Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (21 page)

Steeped in a soy and rice wine sauce, these delicious treats burst with the flavors of ginger, garlic, and green onions. Serve them as an entrée with stir-fried vegetables and steamed rice, or as a bite–size appetizer for entertaining, keeping them warm in the slow cooker.

1 cup soy sauce

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cup rice wine (mirin) or dry sherry

2 cups chicken broth

½ cup white miso

1 clove garlic, sliced

2 dime-size slices fresh ginger

1 pound ground turkey

1 pound lean ground pork

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

4 green onions, finely chopped, plus additional for garnish

1 large egg white, beaten

½ teaspoon hot sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with

¼ cup water or chicken broth

Sesame seeds for garnish

put all the sauce ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to combine.

cover and cook on high while preparing the meatballs.

combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Roll the mixture into 2-inch balls and place in the slowcooker insert.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the meatballs are cooked through and register 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.

remove the meatballs from the sauce and transfer the sauce to a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture, and bring back to a boil.

serve the sauce with the meatballs, and garnish with the additional green onions and sesame seeds

makes about 24 two-inch meatballs

Wings in the slow cooker make a terrific snack. During testing we found that they really need to be browned before going into the cooker though, or the skin, one of my favorite parts, becomes gummy. Once that step is done, it’s just a matter of making a sauce, pouring it in the slow cooker, and cooking the wings in the sauce. Long, slow cooking gives the wings a deeper flavor than roasting or grilling. I prefer chicken wing drumettes because they are easier to handle at parties. If you aren’t able to get drumettes, cut off the tips of whole chicken wings and separate the wing at the joint into two pieces with a sharp knife or cleaver.

Lemon juice, zest, garlic, red pepper flakes, and pungent rosemary flavor these wings. They can be addictive, so don’t plan on having any leftovers!

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes

¼ cup olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup lemon juice

Grated zest of 3 lemons

2 teaspoons salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary

½ cup chicken broth

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the broiler for 10 minutes.

combine the wings, olive oil, salt, paprika, and a generous grinding of pepper in a large mixing bowl and toss until the wings are evenly coated. Arrange the wings on a wire rack in a baking sheet and broil until the wings are crispy on one side, about 5 minutes.

turn the wings and broil until crispy and browned an additional 5 minutes.

remove the wings from the oven. If you would like to do this step ahead of time, cool the wings and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Otherwise, put the wings in the prepared cooker insert.

combine all the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir. Pour the sauce over the wings and turn to coat.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, turning the wings several times to coat with the sauce.

serve the wings from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, is renowned for cooking up the first wings bathed in hot sauce and butter. Frank’s hot sauce is the sauce they still use to this day. You can use your favorite hot sauce for these buttery and deliciously spicy wings.

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes

¼ cup olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Hot Cayenne

Pepper Sauce

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the broiler on and preheat for 10 minutes.

put the wings, olive oil, salt, paprika, and a generous grinding of pepper in a large mixing bowl and toss until the wings are evenly coated. Arrange the wings on a wire rack in a baking sheet and broil until the wings are crispy on one side, about 5 minutes.

turn the wings, and broil until crispy and browned, an additional 5 minutes.

remove from the wings from the oven. If you would like to do this step ahead of time, cool the wings and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Otherwise, put the wings in the prepared cooker insert.

combine the butter and hot sauce in a mixing bowl and stir. Pour the sauce over the wings and turn to coat.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, turning the wings several times to coat in the sauce.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Salty, smoky, and spicy, these wings bathe in a coconut-flavored peanut sauce.

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes

¼ cup olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

One 14-ounce can coconut milk

½ cup chicken broth

1 cup smooth peanut butter

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

¼ teaspoon hot sauce

½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing

½ cup finely chopped roasted peanuts for garnishing

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the broiler for 10 minutes.

put the wings, olive oil, salt, paprika, and a generous grinding of pepper in a large mixing bowl and toss until the wings are evenly coated. Arrange the wings on a wire rack in a baking sheet and broil until the wings are crispy on one side, about 5 minutes.

turn the wings and broil until crispy and browned, an additional 5 minutes.

remove the wings from the oven. If you would like to do this step ahead of time, cool the wings and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Otherwise, put the wings in the prepared cooker insert.

combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir.

heat the sauce until it begins to boil. Pour the sauce over the wings and turn to coat.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, turning the wings several times to coat in the sauce.

garnish the wings with the cilantro and peanuts and serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

Wings are one of those foods that most people can eat their own weight in; there is no such thing as too many wings! A slow cooker will keep the wings warm and bathed in sauce, but the meat needs to be browned ahead of time. Although this is a two-step process, the end result is easy for entertaining or for a weeknight meal.

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes

¼ cup olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup honey

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup rice wine (mirin) or dry sherry

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the broiler on and preheat for 10 minutes.

put the wings, olive oil, salt, paprika, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat the wings evenly. Arrange the wings on a rack in a baking sheet and broil until the wings are crispy on one side, about 5 minutes.

turn the wings and broil until crispy and browned, another 5 minutes

remove the wings from the oven. If you would like to do this step ahead of time, cool the wings and refrigerate for up to 2 days; otherwise, place the wings in the prepared cooker insert.

combine all the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir. Pour over the wings and turn to coat.

cover and cook on high for 3 hours, stirring twice during the cooking time to make sure the wings are cooking evenly.

serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 6–8

For this recipe, I went back to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Del Mar, California, for a bit of what I call reconnaissance, trying to figure out what is in the addictive barbecue sauce they serve on chicken and pork. I think I’m close to the original with this recipe. These wings will have you licking your fingers, they are so good. Flavored with soy, brown sugar, ketchup, coriander, ginger, and Asian fish sauce (which you can find in the Asian section of the supermarket), I also use this sauce on pork and chicken for outdoor grilling.

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes

¼ cup olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, cut into half rounds

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (Nuoc Nam)

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing

coat the insert of of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the broiler for 10 minutes.

put the wings, olive oil, salt, paprika, and a generous grinding of pepper in a large mixing bowl and toss until the wings are evenly coated. Arrange the wings on a wire rack in a baking sheet and broil until the wings are crispy on one side, about 5 minutes.

turn the wings and broil until crispy and browned, an additional 5 minutes.

remove the wings from the oven. If you would like to do this step ahead of time, cool the wings and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Otherwise, put the wings in the prepared cooker insert.

combine all the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir. Pour the sauce over the wings and turn to coat.

cover and cook for on high for 3 hours, turning the wings several times to coat in the sauce.

garnish the wings with the cilantro and serve from the cooker set on warm.

serves 8

When I first got my slow cooker I didn’t cook seafood in it. Then I decided that there had to be a way to cook seafood in the pot without disintegrating. Soon, I realized that I could poach salmon perfectly, make a delicious Moroccan tagine, and prepare Mediterranean seafood stews without fear. The slow cooker takes great care of seafood and the result is a tender, moist, and flavor-filled dinner.

Shrimp cook quickly in a slow cooker, but the sauce for these succulent butter-soaked crustaceans can loll around in the pot all day, coaxing every bit of flavor out of the garlic, herbs, and spices. This dish is similar to many that are served in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Serve over rice or tossed with pasta, and with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

¼ cup olive oil

8 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup lemon juice

3 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (see savvy)

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

put the butter, oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, pepper, cayenne, paprika, Worcestershire, and lemon juice in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

turn the cooker up to high and add the shrimp, tossing them in the butter sauce. Cover and cook for an additional 10 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink.

transfer the shrimp from the slow cooker to a large serving bowl and pour the sauce over the shrimp. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

serves 6–8

seafood savvy

This dish is also delicious made with fish fillets; 2 pounds halibut, salmon, or sea bass fillets can be cooked for 1 to 1½ hours on high.

Scallops have a clean, sweet taste, and although they have a tendency to get tough when overcooked, a sherry-butter sauce bath keeps them at a low and slow temperature, ensuring you will have scallop perfection.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

¼ cup dry sherry

2 pounds dry-pack sea scallops (see savvy)

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

put the butter, oil, garlic, paprika, and sherry in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slower cooker.

cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Turn the cooker to high and add the scallops, tossing them in the butter sauce. Cover and cook on high for 30 to 40 minutes, until the scallops are opaque.

transfer the scallops and sauce from the slow cooker to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

serves 6

scallop savvy

Look for “dry-pack” scallops—other scallops are injected with a preservative and are not as fresh, turning rubbery in the slow cooker. Dry-pack diver scallops will have been harvested recently and are far superior—you will pay a price, but it’s well worth it.