Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (43 page)

Serves 6 to 8
Preparation time: 5 minutes

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1½ cups pearl barley, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

One 15-ounce can white kidney or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or 1½ cups cooked

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

¾ cup canned diced tomatoes in juice, undrained

½ cup tomato juice

¼ cup red wine or vegetable stock
 

¼ cup fresh basil or flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, shredded
 

Salt and black pepper

1.
Combine the onion through the wine in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours, or until the barley is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.

3.
Add the basil, taste, and season with the salt and pepper as required.

VARIATION

SOUTHWESTERN BARLEY

Combine the following in the slow cooker. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours. Season with salt, black pepper, lime juice, and hot sauce just prior to serving.

1 cup pearl barley, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed

2¼ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

2½ tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon agave

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup corn kernels, if canned, drained and rinsed, from 1 cob if fresh

½ medium red onion, finely chopped

½ medium red pepper, finely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

Classic Polenta

P
OLENTA WORKS REALLY
well in the slow cooker, becoming smooth and luscious, which was a surprise to me the first time I tried it because I thought it had to be stirred and stirred, then stirred some more to get the texture right. Not so. I love using this cooking method with all sorts of flavor combinations. Following the basic recipe are some ideas for delicious variations, or you can make up your own. Some are similar to the options given for risotto (
page 196
); I find the flavor combinations work well with both.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 25 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced
 

½ medium onion, finely chopped
 

1 tablespoon white wine, or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

4½ cups boiling vegetable stock
 

1 cup fine cornmeal
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and allow to sizzle briefly.

2.
Add the onion, toss to coat, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

3.
Deglaze the skillet with the wine, and transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker.

4.
Add the stock to the slow cooker. Stir.

5.
While stirring, pour in the cornmeal in a continuous stream, ensuring no lumps form. The cornmeal will thicken a little.

6.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5 hours until all the liquid is absorbed and the polenta is tender.

7.
Taste and season as required.

VARIATIONS

FRIED POLENTA

Instead of serving the polenta directly from the slow cooker, spread in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, refrigerate for at least one hour until firm (which may be done well in advance), slice and pan fry in a little oil in a large skillet until golden and crisp.

FENNEL AND ROSEMARY

Sauté 1 finely chopped fennel bulb with the onion, and add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh parsley with the stock.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND OLIVE

Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup finely chopped green olives with the onion. Stir ¼ cup of black olives into the polenta just prior to serving to avoid discoloration.

POACHED GARLIC AND BROCCOLI

Sauté 2 cups finely chopped broccoli with the onion in a little Garlic Infused Oil (
page 54
), add with 4 to 6 cloves Poached Garlic (
page 54
) to the slow cooker.

SPINACH AND SMOKY TOFU

Add ½ cup Smoked Tofu, homemade (
page 27
) or commercially prepared, and 2 finely chopped shallots to the skillet in place of the onion. Sauté for only 5 minutes. Add 1 packed cup of baby spinach with 30 minutes cooking time remaining and allow to wilt.

ASPARAGUS

Use Asparagus Stock (
page 44
) instead of the vegetable stock. Just prior to serving, lightly sauté 1 cup asparagus cut into ½-inch lengths; allow to sizzle briefly until the asparagus is bright green but still crisp, then stir through the cooked polenta.

PEPPER AND CAPER

For a puttanesca-style polenta, sauté 1 finely chopped red pepper with the garlic and onion. Add chile flakes to taste and 2 tablespoons of capers before adding to the slow cooker.

GARLIC AND HERB

Sauté 3 cloves of minced garlic and 1 shallot in olive oil, instead of the garlic and onion as above, then add finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice to the stock.

DECONSTRUCTED PESTO

Use Garlic Infused Oil (
page 54
) and Poached Garlic (page
54) to taste instead of the olive oil and garlic as above; when finished cooking, stir through at least ¼ cup fresh basil and at least ¼ cup toasted pine nuts.

MEXICAN ROASTED CORN

Roast 1 cob of corn either on the grill or under the broiler until lightly charred, remove the kernels from the cob, and add to the slow cooker with the polenta. Also add ½ teaspoon oregano and a pinch of chile flakes. At the end of the cooking time, stir through 1 or 2 tablespoons lime juice (to taste) and 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro. Serve with Simple Tomato Sauce (
page 55
), vegan sour cream, or both.

Classic Risotto

R
ISOTTO CAN WORK
really well in the slow cooker, which was a surprise the first time I tried it because generally speaking, you have to take a lot of care when using rice in the slow cooker, and risotto is renowned for being a little finicky. Be sure to choose a specific risotto rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli, because regular short grain rice doesn’t have the starch content to work in this application. I thought I’d give you a basic method, followed by some ideas so you can make your own slow cooker risotto variations however you like; check out my suggestions on the next page.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, finely chopped
 

1 cup risotto rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli
 

2 tablespoons white wine, or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

3¼ cups vegetable stock
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and allow to sizzle briefly.

2.
Add the shallot, toss to coat, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

3.
Add the rice and toss to coat.

4.
Use the wine to deglaze the skillet, cook until mostly absorbed, and transfer to the slow cooker.

5.
Add the stock to the slow cooker and stir.

6.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 1½ to 2 hours.

7.
Remove from the slow cooker when done so the residual heat doesn’t overcook the rice.

8.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

NOTE
: You may need to adjust the cooking time to suit your slow cooker and your preferred texture. If you do, make sure to note down the new time for future reference.