[food] Three slow-cooking recipes
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 06:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chanaleh
So, I have this fleishig crockpot. :-) 
Which is to say:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
muffyjo was brainstorming last week about recipes and food planning, which reminded me that I am overdue in posting some of the awesome things I've done with this useful little (5.5qt? something over a gallon) appliance. So here are three.
DUCK IN SLOW COOKER
Adapted from http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1626,151178-245202,00.html
* one 4-5 lb. whole duck, thawed
* 10 oz (1 pkg) whole mushrooms
* 1/2 lb baby carrots
* 2 c. water
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 tsp. thyme
* 1 onion
* 1/2 c. wine
Put all ingredients in slow cooker and set on low for several hours or overnight.
Serve with a spoon... no joke, and it was that good. Plus, once all the obvious meat and bones have been picked out, the sludgy-brothy-mushroomy stuff left over in the bottom turns into a lovely sort of terrine de canard when chilled...
CROCKPOT LAMB STEW
Adapted from http://southernfood.about.com/od/lambstewrecipes/r/bl115c11.htm
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1/2 cup red wine
* ~1 lb baby carrots (adding another 1/2 lb later)
* ~1 c frozen peas
* 10 oz whole mushrooms
* 1 large onion, thinly sliced
* 3-4 medium potatoes, diced (I used Yukon Gold)
* ~3 pounds bony lamb pieces (I had about 1 lb each of neck pieces, ribs, and... shoulder chops?)
* herbs (I reeeeeally wanted oregano and rosemary, but all I had on hand was thyme)
* salt and pepper
Threw everything in pot: bottom layer of potatoes and 1/2 onion, then lamb pieces, then remaining veg, then spices, then pour over liquids. Cooked on High from about 9am to 4pm.
Turned to Low. Stirred up, picked out most of the obvious bones (returning any meat gleaned from bones back to pot). Added whatever remaining veg would not fit in the initial pass. (Edited to add: Oh yeah, at this point I also pulled out about a cup of the broth and whisked a heaping tablespoon of flour into it, then stirred it back into the pot to thicken.) Left on Low until served at around 8:30pm.
REVITHIA STO FOURNO (OVEN-COOKED CHICKPEAS)
A.k.a. Magic Chickpeas, a.k.a. Six-Hour Chickpeas. And totally worth that amount of planning ahead.
Adapted from http://graphics.boston.com/globe/magazine/2-4/food.shtml
* 1 lb. dried chickpeas
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup olive oil (reduced from original 2/3)
* 2 cups coarsely chopped onions
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
* 2 bay leaves, crumbled
* 1 to 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or a pinch of crushed red pepper
* 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
* Black pepper, to taste
Starting the night before (!), soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl of water (in the fridge). When you are ready to start, drain the water off and toss the chickpeas with the salt.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium flameproof casserole*, heat the oil and cook the onions over medium heat for 4 minutes or until they are soft. Stir in chickpeas, oregano, bay leaves, pepper, and stock. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Press a double thickness of foil directly on the chickpeas, then cover with the lid.
*I don't at present have a flameproof casserole, so I do all this in a large skillet and then pour it into my regular 2.5-qt Pyrex casserole with lid. The foil liner under the lid is important, though.
Once the dish is in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and cook for 6 hours or until chickpeas are very tender. Taste for seasoning, add black pepper, and serve.
Which is to say:
muffyjo was brainstorming last week about recipes and food planning, which reminded me that I am overdue in posting some of the awesome things I've done with this useful little (5.5qt? something over a gallon) appliance. So here are three.DUCK IN SLOW COOKER
Adapted from http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1626,151178-245202,00.html
* one 4-5 lb. whole duck, thawed
* 10 oz (1 pkg) whole mushrooms
* 1/2 lb baby carrots
* 2 c. water
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 tsp. thyme
* 1 onion
* 1/2 c. wine
Put all ingredients in slow cooker and set on low for several hours or overnight.
Serve with a spoon... no joke, and it was that good. Plus, once all the obvious meat and bones have been picked out, the sludgy-brothy-mushroomy stuff left over in the bottom turns into a lovely sort of terrine de canard when chilled...
CROCKPOT LAMB STEW
Adapted from http://southernfood.about.com/od/lambstewrecipes/r/bl115c11.htm
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1/2 cup red wine
* ~1 lb baby carrots (adding another 1/2 lb later)
* ~1 c frozen peas
* 10 oz whole mushrooms
* 1 large onion, thinly sliced
* 3-4 medium potatoes, diced (I used Yukon Gold)
* ~3 pounds bony lamb pieces (I had about 1 lb each of neck pieces, ribs, and... shoulder chops?)
* herbs (I reeeeeally wanted oregano and rosemary, but all I had on hand was thyme)
* salt and pepper
Threw everything in pot: bottom layer of potatoes and 1/2 onion, then lamb pieces, then remaining veg, then spices, then pour over liquids. Cooked on High from about 9am to 4pm.
Turned to Low. Stirred up, picked out most of the obvious bones (returning any meat gleaned from bones back to pot). Added whatever remaining veg would not fit in the initial pass. (Edited to add: Oh yeah, at this point I also pulled out about a cup of the broth and whisked a heaping tablespoon of flour into it, then stirred it back into the pot to thicken.) Left on Low until served at around 8:30pm.
REVITHIA STO FOURNO (OVEN-COOKED CHICKPEAS)
A.k.a. Magic Chickpeas, a.k.a. Six-Hour Chickpeas. And totally worth that amount of planning ahead.
Adapted from http://graphics.boston.com/globe/magazine/2-4/food.shtml
* 1 lb. dried chickpeas
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup olive oil (reduced from original 2/3)
* 2 cups coarsely chopped onions
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
* 2 bay leaves, crumbled
* 1 to 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or a pinch of crushed red pepper
* 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
* Black pepper, to taste
Starting the night before (!), soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl of water (in the fridge). When you are ready to start, drain the water off and toss the chickpeas with the salt.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium flameproof casserole*, heat the oil and cook the onions over medium heat for 4 minutes or until they are soft. Stir in chickpeas, oregano, bay leaves, pepper, and stock. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Press a double thickness of foil directly on the chickpeas, then cover with the lid.
*I don't at present have a flameproof casserole, so I do all this in a large skillet and then pour it into my regular 2.5-qt Pyrex casserole with lid. The foil liner under the lid is important, though.
Once the dish is in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and cook for 6 hours or until chickpeas are very tender. Taste for seasoning, add black pepper, and serve.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Re: I am so trying that!
Date: Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 01:22 pm (UTC)I don't often do duck. Salome has a sort of aversion to the smell of cooking fowl, and duck is a very distinctive aroma.
I'm going to put it up in the morning to be ready for Friday night. I noticed you chose a more robust seasoning regime than the original recipe from which you quote. Is it because you tried it their way first and it was underseasoned or just an intuitive amendment?
I'm salivating even as we speak :)
Re: I am so trying that!
Date: Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 03:09 pm (UTC)Note, actually, that their recipe also called for "3 whole cloves" -- I couldn't decide if that meant actual *cloves*, which I didn't have anyway (having just moved), or cloves of *garlic*, so I ended up leaving that line out altogether and it was just fine.
Re: I am so trying that!
Date: Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 03:46 pm (UTC)