The Great American Slow Cooker Book (24 page)
Read The Great American Slow Cooker Book Online
Authors: Bruce Weinstein
2- TO 3½-QUART
4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
1 pound zucchini, diced
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
⅓ cup thinly sliced pitted black olives
2 ounces shallot, finely chopped
3 tblsp
red (sweet) vermouth
2 tsp dried basil
¾ tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 pound skinless red snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
4- TO 5½-QUART
6 cups (1½ quarts) low-sodium chicken broth
1¾ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
1 pound 6 ounces zucchini, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
½ cup thinly sliced pitted black olives
3 ounces shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup
red (sweet) vermouth
1 tblsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1½ pounds skinless red snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
6- TO 8-QUART
10 cups (2½ quarts) low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
1¾ pounds zucchini, diced
2 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
¾ cup thinly sliced pitted black olives
4 ounces shallot, finely chopped
½ cup
red (sweet) vermouth
1½ tblsp dried basil
2 tsp dried rosemary
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground black pepper
2½ pounds skinless red snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1
Stir the broth, tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, olives, shallot, vermouth, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
2
Stir in the fish. Cover and continue cooking on low for 30 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Like an Italian fish stew, this well-stocked soup will stand up well on a chilly evening, provided you’ve also got some crunchy bread on hand—or at least crackers.
•
The snapper must be skinless; otherwise, the pieces will curl as they cook. That said, the meat will still fall apart as it cooks, so don’t stir it much and ladle it carefully into bowls.
•
If you can’t find skinless red snapper fillets, ask the fishmonger at your supermarket to skin the fish for you.
NOT MUCH
•
PREP TIME:
20 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
3 HOURS/5½ HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
3 HOURS THROUGH STEP 1
•
SERVES:
3 TO 8
2- TO 3½-QUART
2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1¾ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
1 small
fennel bulb
, trimmed and chopped
1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
½ cup bottled clam juice
6 ounces shallots, chopped
2 tblsp no-salt-added tomato paste
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
½ pound skinless halibut or snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ pound medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined
4- TO 5½-QUART
5 cups (1 quart plus 1 cup) low-sodium chicken broth
3½ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
1 medium
fennel bulb
, trimmed and chopped
2 cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 cup bottled clam juice
12 ounces shallots, chopped
¼ cup no-salt-added tomato paste
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 pound skinless halibut or snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined
6- TO 8-QUART
8 cups (2 quarts) low-sodium chicken broth
5¼ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
1 large
fennel bulb
, trimmed and chopped
3 cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1½ cups bottled clam juice
1¼ pounds shallots, chopped
6 tblsp no-salt-added tomato paste
1 tblsp minced garlic
½ tblsp fennel seeds
¾ tsp red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves
1½ pounds skinless halibut or snapper fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ pounds medium shrimp (about 30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1
Stir the broth, tomatoes, fennel, wine, clam juice, shallots, tomato paste, garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves in the slow cooker until the tomato paste dissolves. Cover and cook on high for 2½ hours or on low for 5 hours.
2
Stir in the halibut or snapper and the shrimp. Cover and continue cooking on high for 30 more minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the shrimp are pink and firm. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
TESTERS’ NOTES
•
Considering what you get for your effort, this soup is pretty amazing—tomato-laced, herbaceous, and well stocked. There’s not much else you need.
•
Substitute quartered sea scallops, chopped lobster tail, or lump crab meat for the fish.
Serve It Up!
Serve alongside grilled bread slices spread smeared with pesto.
If you want to pump up your foodie creds without wasting money on> crazy ingredients you’ll never use again, you’ve come to the right place. Making your own stock is the hallmark of a careful cook; using it is a testament to how much you love your friends and family. You’ll be surprised at how easy the slow cooker makes this very cheffy task.
Many of these recipes call for various trimmings: turkey necks, fish heads, shrimp shells. Here’s your chance to get to know the people behind the meat or fish counter at your supermarket. Tell them you’re making stock; you’ll rack up big points (a real help when you later ask for short ribs cut the long way on a special order). Befriend your butcher and you’ll be sure to get the freshest bits available for this very culinary extravagance.
If you’re hankering for vegetable stock, start saving vegetable trimmings in sealed plastic bags in the freezer; collect extraneous bits of carrots, potato peels, even chopped onion. There’s no need to thaw these before they hit the cooker; simply add an additional 2 hours to the cooking time.
Many of these stocks also ask you to brown some items first, because if you’re going to the trouble of making stock, you might as well make the best you can. That said, you don’t
need
to brown ahead; you can just toss the trimmings into the cooker. The results will be less intense, a bit more like soup than stock.
To strain the stock, you’ll also need a fine-mesh sieve—a specialty tool available at all cookware stores or online outlets. A colander can let bits of herbs, grains of black pepper, and even protein or vegetable matter slip through its holes and cloud the stock. However, you needn’t buy specialty equipment. You can indeed line a large colander with
cheesecloth (look for it in the baking aisle or near the aluminum foil) or a very large coffee filter before straining the stock; unfortunately, these latter options require you to hold the filter in place so it doesn’t slip around. In any case, underneath that fine-mesh sieve or jerry-rigged colander, you’ll need a big bowl—a really big bowl. think of how much stock you’ve got in the slow cooker. You may have to use two big bowls for large batches.
Don’t pour the soup directly into the sieve or lined colander; use a big ladle. There’ll be less splashing (and so less waste) and you’ll be less likely to force bits of dissolved matter down into the broth under the waterfall whoosh of a gallon of stock. To avoid messy counters, set a bowl in the sink, haul the cooker to it, and put the sieve or colander over the bowl—
then
start ladling. It’ll be easier to clean up the inevitable slips and spills.
Finally, store stock in sealed containers in the freezer. Smaller quantities are preferred; after all, substituting just a small portion of a homemade stock for a canned broth in a recipe will make a marked difference. If a recipe calls for 4 cups chicken broth, use 1 cup homemade stock and 3 cups canned broth. You’ll be astounded at what happens—as well you should, since you went to the trouble to make the stock in the first place.
A LOT
•
PREP TIME:
40 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
8 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
6 HOURS
•
MAKES:
1 TO 3 CUPS
2- TO 3½-QUART
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tblsp olive oil
2 medium celery ribs, halved
1 cup potato peels
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
Around 4 cups water
4- TO 5½-QUART
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
3 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1½ tblsp olive oil
4 medium celery ribs, halved
2 cups potato peels
½ tblsp salt
½ tblsp ground black pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
Around 7 cups water
6- TO 8-QUART
2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
5 medium carrots, roughly chopped
4 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
6 medium celery ribs, halved
3 cups potato peels
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
6 fresh thyme sprigs
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves
Around 11 cups water
1
Position the rack in the center of the oven; heat the oven to 400°F.
2
Toss the onion, carrots, and parsnips with the olive oil in a large roasting pan or on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a bit browned. Use tongs to transfer the vegetable pieces to the slow cooker.
3
Stir in the celery, potato peels, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves. Pour in enough water just to submerge the vegetables.
4
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the vegetables are soft and tender. Set a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl; ladle in the stock and strain into the bowl below. Discard the solids; store the stock in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
A LOT
•
PREP TIME:
30 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
10 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
6 HOURS
•
MAKES:
1 TO 3 QUARTS
2- TO 3½-QUART
1½ pounds chicken wings, backs, necks, and/or feet
2 small yellow onions, quartered
2 medium carrots, halved
1 medium parsnips, peeled and halved
½ cup fresh parsley (leaves and stems)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground allspice
Around 3½ cups water
4- TO 5½-QUART
3 pounds chicken wings, backs, necks, and/or feet
3 small yellow onions, quartered
3 medium carrots, halved
2 medium parsnips, peeled and halved
1 cup fresh parsley (leaves and stems)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground allspice
Around 8 cups water
6- TO 8-QUART
4½ pounds chicken wings, backs, necks, and/or feet
5 small yellow onions, quartered
5 medium carrots, halved
3 medium parsnips, peeled and halved
1½ cups fresh parsley (leaves and stems)
½ tblsp salt
½ tblsp ground black pepper
¾ tsp ground allspice
Around 12 cups water
1
Position the rack in the center of the oven; heat the oven to 425°F.
2
Set the chicken parts in a roasting pan, a broiler pan, or on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Use tongs to transfer the chicken pieces to the slow cooker.
3
Add the onions, carrots, parsnips, parsley, salt, pepper, and allspice. Pour in enough water to submerge everything and stir well.
4
Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth and into a big bowl—or maybe two bowls for the large slow cooker. Seal and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
A LITTLE
•
PREP TIME:
15 MINUTES
•
COOK TIME:
10 HOURS
•
KEEPS ON WARM:
4 HOURS
•
MAKES:
1 TO 3 QUARTS
2- TO 3½-QUART
1½ pounds Turkey wings and/or necks; or an equivalent amount of leftover turkey carcass, chopped to fit the cooker
2 medium carrots, halved
2 medium celery ribs, halved
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1 whole garlic cloves, peeled
½ tsp salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Around 3½ cups water
4- TO 5½-QUART
3 pounds Turkey wings and/or necks; or an equivalent amount of leftover turkey carcass, chopped to fit the cooker
3 medium carrots, halved
3 medium celery ribs, halved
2 small yellow onions, quartered
2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Around 8 cups water
6- TO 8-QUART
4½ pounds Turkey wings and/or necks; or an equivalent amount of leftover turkey carcass, chopped to fit the cooker
6 medium carrots, halved
6 medium celery ribs, halved
4 small yellow onions, quartered
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
Around 12 cups water