Slow Cooker / Crockpot Recipes - Page 3

meat + bacon + pepperoni

cook for awhile. eat with fork.

OK. Here's what I did last night/today:

Took the insert and put it onto the stovetop and heated over high heat (in the future I'd use a skillet for this stuff, wasn't satisfied with the results of these preliminary steps in the ceramic insert). Put in a tablespoon or two of olive oil and added 3 slices of double smoked bacon which had been cut to 1" squares. Cooked only until some of the fat had been rendered, then added about 1/3 cup of diced shallots and cooked until translucent, then added 1/8 cup of diced garlic and cooked a bit more until the shallots began to brown. Took the entire mixture and removed it to a bowl.

Seasoned a 4# boneless leg of lamb with sea salt and pepper. Added 3 tbsp of olive oil and browned both sides in the insert. While this was browning combined 4 cups of assorted beans and lentils (I used green and french green lentils and white navy beans), mixed them up good and then added 4 cups of dark chicken stock. Took the bacon/shallot/garlic mixture and added to the beans.

Once the lamb was browned, removed it from the insert and deglazed with 1/2 cup of red wine. Reduced by about half, then added this mixture to the beans/chicken stock.

Covered the bottom of the insert with the bean mixture then placed the lamb on top. Seasoned the lamb with 2 tbsp of Herbs du Provence and chopped mint leaves then added some chopped carrots (1/2" slices) and pearl onions around the top of the lamb.

Set crock pot on low. After about 3 hours, noticed that the beans had absorbed all of the liquid, so I added 2 cups of red wine to the crock pot, making sure it got down into the crevices in the meat and cook for another 7 hours on low.

Hope its good.

This one works well. The need to the fond is met no longer as great because of the caramelized onions.

Into the crockput put
1/2 packet friend onions. The crisp kind. They are pretty common in grocery stores.
1 can crushed tomatoes.
1 small can tomato paste.
cubes o' meat (beef or if you like it, the lamb)
Bones o' meat - large ones are easier to fish out later.
1/2 box good quality full fat plain yogurt (brown cow, stonyfield - often available with cream on top)
crushed red pepper flakes,
hand ful of serranos or jalapenos - your guests can control the heat desired by how much they nibble.
generous garlic and ginger
black pepper, tiny tiny pinches of cinamon, nutmeg and even tinier of allspice.
almonds/almond oil if you have them. Handful of cardamoms squished to crack the casing do wonders here.
salt
And as many turnips as can fit in the liquids. peeled and cubed.

Turn it on and tune out. Come back in 12 hours or so to a heavenly smelling kitchen and a divine meal. If you have a rice cooker, you are ready to eat pronto. Fresh cillantro, as the edible garnish
grated cucumber in yougurt to balance the heat and cool the palate between bites.

chilled Sparkling red wine.