Read Slow Cooked: 200 exciting, new recipes for your slow cooker Online
Authors: Miss South
Slow Cooked: 200 exciting, new recipes for your slow cooker (5 page)
Every recipe in the book was tested before being included here. Some were tested several times to refine them, others were just right first go. Some were tested by other people as well as me and their feedback noted.
I tested at home, using a variety of brands from Morphy Richards, Lakeland and Russell Hobbs. The majority of the recipes were tested in a 3.5-litre oval crock without preheating. You should check your manufacturer’s instructions to see if this step is required for your slow cooker.
None of the slow cookers used for testing were digital. I tested the food with a probe thermometer and occasionally used a timer plug at the wall. Trying to work out how to programme it was the trickiest bit of the whole book.
I hand-washed all my crocks as I don’t have a dishwasher. I also have limited patience with standing over the sink, so I soaked mine with hot water and soda crystals to make it easier. I didn’t use non-stick cooking spray on my crocks, as many people advise, as I don’t like the taste of it in my food.
I only used the low and high settings on the slow cookers as all models have these. I didn’t use the warm or auto functions, so you will need to get to know how your slow cooker works on these settings, if you have them.
- All spoon measures are level unless otherwise stated. Some amounts of herbs and spices may seem larger than expected. Trust me, no typos here, just dishes with lots of flavour
- All milk is full-fat or semi-skimmed
- Yoghurt is unsweetened and plain, usually between 2–4% fat
- All eggs are large as that’s what my local shop stocks
- All butter is salted. I don’t use margarine, so no recipes were tested with it
- All sugar is white and granulated unless otherwise stated. I don’t seek out caster sugar, even for baking, as I find that granulated works perfectly well
- Parsley can be either curly or flat-leaved unless one type is specified in the recipe
- Breadcrumbs are always fresh and not golden
Slow cookers really come into their own with meat. They take those cheaper cuts and turn them into something really tender and tasty. This is the time to braise and casserole cuts you might not usually have the chance to eat, like pigs’ cheeks or oxtail. Don’t be afraid, these cuts become soft and tender when slow cooked and you don’t need to add extra oil or fats to cook them, you can just rely on their natural flavours.
Cuts of meat can have a variety of names so, if you can, check your chuck steak and your brisket with a butcher to help you become more confident cooking with new cuts. Building a relationship with a local butcher can be very beneficial, but not always possible. Several of the big supermarkets have good butchery counters and you can buy the exact amounts you need for a dish there, which can be very useful compared to pre-packed portions which could be more expensive.
I always try to cook meat from room temperature rather than fridge cold. It means the slow cooker doesn’t have to work as hard and spends more time making the meat tender. Simply take the meat out of the fridge about an hour before cooking if you can. This is especially important as I very rarely sear or brown meat before I add it to the slow cooker. I don’t find the extra time and washing up makes the dish taste different enough to make it worth my while. If you have one of the new non-stick crocks that can be heated on the hob as well as in the slow cooker, it’s definitely worth searing your meat as all the flavour is kept in the crock. Using a frying pan leaves it behind and defeats the purpose. If I do specify browning or searing the meat, it’s because it’s really important to that recipe.
Nearly every recipe in this chapter can be cooked in advance and reheated on the hob or in the microwave as needed, allowing all those lovely slow-cooked flavours to mingle together and taste even better. You won’t know what you did without your slow cooker when it comes to cooking meat!
Oxtail with Dark Chocolate and Guinness
Sauerkraut-Smothered Pork Chops
Garlic, Anchovy and Mint Lamb Shoulder
Beef shin is one of those cuts of meat that has become unfashionable and unloved in the era of frying steak and chicken breast. Usually bought with a circle of bone in each slice, it needs a very low slow cooking to turn it into the rich, sticky dish it deserves to be. What looks like quite a small piece of meat, unfurls into soft strands that pull apart and double the amount of meat you were expecting. Cooked into a glossy gravy, it makes a stunning stew or the basis of the best cottage pie you’ve ever eaten.
This is a versatile dish, just made for the slow cooker, and is a great way to get the hang of how to cook meat with less liquid than you would in the oven, as it shows how the meat steams and braises all at once.
SERVES 4
2 tablespoons plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon mustard powder
650g beef shin, preferably bone in
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 star anise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Marmite
250ml beer, preferably a dark ale or stout
Mix the flour with the salt, pepper, mace and mustard powder and toss the uncut pieces of the beef shin in it (they should look like steaks rather than cubes). It cooks best this way, rather than trying to chop it smaller.
Set the floured meat in the slow cooker and add the diced vegetables. Add the star anise, Worcestershire sauce, Marmite and pour the beer over it all. Don’t be tempted to add more beer for more flavour as it will dilute the gravy and the rich intensity of it all.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and braise the beef shin on low for 8–9 hours. The meat will have melted into a thick, sticky tangle with the vegetables collapsing into it all.
Use the braised beef shin as a stew or bake it into a lovely pie in the oven. It is stunning in a lasagne or made into a cottage pie with some mashed potato piled on top, textured with the back of a fork and put under a hot grill until crispy on the edges.
This is basically the more glamorous Italian name for what your granny probably would have called beef olives. Braising steak is beaten out thinly and stuffed with breadcrumbs and capers before being slow cooked in a tomato sauce. It’s simple and delicious and makes a lovely alternative to a pot roast or stew. I also like to take any life frustrations out on the meat with a rolling pin, making this therapy you can eat at the end!
SERVES 4
600g braising steak, in 2 large pieces rather than cubed
50g breadcrumbs
1 heaped tablespoon capers
10 black olives, pitted and chopped
½ lemon, zested (if waxed, give it a vigorous scrub under the hot tap first)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
20g Parmesan
1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
50ml tomato juice or water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
Start by putting your braising steak between two sheets of greaseproof paper or reusable baking liner and then hitting it hard with a rolling pin to flatten it out. This makes it easier to roll up and makes a small amount of meat go much further. You should aim to double the area of the beef, but don’t forget to protect with the paper first or it will tear.
Mix up the stuffing by putting the breadcrumbs, capers, olives, lemon zest and garlic in a bowl with the Parmesan. Add the oil and stir through so it sticks together slightly.
Spoon half of it onto each piece of flattened-out beef, spreading it evenly, and roll it up, tucking the sides in to make a parcel. Tie it with string or hold it together with toothpicks, making sure the stuffing can’t escape. Place the parcels in the slow-cooker crock.
Mix the onion through the chopped tomatoes, along with the tomato juice or water and the dried oregano and sugar. Season it well. Pour the tomato mixture over the beef and add a little more water or tomato juice if more than the very tip of the meat is sticking out.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the braciole on low for 7–8 hours. The meat will become soft and tender, but hold its shape beautifully, allowing you to lift the parcels out of the tomato sauce with a slotted spoon. Remove all the toothpicks or string and then cut the braciole into slices and serve over pasta or gnocchi with the sauce over the top.
You know a stew is good when a whole city becomes famed for it. Originally known as Lobscouse by the Danish sailors who brought it to Britain, this dish became scouse and the people of Liverpool who ate it became Scousers. And it’s no wonder they loved it so much. It’s simple and delicious and warming enough to deal with any breeze off the Mersey.
Scouse is usually half beef and half breast of lamb if you can get it. However, there are as many version of scouse as there are grannies in Liverpool. I’ve used beef and lamb neck as the mix of meats is what makes it unique. As long as you buy the best meat you can afford and serve it with pickled red cabbage on the side, you can’t go far wrong!
SERVES 4 WITH LEFTOVERS
1kg potatoes
350g stewing steak, cubed
250g lamb neck or lamb breast, cubed
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
750ml hot beef stock or water
salt and pepper
This is a very simple dish to make. I find potatoes don’t lose their shape as easily in the slow cooker, so I’ve adapted the recipe slightly by cutting most of the potatoes very small. This way they will collapse into the gravy and thicken it. Without their thickening trick, the scouse is a bit watery.
Peel two-thirds of the potatoes and cut them into 1cm cubes. Put in the slow-cooker crock with the chunks of stewing steak and lamb neck. Add the onion and carrot and use your hands to toss it all through evenly.
Season well and add the Worcestershire sauce. Add the remaining third of the potatoes — I leave the skins on and cut them into 4cm chunks. Pour the stock or water over it all. I usually use Bovril to make my beef stock as it seems meatier to me than stock cubes and a little goes a long way (add 3½ teaspoons Bovril to 750ml boiling water).
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the scouse on low for 8–10 hours. You will end up with a thickened gravy from the small pieces of potato along with meat so tender it falls apart and helps thicken the dish further. This mix of textures is what makes scouse unlike other stews.
Serve with pickled cabbage and some of the Pickled Beetroot from
here
. I can also imagine a pickled onion or two being bliss with this.
This is a very simple dish that’s absolutely packed with flavour. It reminds me of Guide camps when I was little, when a bunch of tweens and teens would be let loose with a can of corned beef and a campfire to make their own dinner. The dish was equal parts foolproof and delicious, but I much prefer the slow-cooker version. Not only does making it at home mean I get to sleep in my own bed rather than in a tent, but the slow cooking makes the dish much more velvety and creates a lovely gravy round it. Everyone asks for seconds, even my friend Claire who ate the original wood-smoked version.