Slow Cooker Recipes

[Steve]

Got a slow cooker as belated birthday present off the missus the other night from Aldi ($40!!). Been hanging for one for ages. Going to christen it on Saturday with some lamb shanks:

Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup red wine or beef broth
1 teaspoon beef stock granules

Directions
1.Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with the parsley, garlic, oregano and lemon peel.
2.In a small saucepan, saute the onion and carrot in oil for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Stir in wine or broth and bouillon. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour over lamb. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.
3.Remove lamb and keep warm. Strain cooking juices and skim fat. In a small saucepan, bring juices to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Serve with lamb.

Looking forward to it. Came on here and was surprised there wasnt a thread already. Feel free to share your recipes, tips/hints etc in here.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Pollux]

I love our slow cooker, we actually have an electric one and also a smaller enamel one that we use in the oven.....

My personal favourites are this one in the electric slow cooker Stroganoff or this one in the enamel pot, beef, red wine and guiness stew

 

[Airgead]

I slow cook all the time. No special equipment needed. just my big cast iron pot. On the stove or in the oven.

My standby cold weather dish is a beef in red wine stew -

1kg chuck steak cut into large chunks
8-10 small onions (the little pickling ones)
Bunch of small mushrooms
Bottle of red wine
100g of smoked pork product. I usually use speck but you can use pancetta or bacon.
Bay leaves
Thyme

Slice pork product into small cubes and fry off in the casserole dish (or a hot pan if you use a slow cooker). Add the onions and mushrooms and fry till slightly browned. remove from pan
Throw meat into pan and brown in the pork fat.
When brown add back the onions and mushrooms.
Throw in a bottle of red wine, bay leaves thyme, salt and pepper.
Cook slowly for 3+ hours
Thicken sauce with cornflour or arrowroot before serving.
Eat with bread and more red wine. Or beer.

You can replace the wine with beer if you like.

Cheers
Dave

Edit - Oh yeah.. you will probably want some salt and pepper in there at some point. Just add to taste.

 

[Katherine]

This is mine.... expensive but will keep for a life time!



but I do have a electric slow cooker now only used it once! It was given to me to help as my slow cooking has to be on the weekends to busy during the week. But now its winter I might start using the electric one. But I have to brown my meat and I hardly have time to make sandwiches in the morning then do that.

Is it necessary to brown the meat?

 

[Fourstar]

I did some pulled pork shoulder in the slow cooker a few months ago to make burritos. :icon_drool2:

- A dry rub of cumin, corriander, salt, pepper then fried all over for some serious caramelisation.
- Dumped in the slow cooker with a diced onion, a tsp of smoked paprika & ground chilli, 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, a few sprigs of thyme, a tin of diced tomatos and a big splash of cider vinegar.
- Let it cook for 16 hours on the low setting (overnight till dinner time) removed from the cooker & shredded it.
- Ladled it out into a frying pan in batches and cooked it down until semi dry.
- Assembled in corn tortias with sour cream, cheese, salsa, a dash of chipotle tobasco and mixed salad greens.

A real crowd pleaser. ive got todo it again with beef in the near future.

 

[Airgead]

This is mine.... expensive but will keep for a life time!

View attachment 37985

but I do have a electric slow cooker now only used it once! It was given to me to help as my slow cooking has to be on the weekends to busy during the week. But now its winter I might start using the electric one. But I have to brown my meat and I hardly have time to make sandwiches in the morning then do that.

Is it necessary to brown the meat?

Same as mine.. but mine is red.

Browning the meat adds flavour. That nice browned meat flavour rather than that not so nice boiled meat flavour. Also helps colour the sauce.

If you have enough flavours in the stew already you don't need to brown.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Fourstar]

This is mine.... expensive but will keep for a life time!

View attachment 37985

but I do have a electric slow cooker now only used it once! It was given to me to help as my slow cooking has to be on the weekends to busy during the week. But now its winter I might start using the electric one. But I have to brown my meat and I hardly have time to make sandwiches in the morning then do that.

Is it necessary to brown the meat?

Ive got a Cast iron Frency like you katie but i prefer to use it for (3-4) hour slow cooks and not 8-10+ hour cooks. I reserve that for the electric.

Its always best to fry off everything and deglase the plan. All the caramelisation adds buttloads of flavour you will not get just from slow cooking.

Ive often prepeared everything the night before by caramelising/sealing meat and veggies etc, deglase, topped of with liquids and whatever else and put the 'casserole dish' insert into the fridge, all assembled ready to go for the next monring.

Then its as simple as: Get up, pop it into the 'cooker' and turn the sucker into auto. By the time i get home from work. She's all done. Im going to give it a biiiiig workout this winter.

Infact ive got some osso bucco in there for tonight. SWMBO is cooking it, shes too lazy to brown stuff off all the time and just dumped it all in this round. I think its worth the effort.

 

[Steve]

whats osso bucco?

 

[Fourstar]

whats osso bucco?

veal/beef shin casserole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossobuco

 

[Katherine]

Ive got a Cast iron Frency like you katie but i prefer to use it for (3-4) hour slow cooks and not 8-10+ hour cooks. I reserve that for the electric.

Its always best to fry off everything and deglase the plan. All the caramelisation adds buttloads of flavour you will not get just from slow cooking.

Ive often prepeared everything the night before by caramelising/sealing meat and veggies etc, deglase, topped of with liquids and whatever else and put the 'casserole dish' insert into the fridge, all assembled ready to go for the next monring.

Then its as simple as: Get up, pop it into the 'cooker' and turn the sucker into auto. By the time i get home from work. She's all done. Im going to give it a biiiiig workout this winter.

Infact ive got some osso bucco in there for tonight. SWMBO is cooking it, shes too lazy to brown stuff off all the time and just dumped it all in this round. I think its worth the effort.

Yeah that is what I was thinking of doing. I always brown my meat! I will do that to!

whats osso bucco?

Steve WTF?????? dont forget the gremolata!

 

[Steve]

Yeah that is what I was thinking of doing. I always brown my meat! I will do that to!




Steve WTF?????? dont forget the gremolata!

honestly, never heard of it or gremolata?

 

[Airgead]

whats osso bucco?

Delicious.

 

[Katherine]

honestly, never heard of it or gremolata?

Gremolata is cut up parsley, garlic and lemon rind... you spinkle it over the top of osso bucco! yummmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Airgead]

Gremolata is cut up parsley, garlic and lemon rind... you spinkle it over the top of osso bucco! yummmmmmmmmmmmmm

Served with Safron risotto...

 

[Katherine]

could do both

http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/saffron...d-gremolata.htm

 

[Fourstar]

Served with Safron risotto...

Herbed polenta actually! :icon_drool2:

 

[Katherine]

Herbed polenta actually! :icon_drool2:

mace mash for me! not a polenta fan!

 

[Steve]

Whats your osso bucco recipes.......sounds nice.

 

[Airgead]

mace mash for me! not a polenta fan!

Ever tried saffron mash?

 

[Katherine]

Whats your osso bucco recipes.......sounds nice.

http://mikes-table.themulligans.org/2008/02/20/osso-bucco/

this one looks pretty good... I also like white osso bucco its white wine based with out tomato.

Ever tried saffron mash?

NO! sounds good though!