Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (8 page)

LIQUID SMOKE

The smoke from burning aromatic woods is captured and distilled in liquid smoke. It adds a wonderful aromatic smokiness to dishes, a little like barbecuing over hot coals. This product is available in most supermarkets in the aisle with the barbeque sauces.

TAMARIND PASTE

From the fruit of the tamarind tree, this concentrated paste is at once sour and sweet. It adds an authentic depth of flavor to some curries and a background hint of “I can’t put my finger on what that is” to others. If you don’t have tamarind paste you can leave it out, but when you taste for seasoning, you may need to add a teaspoon or so of lime juice for the little sour kick the paste would provide. You want the type that is a smooth paste, with no lumps or seeds. It’s available in many health food stores, Middle Eastern markets, or Asian spice shops.

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Thick and sour-sweet, this concentrated pomegranate juice adds a wonderful background to other flavors, like tamarind paste does. You need only a little so a bottle lasts a long time. Like tamarind paste, it is found in health food stores, Middle Eastern grocers, or Asian spice shops. You can even make your own by reducing
a mixture of 4 cups pomegranate juice, ½ cup granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until thick and syrupy and at a volume of about 1 cup.

THAI CURRY PASTE

These pastes are ready made, containing all the ingredients to make your dishes taste authentic. However, be sure to read the labels, because some brands contain fish sauce. I use both red and green paste, generally available in supermarkets in the ethnic foods aisle.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST

This yellow flakey powder adds a hint of cheesy
umami
-ness to recipes. Although strong, it is really good in small amounts. It’s available online and from most health food stores, sometimes in bulk bins.

CHIA SEEDS

Commonly sold under the brand name Salba in health food stores and larger supermarkets, these small seeds become gelatinous when mixed with water and make a great binder. These are readily available ground, which is how I use them and recommend you buy them.

ALCOHOL

Red and white wine, beer, and vodka are all used as liquids in some of the recipes. Please check out
www.barnivore.com
to check the vegan-ness of your chosen alcoholic ingredient. Some beverages are filtered though animal parts or otherwise use animal products in their production. To avoid alcohol, use an equal amount of vegetable stock (
page 43
) for the beverage specified.

SWEETENERS

I use very few sweeteners—this book is about savory meals, after all—but sometimes a touch of sweetness elevates the dish. I use cane sugar (such as Sucanat), brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup (or nectar), and molasses, both regular and blackstrap, at times. They aren’t really interchangeable because they each bring a different flavor profile and flavor accent to the dish. All are available in most supermarkets.

THICKENERS

Not flour, though they look like flour. Cornstarch is the ground endosperm (the bran- and germ-stripped starchy part) of a grain. Tapioca flour or starch, and arrowroot powder are from the roots of tropical plants. All are used for thickening sauces and binding ingredients. These thickeners are pretty much interchangeable, so if you do not have my specified thickener, use the one you have. When making sauces, however, arrowroot is the best option for clear, thick results.

COCONUT MILK AND CREAM

I use canned coconut milk, not boxed milk for drinking. I usually use the full-fat version, but if you prefer low-fat, use it. The dish may not be as creamy.

Coconut cream can be purchased canned in the beverage aisle in many supermarkets, or just remove the cream from the top of a can of coconut milk (don’t shake the can prior to opening).

SALT

I don’t use a lot of salt because I tend to use commercially made stocks that I find salty enough and because I am quite salt sensitive—you’ll need to salt to taste.

Black salt is actually pink in color and has a strong, sulfurous odor remarkably like eggs or strong cheese. Available from spice stores, specialty markets, and online, it is worth obtaining for the depth of flavor it adds. If you don’t have this ingredient it is fine to omit but be aware your dish may not be quite as flavorful as intended.

Techniques

The following section is intended to provide the basic techniques, knowledge, and kitchen confidence you will need to make the recipes in this book.

BLANCHING
Submerging items, usually vegetables, in boiling water and allowing to remain in the water for the length of time it takes for the water to return to the boil, so
they are very lightly cooked and become brightly colored. Blanching is usually followed by immersion in cold water to stop the cooking process.

CRUSHING
Using the side of the knife and applying pressure downward to lightly crush an item, bruising it so flavors are released.

CUTTING IN
Mixing fat (usually chilled) into flour so it is evenly distributed. Work the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles pebbly sand, using either a pastry cutter (available from kitchen supply and department stores) or two butter knives. Hold the knives side by side in the fist of your dominant hand, the extra width of the handles leaving a space between the blades, and mimic the action of the pastry cutter.

DEGLAZING
Using a liquid to loosen and remove any items and flavor left in a pan after sautéing or roasting. The liquid is added and moved around the pan so any cooked-on bits are scraped off and incorporated into the liquid, which is then added to the slow cooker to add flavor.

DRY SAUTÉING
Sautéing but with no oil or any other liquid in the skillet. Done in a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.

FINELY CHOPPING
Cutting the item into equal pieces smaller than ¼ inch so they cook evenly and quickly.

MAKING A SLURRY
Mixing a little cornstarch (or arrowroot, or tapioca starch), usually 1 or 2 tablespoons, in a small container with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to form a paste, which is then added to the hot slow cooker and stirred to thicken.

MINCING
Cutting items very, very fine until almost a paste. See the instructions under Garlic in the Ingredients section (
page 13
).

MAKING A ROUX
Mixing fat (usually but not always a solid fat that has been melted) and flour and cooking to a light brown (although sometimes darker), then adding liquid (often milk or stock) a little at a time and stirring as it cooks and thickens. A roux forms the base for sauces and is also a thickener for stews.

SAUTÉING
Stovetop cooking when the items being cooked are moved around in the skillet as they cook, preventing sticking and burning. Essentially the items are “jumped” (sauté is French for jump) around as they are heated.

SHREDDING
Cutting long, very fine thin pieces of an item, usually a leafy green vegetable. See the instructions in the Ingredients section (
page 15
).

Basic Knife Skills

Hold a chef’s knife where the handle meets the blade and pinch the top of the blade, where it is widest, between your thumb and the first knuckle (up from the palm) of your first finger—this gives stability and control. Keep your knife as sharp as possible; if you do cut yourself accidentally, a clean cut from a sharp blade bleeds less and heals faster than a cut from a dull blade. When using your chef’s knife make sure you have an appropriate cutting board. Place a folded cloth under the board to stop the board from slipping.

Hold the items to be cut in your nondominant hand (holding the knife as described above in your dominant one), with your thumb tucked out of the way and your fingers forming a vertical wall, with no gaps, and the fingernail joint tucked slightly inwards so as not to be caught by the knife. Use this “finger wall” as a guide when cutting. Work slowly at first, and cut by sliding the arm holding the knife smoothly down and forward rather than pushing straight down with force.

HERE’S ANOTHER HANDY
hint for you: Measure your fingers. If you measure on your own index (or any other) finger how much an inch, half an inch, and quarter of an inch is from the tip down you are more likely to be able to easily visualize these measurements than you would if you tried to look at something you’ve cut against an imaginary ruler. This helps with cutting things to even sizes. Though, of course, there is no need to mark these measurements on your finger!

Slow Cooking Throughout the Year

You’d be forgiven for thinking that your slow cooker is for use only during the cooler months since most of the dishes you make are warming, comfort foods. But that isn’t the entire story. Using your slow cooker in the warmer months is a godsend, as slow cookers use very little energy and emit very little heat. Let’s take a spin through the seasons and the recipes and look at how you can use your slow cooker all through the year.

(Apologies to my family members and readers in the southern hemisphere. For the purposes of this stroll through the seasons, I use northern hemisphere time—so Easter is in spring, where it really belongs.)

Spring

The days are getting longer, the weather warmer, and spring produce is finally starting to hit the stores. Using spring produce in recipes such as Spicy Beets and Beans (
page 134
) and Spinach and Parsley Soup (
page 64
) is a wonderful way to use nature’s bounty.

In spring there are theme days, and using your slow cooker to create a theme meal is a neat tie-in. I’m thinking of St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) and making the St. Patrick’s Day Irish Stew (
page 99
) to serve alongside a decidedly nontraditional Savoy Cabbage with Raisins and Pecans (
page 226
).

Following closely behind St. Patrick’s Day is Easter. No roast spring lamb for me, thanks very much, but I will take a slow cooker roast such as Stuffed and Rolled Seitan Roast (
page 166
).

Mother’s Day is also in spring. Choose a recipe you know your mother will like, set the slow cooker, and let it do the hard work of dinner while you do something else for (or with) your mom. Impressive, full of love, yet so simple. (Use the same theory to spoil your dad on Father’s Day!)

Summer

Does the idea of cooking during summer make you want to melt? Me too, and not in a good way. Now, using a slow cooker in the heat of summer may seem like a strange idea, but it’s not really, considering that it frees you up to enjoy the swimming pool or the beach while it cooks your dinner. It also doesn’t make your house any hotter than it is already.

In To Serve With (
page 211
) you’ll find several salads that would be excellent as sides, such as Bean and Olive Salad (
page 227
) or Chickpea Slaw (
page 231
). Fancy a chili dog at your barbecue? Make the chili in your slow cooker. A summer-friendly option is the Pepper and Cherry Chili (
page 132
), which uses fresh summer stone fruit as a main ingredient, and tastes divine.

Other excellent choices for summer are those that make use of the bounty of nature. Gardens, community supported agriculture (CSA) boxes, and farmers’ markets everywhere are bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. I’ve used some of these in hot evening–friendly chilled soups like Roast Tomato and Pepper Gazpacho (
page 61
) and Chilled Corn Soup (
page 62
), and in dishes for the cooler evenings such as Mediterranean Vegetable and Bean Stew (
page 95
) and Ratatouille (
page 92
).

Use your slow cooker to make batches of Simple Tomato Sauce (
page 55
) using fresh tomatoes, and store in your freezer for those midwinter months when a little summery tomato goodness is a huge mood lift.

If you’re celebrating the 4th of July with a picnic or barbecue, use your slow cooker to produce some regionally inspired items such as No-Crust Southwestern Onion Quiche (
page 158
), Spicy
Carrot Soup (
page 69
), or Baked Beans (
page 145
) to enhance your cookout. For other barbeques (like Canada Day, for my Canadian readers), make the Maple-Infused Sausage Chili (
page 139
) and serve it as the filling for a Sloppy Joe–type sandwich, in a hot dog, or even over a veggie burger in a bun.

I know this is thinking a little outside the box, but please be assured that summer and slow cookers are not mutually exclusive. There’s always room for quick and easy meals that virtually make themselves, whatever the weather.