Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (20 page)

Winter can be depressing in some places, with snow still falling in April and those gray days hanging around for too long. When you have a hankering for a picnic on the patio in the middle of winter, this is your go-to dish. The turkey breast becomes succulent and juicy in the tangy barbecue sauce, and all you need to complete this dinner is slaw or potato salad. Serve the turkey sliced on rolls and topped with some of the pan sauce.

3 large onions, coarsely chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

One 4-pound bone-in turkey breast, skin removed

1 cup ketchup

1 cup tomato sauce

½ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

put the onions and bell peppers in the bottom of an insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Put the turkey breast on top of the vegetables. Stir the ketchup, tomato sauce, mustard, sugar, Worcestershire, and Tabasco in a small mixing bowl to combine.

brush some of the barbecue sauce on the turkey breast, then pour the rest in the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the turkey is cooked and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.

carefully remove the turkey from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the solids. Return the sauce to the slow cooker.

carve the turkey and serve with the sauce or return the turkey to the slow cooker with the sauce and serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6

A meaty, cremini mushroom–and-bacon sauce flavors turkey thighs in this dish. Rustic and full of flavor, the turkey can be pulled off the bone, returned to the sauce, and served over polenta or pasta.

6 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into

½-inch pieces

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

One 28- to 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

4 turkey thighs (about 3½ pounds), skin removed

cook the bacon in a sauté pan over medium heat until it renders some fat and is beginning to turn crisp. Add the onion and basil and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms begin to color, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the tomatoes and parsley and stir to combine. Add the thighs in the sauce.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the thighs are cooked through and register 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Remove the thighs from the sauce and discard the bones.

cut the meat into serving-sized pieces and return to the sauce.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

A paste of of garlic, lemon zest, and thyme is rubbed on turkey legs, which cook low and slow until they fall off the bone. The pan sauce (see savvy) is a delicious accompaniment to the turkey served over rice or mashed potatoes.

8 cloves garlic, peeled

Grated zest of 4 lemons

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 turkey legs, skin removed

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

put the garlic, zest, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and oil in a food processor or blender and blend to a paste. Rub the paste on the turkey and put the turkey in the slow cooker.

pour the wine and chicken broth in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the turkey is cooked through and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.

remove the legs from the sauce and cover with aluminum foil. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

season with salt and pepper before serving.

serves 6

saucy savvy

If you would like to thicken the sauce, blend 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the paste to the sauce, stir to combine, and bring the sauce back to a boil. Stir in ½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley. Carve the meat off the turkey legs and serve with the sauce.

In this dish, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce flavor meaty thighs, which are terrific served with salads, steamed rice, and vegetable stir-frys. It is best to marinate the turkey overnight before cooking.

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons rice wine (mirin) or dry sherry

¼ firmly packed light brown sugar

4 turkey thighs, skin removed

blend the soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, ginger, rice wine, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

pour the marinade in a zipper-top plastic bag. Add the turkey thighs to the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Pour the contents of the bag in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the turkey is cooked through and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.

remove the turkey from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

serves 6

Tea-smoked duck or chicken dishes are common in Asian restaurants. The flavor of the tea infuses the poultry, giving it a smoky, exotic taste. Your slow- cooker rack helps you re-create the same flavor using turkey legs coated in soy and brown sugar and flavored with tea. Serve with flour tortillas, hoisin sauce, and sliced green onions and cucumber sticks.

2 cups chicken broth

8 bags Lapsang Souchong or black tea (see savvy)

4 slices fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hoisin sauce

6 turkey legs, skin removed

bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the tea bags, ginger, and cinnamon. Allow the broth to cool, about 45 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and whisk in the soy sauce and hoisin.

brush some of the sauce on the turkey legs with a silicone pastry brush. Pour the remaining sauce in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Fit the rack in the slow cooker and place the turkey legs on the rack.

cover and cook on high for 5 hours, basting the turkey a few times during cooking.

slice the turkey legs into serving-size pieces and serve.

serves 6

tea savvy

Most supermarket teas are combinations of various black teas. I recommend the Lapsang Souchong tea in this recipe because of its smoky character; ordinary Lipton or Tetley just didn’t have the same flavor.

Artichoke hearts, pine nuts, cheese, and bread crumbs are spread on turkey breast cutlets, which then are braised in a sage and white wine sauce. This is a terrific do-ahead meal—the turkey cutlets can be rolled a day ahead of time and then put in the slow cooker the next day.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

One 16-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and coarsely chopped

½ cup pine nuts (see savvy)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

²
/
₃
cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped

8 turkey breast cutlets, ¾ to 1 pound

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 cup chicken broth

melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and artichoke hearts and sauté until the liquid in the pan evaporates, 5 to 7 minutes.

transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the pine nuts, bread crumbs, cheese, and basil to the bowl and stir to combine. Place the cutlets on a cutting board, sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper, and spread 2 tablespoons of the filling on each turkey breast.

roll the cutlets lengthwise and place seam-side down in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet. Add the onion and sage and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze the pan with the wine and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Pour the sauce over the turkey rolls.

cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, until the turkey is tender.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6

pine-nut savvy

There is no need to toast the pine nuts for this preparation; the stuffing is wet, and the toasted flavor will be lost in the moist ingredients.

A south-of-the-border twist on traditional meat loaf, this spicy bite is terrific to serve with refried beans and rice to soak up the delicious sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 Anaheim chile, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder

One 28- to 32-ounce can tomato purée

1½ teaspoons salt

Four 6-inch flour tortillas, coarsely chopped

¼ cup milk

2 pounds ground turkey

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup prepared mild salsa

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, chile, cumin, oregano, and chile powder and sauté until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato purée and salt to the pan and stir to combine.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low while making the meat loaf.

soak the tortillas in the milk in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes, breaking them up with a fork.

add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Form the mixture into a 3-inch-wide by 8-inch-long loaf. Place the loaf on top of the sauce in the slow-cooker insert and spoon some of the sauce over it.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the meat loaf is cooked through and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. Skim off any fat from the surface of the sauce. Carefully remove the meat loaf from the sauce, cover with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

slice the meat loaf and serve with the sauce on the side.

serves 6