Read The Great American Slow Cooker Book Online
Authors: Bruce Weinstein
The Great American Slow Cooker Book (107 page)
A LOT
•
PREP TIME:
25 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2½ HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
NO
•
SERVES:
6 TO 8
INGREDIENTS FOR A 1-QUART, HIGH-SIDED, ROUND BAKING DISH
½ cup finely ground fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried thyme
1 pound cream cheese (regular or low-fat)
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup sliced almonds
2 large eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tblsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground black pepper
1
Set a 1-quart, high-sided, round soufflé or baking dish in a slow cooker of any size or shape. Pour water into the slow cooker to come a third of the way up the outside of the baking dish. Remove the dish, cover the slow cooker, and set to cook on high while you prepare the recipe.
2
Grease the inside of the baking dish with unsalted butter. Mix the breadcrumbs and thyme in a small bowl, then pour into the baking dish. Turn the dish this way and that to coat evenly the bottom and inside walls of the dish.
3
Put the cream cheese, blue cheese, and almonds in a large food processor; process until smooth, stopping the machine occasionally to scrape down the interior.
4
Add the eggs one at a time and continue processing until smooth each time. Pour in the cream and again process until smooth. Scrape down the interior, add the flour and pepper, and again process until smooth and somewhat thick.
5
Scrape and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish; use a rubber spatula or an offset spatula to smooth the top of the batter. Set the filled baking dish in the slow cooker. Lay overlapping, long strips of paper towels across the top of the slow cooker before setting the lid in place.
6
Cook on high for 2½ hours, or until the cake is set to the touch. Use paper towels or silicone baking mitts to lift the baking dish out of the cooker. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before unmolding and flipping right side up onto a serving platter.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
There are no sizes for the slow cookers here because you make the savory cake in a 1-quart round, high-sided baking dish set into a slow cooker. It should fit in all but the very smallest, oval slow cookers, ones actually smaller than the dimensions we’ve been working with.
•
This savory cake can be cut into wedges to serve instead of potatoes or rice with almost any meal. Or better yet, slice it into wedges and offer as a nibble with cocktails or wine before dinner.
•
The paper towels are to keep condensed water from dripping from the lid and onto the cake. Lay long swaths of them over the cooker before you set the lid in place so that the edges of the paper towels can’t inadvertently fall onto the cake as it bakes.
SHORTCUTS
Any sort of blue cheese will work here, although the packaged blue cheese crumbles may well be the best shortcut for this recipe.
If vegetables are the neglected stepchildren of the slow cooker’s story, beans and whole grains may be the tattered orphans. And that’s a shame because the slow cooker’s gentle heat renders this long-cooking fare easier than ever. Beans don’t go mushy as they do in roiling water; whole grains maintain their essential crunchy exterior and creamy interior.
Although most of these dishes can function as sides to substantial meals, many can do double-duty as main courses; just pair them with a salad and a creamy vinaigrette.
There’s one drawback we might as well address right off the bat: dried beans and whole grains don’t last forever. They have a shelf life—a little over a year in most places, maybe a few months shy of that if you live in a humid locale. Store them in a sealed container in a cool, dry, dark place at the very back of your pantry. You’ll be able to tell if they’re good by both appearance and aroma: beans, lentils, and whole grains should have a smooth skin or exterior surface, not be shriveled or mottled. They should smell slightly earthy, without any bitter tang or acrid odor.
We don’t buy these items in bulk. First off, we’re not sure whose hands have been in the bin. Second, we’re not sure how long those lentils or beans have sat in that bin—and how many have been crushed. We’d rather buy ones in a clear plastic bag so we can see what we’re getting. Plus, many of those bags include a
packed-on
date as well as a
sell-by
date.
So let’s get down to business: whipping up some pretty hearty fare in the slow cooker.
A LITTLE
•
PREP TIME:
12 HOURS 20 MINUTES (INCLUDES SOAKING THE BEANS)
•
COOK TIME:
10 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
4 HOURS
•
SERVES:
2 TO 6
2- TO 3½-QUART
⅔ cup dried pink beans
1⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 small yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
⅓ cup maple syrup
1½ tblsp cider vinegar
1 tblsp minced jarred pickled jalapeño rings
½ tblsp
dry mustard
½ tblsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp liquid smoke
4- TO 5½-QUART
1⅓ cups dried pink beans
2⅔ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
⅔ cup maple syrup
2½ tblsp cider vinegar
2 tblsp minced jarred pickled jalapeño rings
1 tblsp
dry mustard
1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
6- TO 8-QUART
2 cups dried pink beans
4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup maple syrup
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 tblsp minced jarred pickled jalapeño rings
1½ tblsp
dry mustard
1½ tblsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tblsp liquid smoke
1
Put the beans in a large bowl, fill it two-thirds with cool tap water, and set aside on the counter for at least 12 hours or up to 16 hours.
2
Drain the beans in a colander set in the sink. Stir them and add the broth, beans, bell pepper, onion, maple syrup, vinegar, jalapeño, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke to the slow cooker.
3
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours, or until the beans are tender and the flavors have blended.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Nothing could be easier than this family favorite. Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup with its artificial sweeteners and flavors.
•
If you’re concerned about stomach upset, bring the beans to a boil in a large pot of water set over high heat, and boil for 5 minutes, then drain them in a colander set in the sink, rinse, and cool to room temperature under running water before using in this recipe.
•
Feel free to use frozen chopped vegetables; thaw them before adding.
•
If you want to make this for a potluck crowd, double the ingredients in the medium slow cooker but prepare the dish in a large one.
INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Sometimes called chili beans, pink beans are small, pinkish-brown, oval-shaped beans popular in the western United States and the Caribbean. The beans have a meaty, velvety texture with a semisweet but mild taste.
A LITTLE
•
PREP TIME:
12 HOURS 15 MINUTES (INCLUDES SOAKING THE BEANS)
•
COOK TIME:
12 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
2 HOURS
•
SERVES:
3 TO 10
2- TO 3½-QUART
1 cup dried navy beans
1 cup plus 3 tblsp boiling water
2 ounces salt pork or salted fat back, diced
2 tblsp molasses, preferably unsulfured
2 tblsp packed dark brown sugar
2 tblsp chopped yellow onion
¾ tsp
dry mustard
¼ tsp ground black pepper
4- TO 5½-QUART
2 cups dried navy beans
2⅓ cups boiling water
4 ounces salt pork or salted fat back, diced
¼ cup molasses, preferably unsulfured
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
1¼ tsp
dry mustard
¾ tsp ground black pepper
6- TO 8-QUART
3 cups dried navy beans
3½ cups boiling water
6 ounces salt pork or salted fat back, diced
½ cup molasses, preferably unsulfured
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup chopped yellow onion
2 tsp
dry mustard
1 tsp ground black pepper
1
Fill a large bowl two-thirds full with cool water, then add the beans and stir until they sink. Set aside to soak overnight—or 12 hours but no more than 16 hours.
2
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
3
Drain the beans in a colander set in the sink; clatter them into the slow cooker. Pour in the boiling water; stir in the pork, molasses, sugar, onion, mustard, and pepper.
4
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 12 hours, or until the beans are tender and the liquid has become thick, syrupy, and dark.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Bring on the hamburgers or brats! Here’s the classic, tweaked a bit with salt pork.
•
Salt pork, the salted fat from the belly of the pig, won’t add any smoky flavor to these beans the way bacon would. If you wanted to substitute diced slab bacon, feel free.
INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Navy beans—so called because they were a staple ration in the U.S. Navy in the early part of the twentieth century—are pea-sized white beans with a mild flavor and a firm texture.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
15 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
2 HOURS 15 MINUTES/5 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
NO
•
SERVES:
3 TO 8
2- TO 3½-QUART
2 cups water
1¾ cups drained and rinsed canned black beans
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tblsp finely grated orange zest
2 tblsp stemmed, seeded, and minced fresh jalapeño chile
1 tblsp dried marjoram
½ tblsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
2 bay leaves
4- TO 5½-QUART
3 cups water
3¼ cups drained and rinsed canned black beans
1½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
1 large green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 tblsp finely grated orange zest
3 tblsp stemmed, seeded, and minced fresh jalapeño chile
1½ tblsp dried marjoram
2 tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp salt
3 bay leaves
6- TO 8-QUART
5 cups water
4¾ cups drained and rinsed canned black beans
2½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
1 large and 1 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
1¼ cups chopped fresh cilantro leaves
⅓ cup finely grated orange zest
⅓ cup stemmed, seeded, and minced fresh jalapeño chile
2½ tblsp dried marjoram
1 tblsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
5 bay leaves
1
Mix the water, beans, rice, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, orange zest, jalapeño, marjoram, cumin, salt, and bay leaves in the slow cooker.
2
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours 15 minutes or on low for 5 hours, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Our version of this Caribbean specialty is a little more fragrant and complex, thanks to the orange zest and marjoram. With a green salad on the side, it’s truly a main course.
•
If you peel the zest off the orange with a vegetable peeler, make sure you mince those strips into tiny bits, the better to balance them throughout the dish.
•
We crafted this as a quick-cooking dish, using canned black beans. You can, however, use dried black beans; you’ll need to plug the various ingredients into the formula in the recipe for Red Beans and Rice (recipe follows), plus make a few changes: boil the dried beans for 5 minutes, drain them, use the amount of liquid (water or broth) called for in the red beans recipe, cook the beans and everything else on low for 5 hours, add the rice, and cook an additional 4 hours on low.
Serve It Up!
Top this dish with an easy picadillo: cooked ground beef, generously spiced with ground allspice and red pepper flakes, laced with dried currants, chopped onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger.
A LITTLE
•
PREP TIME:
15 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
9 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
NO
•
SERVES:
4 TO 8
2- TO 3½-QUART
1 cup dried red kidney beans
5 cups (1 quart plus 1 cup) low-sodium chicken broth
¼ pound spicy turkey sausage or kielbasa, cut into ¼-inch rings
½ cup chopped yellow onion
½ cup stemmed, seeded, and chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped celery
½ tblsp minced garlic
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried sage
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp celery seeds
Up to ¼ tsp cayenne
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
4- TO 5½-QUART
1⅓ cups dried red kidney beans
6⅔ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ pound spicy turkey sausage or kielbasa, cut into ¼-inch rings
⅔ cup chopped yellow onion
⅔ cup stemmed, seeded, and chopped green bell pepper
⅔ cup chopped celery
2 tsp minced garlic
¾ tsp dried thyme
¾ tsp dried sage
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp celery seeds
Up to ¼ tsp cayenne
1⅓ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
6- TO 8-QUART
2 cups dried red kidney beans
10 cups (2½ quarts) low-sodium chicken broth
½ pound spicy turkey sausage or kielbasa, cut into ¼-inch rings
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup stemmed, seeded, and chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 tblsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp salt
½ tsp celery seeds
Up to ½ tsp cayenne
2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice