will fit at one time). Top each fillet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the breadcrumb mixture. Roll the fillets closed and set them seam side down in the cooker in one layer, squeezing to fit as you need to.

5
Cover and cook on high for 1½ hours, or until the fish can be flaked when pricked with a fork. Use tongs and a small spatula to transfer the fillets to serving plates.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Because sole fillets can be small, sometimes less than 3 ounces, we figured two per serving was about right. If you find larger sole fillets, particularly those harvested along the Maine coast that can be 5 or 6 ounces each, you’ll want to use half as many, but slice each in half lengthwise before stuffing.

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Dry breadcrumbs won’t soften in the slow cooker to make a successful filling. You’ll need to search out fresh ones in the bakery section of your supermarket, or pulse bits of a baguette in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade to make your own.

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You can make this dish even more decadent by reducing the mustard by half before adding up to 6 ounces of lump crab meat, picked over for shell and cartilage, to the breadcrumb mixture.

1
Melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and fry until crisp, stirring often, between 3 and 6 minutes.

2
Scrape the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker; stir in the leek, vermouth, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until bubbling and aromatic.

3
Stir in the parsley, then nestle the monkfish in the sauce. Cover and continue cooking on high for 30 minutes, or until the fish is firm and opaque. Discard the bay leaf, cut the monkfish into individual servings, and offer them in bowls with the sauce.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Monkfish is an oily but surprisingly mild fish, once called “poor man’s lobster” for its meaty texture and shellfish-like taste. Like lobster, monkfish can be quickly overcooked and turn rubbery. Start checking the fish after 20 minutes—it won’t flake with a fork, but instead should cut easily with a knife, revealing an opaque if still slightly gelatinous center.

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Make sure the pancetta is cut into cubes no larger than ¼ inch. You want them to accent the fish, not compete with it on the fork.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Pancetta is cured pork belly, not smoked like bacon. It is often rolled into a tight spiral and laced with cracked black peppercorns and sometimes other spices. A favorite in Italian cooking, pancetta sometimes is sold sliced in packages, found near the prosciutto. However, the best-tasting pancetta is sliced right at the deli counter for you. Ask for ¼-inch-thick slices, which you can then easily dice at home.