The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites

IT TAKES A WHOLE PUEBLO to make a book, and I hereby gratefully acknowledge the support and contributions of
my
village. To Ten Speed Press editor Melissa Moore and designer Chloe Rawlins, thanks for the opportunity to create this book, and for making it beautiful. To my agent and dear friend, Carole Bidnick, no words can express my gratitude for your support and many kindnesses. Thanks to Maren Caruso for creating the most soulful portraits imaginable of this humble food, and to food stylist Kim Kissling and prop stylist Ethel Brennan for getting it ready for prime time. Thanks always to the wonderful crew at Zanzibar in Pacific Beach, for their enthusiasm for the project and their excellent
americanos
.

The best way to get to the heart of Mexico is through its stomach. It’s a privilege to introduce my readers to this magnificent country, its food, history, and culture. As always, I want to thank the very special group of people who have shared their knowledge and love of Mexican cooking with me over the years.
Mil gracias
, then, to all my kitchen
compadres
over the years, especially Manny Lopez, Benito Mirafuentes, Joe Saldana, Danny Esparza, and Paul Saiguero from SOL Mexican Cocina, and many others. My profound thanks to the extraordinary Patricia Quintana, a gifted chef and author whose great passion is keeping alive the traditional culinary
patrimonio
of Mexico to pass to a new generation. And
un abrazo
to the charming and knowledgeable Ruth Alegria for sharing her knowledge of Mexico City and demonstrating the finer points of the
vuelta ingles.

And last, but
certainly
not least, I am very grateful for the enthusiasm and constructive criticism offered by my homegrown group of food critics: Barry, Anne, and Will Schneider, who are more patient with me than I have any right to expect, and my partners and staff at the SOL Mexican Cocinas in Newport Beach and Scottsdale. I am one lucky
güera.

THE MEXICAN CULINARY HERITAGE is unique. One of the world’s most ancient cuisines, Mexican cooking is so important globally that it has been placed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The heart and soul of the Mexican kitchen is the
olla
(sometimes called a
cazuela
), a simple pot of earthenware or metal. Tucked away on the back of the stove, the
olla
is always bubbling away with something delicious whose aroma fills the
casa
, no matter how humble.

While developing the recipes for this book, my fifth on Mexican cooking, I was pleasantly surprised—thrilled, actually—to discover how well traditional Mexican cooking can be adapted to the modern electric slow cooker. That’s because a slow cooker is just a type of
olla
in an easy-to-use form. Classic preparations such as
guisados
(stews), tamales,
caldos
(broths), moles, and many other favorites all get their wonderful flavor from long, slow cooking, which tenderizes the meat and infuses simple ingredients with the rich flavors of chiles and vegetables. And with a slow cooker you can just plug it in and go about your business instead of tending the stove for hours.

Some of these recipes require a few steps, such as toasting or charring, in order to obtain authentic Mexican flavors and best results. You will learn these easy techniques as you work your way though the book.

THE SLOW COOKER IS the perfect convenience for people who live in the fast lane. Instead of relying on convenience foods, which really don’t save time (and contain all sorts of additives), you can come home to a house that smells great and enjoy a healthy, delicious homemade meal made with quality ingredients that
you
control. With very little effort you can keep your freezer stocked with the makings of a feast: broths, sauces and salsas, beans and soups, and savory main dishes.

The slow cooker is also remarkably versatile. Not only can you make soups and stews, but you can also use your slow cooker to bake cakes, steam tamales, and transform your countertop into a bain marie. It doubles as a rice cooker and buffet server, and it’s smart enough to cook a dish for the correct amount of time and then hold it until you are ready to eat it. Once you learn what your slow cooker can do, it will certainly make your life easier.

Slow cookers generally come in 2-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-quart sizes, and they may be oval or round. The shape does not seem to make a difference in how the food cooks.

I developed most of the recipes in this book to serve 4 to 6 people and tested them in a 5½-quart oval cooker with an earthenware insert. Slow cookers are relatively inexpensive, so you may want to own them in several different sizes. Many cooks invest in a 7-quart cooker for making stocks and tamales and cooking for large groups, but they also own a 2-quart cooker to keep food hot at potlucks and parties.

If you are cooking for two, all of the recipes in this book may be halved and made in a 4-quart slow cooker. Even so, you may want to make the full recipe and freeze any leftovers. Why cook twice?

Generally speaking, it’s better to cook a smaller amount in a large cooker than to overfill
a small cooker. My 5½-quart cooker works beautifully even when it is less than half full.

Be sure to purchase a slow cooker with an automatic “warm” setting (check carefully, since not all models have this feature). That way, even if you are away all day, the food will stop cooking at the correct time and will be kept warm at a safe temperature until you return. Another terrific feature that I highly recommend is a digital timer, which enables you to set a precise cooking time rather than relying on the standard presets of 4 and 8 hours. Food is often cooked perfectly at 3, 5, or 7 hours.

Although you can now buy slow cookers with metal inserts, which get hot enough to use for browning, I much prefer the results I get from the gentle, even heat of a standard earthenware insert. If I do need to brown something for a recipe, it’s easy enough to do it on the stove top. Be sure to scrub the insert and lid thoroughly using a nonscratch scrub pad and soap and water after using them, and air dry them before putting them away.