- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onions just start to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Spray the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add potato, carrots, onion mixture, and spices; stir to combine.
- Arrange lamb on top of vegetables. Pour in the coconut milk and the water. Cover and cook on low for 8–9 hours.
- Serve the lamb over rice. Ladle the curried sauce over lamb and garnish with cilantro leaves.
Picadillo
Picadillo is the Cuban equivalent of Sloppy Joes. Serve these over rice.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1
⁄
2
medium green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
⁄
2
teaspoon dried oregano
1
⁄
2
cup green olives, chopped
1
⁄
4
cup raisins
1
⁄
2
teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
4
teaspoon black pepper
2 cups hot cooked brown or white rice
And Now for Something a Little Different
Tired of the same old taco or burrito filling? Replace their meat fillings with Picadillo!
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions soften. Add the green pepper and garlic. Continue to sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Push everything to the sides of the pan, then add the ground beef. With a wooden spoon, break up meat, then cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned and no pink remains, about 5 minutes.
- Pour off grease, then transfer meat mixture to a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients except the rice.
- Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours. Serve over rice.
Veal Marengo
This long-braised dinner is perfect for the slow cooker. Serve over rice.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 12–16
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large onions, chopped (about 3–4 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds boneless veal, cut into 1
1
⁄
2
" cubes
1
⁄
2
cup dry white wine
1 cup Beef Broth (see
Chapter 4
)
3 ounces (
1
⁄
2
of a small can) tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
2
teaspoon black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1
⁄
2
cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
What Is a Marengo?
Napoleon’s chef has been credited with first creating chicken Marengo to celebrate Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Marengo in 1800. Nowadays, veal is also used to create this slow-cooked dish.
- Spray the inside of a 7-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
- Push the onion mixture to the sides of the pan and add veal cubes in batches, letting them sear for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer onion mixture and veal, as it finishes browning, into prepared slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, mix together the wine, beef broth, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, and pour over the veal.
- Cover and cook on low for 5–6 hours, or until the veal is tender. Add mushrooms and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Turn off slow cooker. Add parsley. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Moo Shu Beef
Another Chinese takeout favorite!
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 (12- to 16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
8 flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and warmed in a 200°F oven
1
⁄
2
cup plum sauce (ready-made or from
Chapter 2
)
- Break up beef into a 4-quart oval slow cooker. Mix in soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
- Stir in coleslaw mix. Cover and cook for an additional 1 hour, or until coleslaw is wilted.
- To serve, place a tortilla on a dinner plate. Spoon some plum sauce down the center. Place about
1
⁄
4
cup of the meat mixture on the lower half of the tortilla. Fold up the lower third of the tortilla to cover meat. Fold over the sides, then roll up tightly. Serve 2 wraps per person.
Short Ribs in Ginger Chutney Sauce
Chutney is a condiment made from fruit and/or vegetables. Mango chutney, such as Major Grey’s, uses a sweet-sour mixture that includes mango, raisins, and lime juice.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
Cooking spray
2 pounds short ribs
1
⁄
4
cup mango chutney
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1
⁄
2
teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
4
teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1
⁄
4
cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped, for garnish
- Lightly spray the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with the cooking spray. Arrange the short ribs in the cooker, overlapping if necessary.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the chutney, ginger, salt, pepper, and lemon juice together; pour over ribs.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6–8 hours or until short ribs are tender. Sprinkle on parsley just before serving.
CHAPTER 7
Fish
Almond-Stuffed Flounder
Étouffée
Ginger-Lime Salmon
Halibut in White Wine Sauce
Salmon Loaf
Asian-Style Mahi-Mahi
Salmon with Lemon, Capers, and Rosemary
Sea Bass with Mango Salsa
Sea Bass with Tofu and Garlic Sauce
Poached Salmon with Lemon-Parsley Sauce
Tuna with Garlic Butter in Foil
Almond-Stuffed Flounder
Making this dish in the slow cooker lets you layer the fish and stuffing rather than stuffing and rolling the fillets. You can substitute sole for the flounder. Serve with warm dinner rolls, a tossed salad, and cooked wild rice.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
Nonstick spray
4 (4-ounce) fresh or frozen flounder fillets
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Swiss cheese
1
⁄
2
cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives (optional)
Sweet paprika, to taste
1
⁄
4
cup dry white wine (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1
⁄
2
cup grated carrot
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1
⁄
4
teaspoon dried tarragon
Sea salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
1 cup evaporated milk
- Spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray.
- Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Lay 2 fillets flat in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the grated cheese, almonds, and chives (if using) over the fillets. Place the remaining fillets on top. Sprinkle paprika over the fish fillets. Pour the wine around the fish.
- Add the butter and carrots to a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute; stir and microwave on high for 1 more minute. Stir in the flour, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the evaporated milk. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the fish.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or until the fish is cooked through, the cheese is melted, and the sauce is thickened. Turn off the slow cooker and let rest for 15 minutes.
- To serve, use a knife to cut through all layers into four wedges. Spoon each wedge onto a plate (so that there is fish and filling in each serving). Sprinkle with additional paprika before serving if desired.
Étouffée
Serve this kosher version of the famous Creole dish over cooked rice.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
6 scallions
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
Salt, to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon dried basil
1
⁄
2
teaspoon dried oregano
1
⁄
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 package shrimp-style or crabmeat-style surimi
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Hot sauce, to taste
Surimi
Surimi is a paste made from fish that is shaped, cooked, and colored to resemble other seafood, such as shrimp or crab. Be sure to check for a hechsher since some brands of surimi have treif (nonkosher) seafood products added for flavoring.
- Add the oil and onion to the slow cooker. Clean the scallions and chop the white parts and about 1" of the greens. Add to the slow cooker along with the celery, green bell pepper, and jalapeño. Stir to coat the vegetables in the oil. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat setting of the slow cooker to low; cover and cook for 6 hours.
- Stir in the surimi. Increase the heat setting to high, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add the cornstarch and water. Stir to mix. Remove any lumps if necessary. Uncover the slow cooker and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened and the cornstarch flavor is cooked out. Stir in hot sauce, to taste.