The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook (12 page)

Transfer the meat to a platter, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a fat separator, or skim the fat from the surface and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat, and cook the pearl onions for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms turn golden. Add the sauce to the pearl onions and mushrooms and bring to a boil. If you think the sauce is thick enough, return it to the slow cooker along with the short ribs. Otherwise, in a small bowl, knead together the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the sauce, 1 tsp at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Return the sauce and the short ribs to the slow cooker and keep on the warm setting until you are ready to serve.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

The type of wine you use here makes all the difference in the world. Wine that has too much tannin, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, will give the stew a wine-y flavor. A Cabernet blend will work, however.

If you can’t find short ribs, cut up a chuck or shoulder roast into 2-in/5-cm pieces, trimming the fat.

Use a soup base or a demi-ace rather than stock or broth because the meat will render a Lot of Liquid, and if you add still more, it will become watered down.

Veal Osso Buco

This world-famous dish is often served at egant tables in Milan on a bed of risotto. A special spoon is provided so the diner can remove the marrow from the shank bone. Veal shanks become meltingly tender as they braise with aromatic vegetables in a tomato-based sauce scented with sage. The finishing touch to osso buco is a piquant garnish of citrus zest, garlic, and parsley-called
gremolata-
which gives the long-simmered dish a fresh and tangy finish.

SERVES 6

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large sweet yellow onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped

3 ribs celery, including the leaves, finely chopped

3 medium carrots, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

1½ cups/360 ml reconstituted veal demi-glace, or 1 cup/240 ml chicken broth

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can chopped tomatoes, with theirjuice

Six to eight ¾- to 1-lb/340-to 455-g veal shanks (about 6 lb/2.7 kg total)

½ cup/65 g all-purpose flour

1½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup/120 ml dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, or dry vermouth

Grated zest of 2 oranges

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 cup/60 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, 2 garlic cloves, and sage for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Stir in the demi-glace and tomatoes. Turn the slow cooker to high and cover while you sauté the veal.

Tie the veal shanks with butcher’s twine or silicone loops at 1-in/2.5-cm intervals to keep the meat close to the bones. In a shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the veal in the flour mixture. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and brown the meat on all sides in batches, turn- ing frequently. When the meat is browned, add it to the sauce in the slow cooker. Pour the white wine into the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the slow cooker and stir the sauce. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the veal is tender.

While the veal is cooking, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 garlic cloves, orange and lemon zest, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until the veal is ready to serve.

Skim any excess fat from the sauce. To serve the osso buco, remove the twine, and serve one shank per person with some of the sauce spooned over the top. Sprinkle with the gremolata. If you are serving the osso buco from the slow cooker as a buffet dish, stir the gremolata into the sauce before serving.

VARIATION

Quick Osso Buco

Substitute 3 lb/1.4 kg of veal shoulder, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces, for the veal shanks. The sauce for this dish will not thicken naturally, so to help it along, in a small bowl, knead together 2 tbsp softened butter and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour. Whisk the butter mixture, 1 tsp at a time, into the sauce and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Veal chunks will cook for 3 hours on high; 5 to 6 hours on low.

Braised Veal with Forty Cloves of Garlic

When James Beard’s cookbook
Beard on Food
was published in 1974, readers were stunned by one of the recipes-a French Provençal chicken dish made with forty cloves of garlic. Beard knew the garlic would mellow over the long cooking time. But since chicken can dry out in a slow cooker, this version is made with veal, ensuring tender and succulent pieces of meat. With its tarragon-flavored tomato sauce, this dish is delicious served over rice, Boursin mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles.

SERVES 6 TO 8

3 lb/1.4 kg veal, either shoulder or shank, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp dried tarragon

1 cup/240 ml full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy, Merlot, or Zinfandel

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can tomato purée

1 cup/240 ml chicken broth

½ cup/120 ml beef broth

1 bay leaf

40 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ cup/30 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Sprinkle the veal with 1½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the veal, a few pieces at a time, until browned on all sides. Transfer the veal to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Add the tarragon and wine to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato purée, and trans- fer the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the chicken broth and beef broth, and add the bay leaf and garlic, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Cover and cook the veal on low for 6 to 7 hours, until it is tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the veal to a serving bowl. Discard the bay leaf, and transfer the sauce to a large saucepan. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash or purée the garlic cloves. Bring the sauce to a boil. In a small bowl, knead together the butter and flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the sauce, 1 tsp at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed. Return the veal and sauce to the cooker, garnish with the parsley, and serve.

Turkish Beef and Veal Meatballs

These meatballs are a riff on
doner kebab,
the street food served in Turkey and around the Middle East, where it’s also called
shawarma.
A meat mixture, cooked on a vertical spit, is sliced off and tucked into bread or served over pilaf, with salad. This version is made with beef and veal and is flavored with onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. The meat simmers in an untraditional but tasty red wine and beef broth sauce.

SERVES 6

1½ lb/680 g lean ground beef

1 lb/455 g ground veal

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup/80 g finely chopped onion

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed in the palm of your hand

2 slices sturdy white bread, crust removed, and torn into pieces

¼ cup/60 ml milk

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup/30 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 cups/480 ml beef broth

2 cup/480 ml full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy, Merlot, or Zinfandel

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (optional)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the beef, veal, garlic, onion, oregano, rose- mary, bread, milk, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and parsley until well combined. Form the meat mixture into 1½-in/4-cm balls, using a portion scoop. Combine the broth and wine in the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Drop the meatballs into the liquid. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high, or 6 to 7 hours on low.

Remove the meatballs from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl. Sauce is optional. If you would like to accompany the meatballs with a sauce, boil the cooking liquid on the stove top for 10 minutes, and then spoon it over the meatballs. Or, to thicken the sauce even more, in a small bowl, knead together the butter and the flour. Whisk in the butter mixture, 1 tsp at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Serve immediately.

VARIATION

Greek Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

For a Greek twist, I like to tuck the meatballs into pita bread and serve them with a cucumber yogurt sauce, called tzatziki. To make the tzatziki, in a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups/480 m Greek-style yogurt, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves, 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill 2 tsp salt, and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Fold in 1 diced European cucumber, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 36 hours. To serve, place a few meatballs in a pita bread pocket and spoon some tzatziki sauce over the meatballs.

Two Big Italian Meatballs

I call this recipe
Polpettoni alla Sorrella
in Italian.
Polpette
is the Italian word for “meatballs.”
Polpettoni
are meat Loaves made from the same type of meat, cheese, and bread crumb mixture. They’re braised in a wine- or tomato-based sauce, and sliced before serving (as a main course). This recipe is inspired by my
sorella
(sister), Daniela Angelini, whose hospitality and graciousness have made me feel at home in her small village of Spello in Umbria. The
polpettoni
are deli- cious served over pasta, polenta, or rice, and they make a killer sandwich the next day!

SERVES 6 TO 8

1 recipe
Basic Marinara Sauce

½ cup/120 ml milk

1½ cups/85 g fresh bread crumbs

1½ lb/680 g ground beef

½ lb/225 g lean ground pork

1 cup/160 g finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

Grated zest of 1 lemon

⅔ cup/75 g freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¼ cup/15 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pour the marinara into the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker, cover, and set the slow cooker to low.

In a small bowl, pour the milk over the bread crumbs, and allow the bread to soak up the milk while you assemble the other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, onion, garlic, lemon zest, cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and parsley. Add the bread crumbs and milk and the egg and stir until blended. Form the meat into two loaves, each 6 to 8 in/15 to 20 cm long and 3 in/7.5 cm wide, and transfer to the insert. Cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for 2½ hours, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the meat registers 170°F/77°C.

Using a large spatula, transfer the meat to a serving platter, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Skim off the excess fat from the sauce. After the
polpettoni
have rested for 10 minutes, slice them ½ in/12 mm thick. Serve the meatballs napped with some of the marinara sauce.