One-Pot Wonders
If you zip around the kitchen, preparing complicated meals for your family, slow down!
The slow cooker is becoming hip again.
And, on The Early Show Friday, Grace Parisi of Food and Wine magazine served up recipes perfect for slow cookers, for savory and simple meals that care made in only one pot.
Food and Wine is known for its family-friendly recipes, and Parisi, an award-winning cookbook author and a senior test kitchen associate for the magazine, tries out recipes to make sure they're indeed easy and flavorful.
The recipes she featured on the show Friday are geared for harried, busy people -- whether the dishes are made in a slow cooker or on a stove.
Ironically, the slow cooker is a big time-saver when it comes to cooking.
When it hit stores shelves in 1971, it was dubbed a "crock-pot" and was a huge hit.
But over the years, its image slipped from "hip."
Still, it's remained a constant in most American kitchens. Even today, studies show that nearly 80-percent of American households own one.
It's successful because you really can't go wrong with the slow cooker. Once you put your ingredients in one, you can walk away, and come back hours later to a fabulous meal.
And the slow cooker is coming back in a big way this year. Experts predict it will be a big trend in 2008. There are now more cookbooks being published for "fancier" recipes for the slow cooker. You can also buy many pre-chopped vegetables and meat packages to use with one.
Parisi is a working mom herself and loves "fast" recipes that require little preparation.
She showed two easy recipes Friday -- one using a slow cooker, and one using one pot to prepare a hot meal.
Parisi pointed out that, sometimes, you need to cook some items before placing them in the slow cooker to bet the best flavor. Many recipes reflect that. An example is a large roast -- you should brown it on a stove prior to adding it to a slow cooker, to seal in the juices.
Also, add dense vegetables first to the bottom of the slow cooker, since they require more time to cook.
One of the slow cooker's best attributes is that it tenderizes meat, making it super for inexpensive cuts, because they become so tender and flavorful with the slow cooker method.
RECIPES
Japanese-Inspired Pot Roast
Makes 8 servings
One 4-pound chuck eye roast or other chuck roast, tied
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
6 slices ginger
3 garlic cloves
3 cups beef stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 pound shiitake mushroom caps
1 pound peeled daikon, sliced diagonally 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1. Season the roast with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a medium, enameled cast-iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the roast, cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned.
2. Add meat and all other ingredients to slow cooker
3. Cook for 8 hours on low.
Serve over Udon noodles.
For more recipes, go to Page 2.
Hearty Italian Meat Sauce
Makes 16 cups; enough for 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of pasta (10 to 12 servings)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless veal shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage or combinations
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
Two 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
One 28-ounce can tomato puree
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 imported bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole over medium heat until shimmering. Add the veal and pork in batches, and brown all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Using slotted spoon, transfer meat to platter.
3. Add the sausages to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned but not cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the platter.
4. Add the onion and the garlic, stirring until onion is translucent.
5. Return the veal and pork to the pot, along with the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato puree and paste, water, sugar, bay leaves, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, partially covered, until the meat is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Add the sausages, and simmer, uncovered, until cooked through, about 30 minutes.
7. Will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerators for up to 4 days or in the freezer for a month.
Crab and Andouille Jambalaya
Total time: 40 min
Makes 4 servings
To make this jambalaya stand out, use incredible lump crabmeat, great andouille sausage, and a good hit of Old Bay seasoning.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces andouille sausage or kielbasa, quartered lengthwise and cut into pieces
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1-1/4 cups jasmine rice (9 ounces)
1-1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1-1/2 cups water
1 thyme sprig
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
3 scallions, finely chopped
Hot sauce, for serving
1. In a medium, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Add the andouille and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the casserole. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the Old Bay, rice and andouille and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is opaque, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the stock, water and thyme, season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
5. Cover and cook over very low heat until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
6. Fluff with a fork and stir in the crab and scallions. Cover and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the crab is hot; discard the thyme sprig.
7. Serve in bowls, passing hot sauce at the table.
Orzo Risotto with Sausage and Artichokes
Total time: 45 min
Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1-1/2 cups orzo (10 ounces)
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup marinated artichokes, drained and quartered
1 cup frozen baby peas
3 tablespoons snipped chives
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1. In a deep, 10-inch skillet, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over high heat, pressing to flatten, until cooked through, 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
2. Break the sausage into bite-size pieces. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 minutes.
3. Add the orzo and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
4. Add the stock and 2 cups of water and cook, stirring constantly, until the orzo is al dente and suspended in a thick creamy broth, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the sausage, artichokes, peas, chives and cheese to the orzo. Cook, stirring, until the peas are heated through and the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Serve the orzo risotto in bowls, passing extra cheese at the table.