The Slow Cooker Cookbook (eBook)

Italian pasta & bean soup

This hearty soup of pasta and beans is a classic from the region of Puglia in Italy. The pasta shapes traditionally used are orecchiette, meaning ‘little ears’, but you can use any shape you have to hand.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

4 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato purée/paste

1.25 litres/5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

a sprig of fresh thyme, sage or rosemary

2 x 400-g/14-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

150 g/5 oz. small dried pasta shapes, such as orecchiette

a pinch of dried red chilli/hot pepper flakes

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

SERVES 4

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and potato, and cook for 3–4 minutes until golden. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée/paste, stock, herbs and beans. Season to taste then transfer to a slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH for 3½ hours.

Remove the lid, add the pasta and chilli/pepper flakes and stir. Cook for a further 20–30 minutes depending upon what pasta shapes you use, or until the pasta is al dente. Ladle into bowls and serve sprinkled with a little Parmesan.

chicken soup

A bowlful of this traditional comforting soup makes everyone feel better, especially when served with plenty of warmed bread.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 chicken breasts, diced

2 leeks, well cleaned and chopped

200 g/7 oz. potatoes, unpeeled and chopped

1 litre/4 cups hot chicken stock

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 dried bay leaves

200-g can/1 cup sweetcorn/corn kernels, drained

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SERVES 4

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic, chicken and leeks, and sauté gently for 8 minutes without browning. Add the potatoes, hot stock, thyme and bay leaves, then season lightly.

Transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker, cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. About 1 hour before serving, stir in the (sweet) corn. Remove the thyme and bay leaves and check the seasoning before serving.

golden butternut squash soup

Squash is a wonderfully versatile and delicious vegetable, and it’s used to great effect in this flavourful soup.

1-kg/2¼-lb. butternut squash, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1.25 litres/5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

single/light cream, to serve (optional)

SERVES 4

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Chop the squash into 2.5-cm/1-inch pieces.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and garlic and sauté over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the chopped squash pieces and the stock and bring to the boil.

Transfer to the slow cooker, cover with the lid, and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

Using a hand-held blender or liquidizer, blitz the soup until smooth and creamy. Season to taste and serve with a swirl of cream, if liked.

garlic & chilli/chile rice soup with wilted greens

This is a substantial soup – really more of a light stew. Boiled rice soups are popular in many Asian countries, especially China. Instead of the spring/collard greens, you can use the fresh, young outer leaves of any brassicas, such as cabbage. They work very nicely with the simple Asian flavours here.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 teaspoons sesame oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

8 spring onions/scallions, finely chopped

4 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

2 small red fresh chillies/chiles, seeded and thinly sliced

200 g/½ cup long-grain white rice

1.5 litres/6 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce or Thai fish sauce

a bunch of spring/collard greens, roughly shredded

a small handful of chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

ground white pepper

SERVES 4

Put the oils in a saucepan and set over high heat. Add the garlic and spring onions/scallions and cook until the garlic is turning golden (burnt garlic is very bitter and not nice at all). This will give the soup a lovely nutty garlic flavour. Add the ginger, chillies/chiles and rice to the pan and stir-fry in the garlic-infused oil for 1 minute. Add the stock and soy sauce and bring to the boil.

Transfer to the slow cooker, cover with the lid, and cook on HIGH for 1½ hours. Add the chopped greens and cook for a further 30 minutes until they turn emerald green and are tender. Ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls, sprinkle the coriander/cilantro over the top and season to taste with white pepper.

Scotch broth

From the land that brings us haggis, kippers, neeps and tatties comes its famous namesake broth. Barley is traditionally used but this recipe features wholesome brown rice – use whichever you prefer.

2 tablespoons light olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

1 leek, well cleaned and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped, including leaves

500 g/1 lb. stewing lamb, well trimmed of fat and cut into small cubes

1 litre/4 cups hot chicken stock

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

95 g/½ cup brown rice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

soft white/dinner rolls, buttered, to serve

SERVES 4

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots, leek, celery and celery leaves and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the lamb and cook for a further 5 minutes until the meat is browned.

Transfer the vegetables and lamb to the slow cooker. Add the hot chicken stock and soy sauce. Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2 hours until the vegetables are cooked. Add the brown rice, replace the lid and cook for 1 hour further.

Season to taste and serve with soft buttered rolls.

classic minestrone

This classic Italian soup is always popular and is the perfect recipe for cooking in a slow cooker. Serve with a swirl of fresh pesto or freshly grated Parmesan.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 leeks, well cleaned and sliced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 thick slices of bacon, chopped

400-g/14-oz. can haricot/navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1.25 litres/5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1½ tablespoons tomato purée/paste

1 dried bay leaf

a small bunch of fresh thyme

75 g/½ cup tiny pasta shapes

fresh pesto or freshly grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)

SERVES 4

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic, leeks, carrots, celery and bacon, and sauté for 10 minutes over medium heat without browning.

Add the beans, stock, tomato purée/paste and herbs, bring to the boil and transfer to the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Add the pasta shapes, replace the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Season and serve with a spoonful of pesto and some Parmesan, if using.

slow cooker stock

A slow cooker is a convenient way to make an all-purpose fresh chicken stock, which can be frozen and stored for use in a wide variety of recipes, such as soups and casseroles.

2 carcasses uncooked chicken, 1 kg/2¼ lbs. wings, or 1 turkey drumstick, sliced

any giblets or trimmings, such as wingtips from the chickens

4 carrots, sliced

1 leek, well cleaned and sliced

1 onion, sliced or chopped

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 fresh bay leaf

a sprig of fresh thyme

2–3 fresh parsley stalks

2 tablespoons white wine or 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

MAKES ABOUT 2 LITRES/QUARTS

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker, cover with cold water and cook on LOW for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Strain, leave to cool and freeze in smaller portions for convenience.

blue cheese fondue

This flavourful blue cheese fondue is perfect served as an appetizer with asparagus tips or grissini for dipping, or even as a dessert with pears and fresh walnuts.

125 ml/½ cup sweet white wine such as German Riesling or Gewürztraminer

400 g/14 oz. creamy blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Roquefort, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of the wine

to serve

24 asparagus spears, lightly cooked and grissini (breadsticks) or 4–6 ripe pears, quartered, and fresh walnuts

SERVES 6

To prepare the fondue, pour the wine into the slow cooker and heat on HIGH until warm – this may take 30 minutes.

Switch to LOW and gradually stir in the blue cheese followed by the cornflour/cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly for about 45 minutes until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Serve either with grissini and asparagus for dipping or with ripe pears and fresh walnuts for dessert.

smoked & fresh salmon terrine

A mousseline is a mousse of fish, shellfish or poultry lightened with cream and egg whites. When made with salmon, it is the most beautiful elegant...