Slow cooker recipes

mainsy

With winter fast approaching I decided to get a slow cooker so for those cold dark nights when we get home from work theres a nice meal bubbling away.

Gave it a go today, and it is excellent. I got some cheap lamb from the supermarket and made a bhuna, easily the most tender lamb I've ever had, and the bhuna tasted like it came from an Indian restaurant.

Tomorrow is going to be a beef and ale casserole.

What's your favourite chuck in and leave recipe?

Graculus

We love oxtail and half shoulder of lamb, but I cook loads of things this way. I just add whatever i have in the cupboard - tins of tomatos, splash of wine, bits of bacon or choizo. I particularly like dishes where all the vegetables are put in the same pot and it's just a question of heaping it on a plate when you're ready.

I often add lentils or pulses, and I make baked beans too, which taste amazing!

jimothy78

Fry 1lb sausages, 2 onions and some garlic.

chuck in S.C. with 2 tins baked beans, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, celery, carrots, leeks, etc, etc.

Leave it on low all day and serve with crusty bread or mash. Simply awesome.

dw300

Can you start cooking it the previous night?!

mainsy

dw300 wrote:

Can you start cooking it the previous night?!

I think 8-10 hours is recommended.

I like the sound of the oxtail, will have to give it a try.

The sausage and beans one reminds me of hotpot, will have to give that a try too

Graculus

Oh, I forgot lamb shanks!

I hate to mention Mumsnet, but there are some really good recipies here:

http://www.mumsnet.com/Recipes/type/slow-cooker

fossyant

Got beef stew from yesterday to reheat, cooked in the slow cooker. Lovely

mainsy

Never heard of mums net but had a look, some great recipes there. A few Greek dishes which I love so I'll be trying them out.

Lamb shanks are a must.

Been out for a ride today and coming in to the smell of a beef and ale casserole bubbling away is pretty sweet, although I have to wait till 5 to get to eat it

capt_slog

Slow cooker recipe.

Take some beef

capt_slog

Fry beef.

capt_slog

fry some onions.








[ I won't carry on, you've got the 'joke' ]

MichaelW

I love those slow cooked, tougher cuts of beef, shoulder, shin, tail etc.
I tried a Hungarian Goulash and figured out that it works best with fewer ingredients.
Top tips: Fry your onions slowly then caramelise for max flavour.
Add wine to everything. A wine box is convenient for the odd glass.
Use good stock.
Is there anything which won't cook in a slow cooker (but you might expect to be OK?)

sfichele

Leeks, sausages and cider!

kleinstroker

maybe this will help £3.99 delivered use code XMAS262

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/w ... low+Cooker

mainsy

Cheers mate, might as well get it at that price. 100 recipes should see me through winter

springtide9

It's also great for veg soup and/or pasta sauce . Check all of the veg into the pot with a little bit of fluid (1 cup) and stock, and cook for several hours.

At the end, you can:
- add milk/cream/crème fraîche and bend until smooth If you like chunky soup, remove some of the lumps before blending (and add them back later)
- for pasta sauce, just add a can of good quality tinned (or fresh peeled) tomatoes

One thing to note when using a slow cooker is that you don't need a lot of fluids - but sometimes when cooking with something like beer, you want the quantity, but reduced.

Also if you are cooking with fatty cuts of meat, you can get a lot of fat in the fluids.
I tend to cook with more fluid than I need, but reduce the fluids at the end by removing (reducing) and re-adding. If the fluid is particularly fatty, I remove it by cooling the fluid in a saucepan (in cold water) and once cold.. adding icecubes to the saucepan.. which basically causes the fat to "congeal" (so you can easily remove it... and then obviously reduce the fluids and add back to the slow cooker. Just make sure you leave some fluids in the slow cooker - otherwise it will dry up etc and you will have ruined your supper :-)