The Great American Slow Cooker Book (97 page)

1
Working in batches as necessary to avoid crowding, put the cremini and portobello mushrooms in a large food processor and pulse, scraping down the inside of the container occasionally, until finely ground but not a paste. Scrape into the slow cooker.

2
Process the beans in the food processor as well, grinding until just shy of a paste. Scrape into the slow cooker as well.

3
Stir in the tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots, tomato paste, brown sugar, chili powder, mustard, salt, and pepper until the tomato paste has dissolved and the entire mixture looks pretty uniform.

4
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Uncover and continue cooking on low for 1 more hour, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
You need a food processor to make this vegetarian reinterpretation of the classic American sandwich filling. Otherwise, you’d have to mince every single mushroom to a fine grind and you’ll have dinner on the table sometime next week.

•
Process the mushrooms in batches; if you jam too many mushrooms into the food processor at once, some will turn to mush before others are ground.

•
Grinding the beans allows them to become the thickening agent.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
So long as carrots are washed to remove dirt and grime, you don’t need to peel them for long braises. That exterior “skin” is really just the carrot itself, drying out after contact with the air. It’s none too savory in fresh salads and slaws, but it’ll soften just like the rest of the vegetable in a long-cooked dish.

Serve It Up!
Serve this vegetarian main course in whole wheat pita pockets with chopped iceberg lettuce and a sauce made from equal parts sour cream, yogurt, and tahini (sesame paste).

1
Arrange the mushrooms in the cooker so they make as compact and even a layer as possible.

2
Whisk the maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger, molasses, mustard, and garlic in a bowl until fairly smooth. Pour over the mushrooms, toss gently to coat, and rearrange into a compact layer.

3
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the mushrooms have become tender and are drenched in the sauce.

4
Turn the cooker to high. Whisk the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour over the mushroom mixture and toss again.

5
Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has begun to thicken around the mushrooms.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Although portobello caps are often sold sliced, those strips can be unfortunately dry—in fact, darn near tough. Better to slice your own.

•
Substitute sliced cremini mushrooms for a less firm texture but a much easier dish. (cremini mushrooms are just baby portobellos anyway!)

•
There’s a lot of garlic here. If you’re phobic, reduce the amount by half.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Pomegranate molasses is a Middle Eastern condiment, a thickened paste made from boiled-down pomegranate juice. It’s a sour spark and so makes a tasty addition to barbecue sauces. Look for it near the couscous and other Middle Eastern foods in your supermarket.

Serve It Up!
Consider these the vegetarian alternative for fajitas or tacos—and serve them the same way: with diced avocado or even guacamole, grilled red onion rings, sliced roasted red peppers, and pico de gallo in soft flour tortillas or crisp corn shells.

1
Put the broth and tofu in a blender or a food processor; blend or process until a creamy sauce. Pour into the slow cooker. Stir in the mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, paprika, and fennel seeds.

2
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the mushrooms are tender.

3
Stir in the cheese. Cover and set aside, preferably on the
keep warm
setting, until the cheese melts, no more than 10 minutes.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Not all tofu dishes have to have an Asian bend. Here, a creamy vegetarian stroganoff is made with tofu standing in for the more common thickeners and cream, creating a protein-rich main course even without any meat in the mix.

•
Make sure you use soft silken tofu, sometimes available in packages outside the refrigerator case and in the Asian aisle or near the canned goods.

Serve It Up!
Serve the stew in bowls over wide egg noodles or more traditional pappardelle.

1
Mix the broth, soy sauce, sherry, chile paste, and sugar in the slow cooker until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the shiitakes, carrot, scallions, ginger, and garlic. Nestle the tofu cubes among these ingredients.

2
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 5 hours.

3
Whisk the cornstarch and vinegar in a small bowl. Gently stir into the casserole. Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This Asian-based stew cries out for cooked white rice—and not much more. It’s spicy in only a middling way, thanks to the way the slow cooker eats through capsaicin. Plan on passing hot sauce at the table, particularly
sambal oelek
.

•
The real trick here is stirring in the cornstarch slurry without breaking up the tofu cubes. Use a rubber spatula to be safe.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Tofu is pressed soybean curd, a staple in diets around the world at this point. It comes in several varieties, mostly divided somewhere on the line of extra-firm, firm, and soft. There are also regular, low-fat, and even fat-free varieties. We suggest avoiding the low-fat and fat-free versions; these can be downright insipid. So-called silken tofu is a variant and will not also work in a dish like this one.

1
Whisk the broth and peanut butter in the slow cooker until the peanut butter dissolves.

2
Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, ginger, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne; stir well until the vegetables are coated in the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender and sweet.

3
Stir in the spinach, cover, and cook on low for 10 more minutes to wilt the leaves.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
The chunky peanut butter adds some peanuts to the mix, but you can add more—up to ¼ cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts.

•
Steer clear of gigantic spinach leaves, which can be pretty tough even after wilting. If you have no other choice, remove their tough, fibrous central stems before chopping the leaves. Make sure you also wash them for sand and grit.

Serve It Up!
Top bowlfuls with sour cream or plain yogurt, as well as minced cilantro leaves and even some minced red onion.