Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever (25 page)

In this southern Italian dish, thinly sliced round steak is transformed into melt-in-your-mouth-tender rolls filled with savory goodness. Cooked in a tomato sauce flavored with golden raisins, the braciole is what the Italians describe as
agra dolce
, or “sweet and sour.” This preparation provides an interesting balance of flavor and is just waiting to be served with soft polenta, pasta, or garlic mashed potatoes. You can make the beef rolls ahead of time, refrigerating for up to 24 hours before making the rest of the dish.

Eight 6-inch-square thin slices round steak, (2½ to 3 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 thin slices prosciutto

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Two 10-ounce packages baby spinach or one 16-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and thoroughly drained

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

¹
/
₃
cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons dried basil

Two 28- to 32-ounce cans crushed tomatoes, with their juice

1½ cups golden raisins

place the beef on a cutting board and sprinkle it with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place a slice of prosciutto over each piece of beef and set aside.

heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the garlic and sauté until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and sauté until it is wilted and the liquid in the pan has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool before proceeding.

put the bread crumbs and cheese in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the spinach and eggs, and stir until the mixture comes together. Place 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each piece of beef. Roll the beef and secure the seams with a toothpick or skewer. Place the rolls seam-side down on a platter.

heat the remaining 6 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rolls seam-side down and brown on all sides. Transfer the rolls to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onion and basil to the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the onion is fragrant and is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and raisins and stir to combine.

transfer the sauce to the slow-cooker insert, covering the beef rolls. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 9 hours. remove the beef rolls from the cooker and cover with aluminum foil. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

remove the toothpicks from the rolls. Cut each roll in half and place on top of some sauce on a serving plate. Serve any additional sauce on the side.

serves 8

My mother-in-law was the queen of chuck roasts—it was her go-to dish when company came or for Sunday dinner after church—and she loved its beefy flavor. She would cover a roast with sliced onions, salt, and pepper and then bake it for hours. The result was a beefy pot roast, but didn’t have a great sauce. This pot roast uses chuck roast and is cooked with beef broth, sage, and root vegetables to add flavor and interest to the finished dish. Make sure to brown the meat evenly on all sides before loading in the slow cooker to ensure the maximum flavor.

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crushed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 4-pound boneless chuck roast (see savvy)

2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths, or two cups baby carrots

2 medium parsnips, cut into 1-inch lengths

8 medium red potatoes, quartered

1½ cups beef broth

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water

add the oil, garlic, sage, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the meat with the oil mixture to coat. Put the onions, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the meat and brown evenly on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to the slowcooker insert. Add the broth and soy sauce to the cooker.

cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Carefully remove the meat and vegetables from the insert and cover with aluminum foil. Skim off the fat from the surface of the sauce or pour the sauce into a fat separator. Season with salt and pepper.

transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce comes back to a boil. Remove from the heat.

cut the meat in serving-size portions and serve with some of the sauce spooned over. Serve any additional sauce on the side.

serves 6–8

pot roast savvy

If the meat is too large for your insert, don’t be afraid to cut it and wedge it in or stack it. Halfway through the cooking time, most of the collagen and fat will have melted away, and the pieces can then be set side by side in the slow cooker.

This simple recipe adds a punch of flavor to the beef, which is perfect served as fajitas, tacos, or in its sauce over rice with a side of refried beans. Braised in salsa, lime juice, and beer, the beef becomes so tender that you can pull the meat into shreds, like pulled pork, and serve it on warm flour tortillas. Any leftover beef and sauce can made into a beefy version of tortilla soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

One 4-pound boneless chuck roast

2 large white onions, coarsely chopped

Two 16-ounce jars medium-hot salsa (see savvy)

½ cup lime juice

One 12-ounce bottle beer

add the oil, cumin, oregano, and chile powder to a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the mixture over the meat, coating evenly. Heat a large skillet over high heat.

add the meat and brown on all sides. Transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions to the skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow-cooker insert. Add the salsa, lime juice, and beer to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil the sauce to reduce to concentrate the flavor, about 10 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired.

shred the beef or return the sauce and beef to the slow cooker and serve from the cooker set on the warm setting.

serves 8

salsa savvy

Although I love fresh salsa for dipping with chips, for this dish it is too watery to add to the cooker. Prepared salsa is perfect for this dish, and you can choose your favorite brand.

Spanish smoked paprika, bacon, Guinness, and a bit of chipotle turns chuck roast a glorious shade of red in the braising liquid and flavors it with a smoky and slightly sweet sauce. Adding root vegetables to the pot turns this into a one-pot meal, but if you decide to omit them (see savvy), the stew is delicious served over buttered noodles. Make sure to use smoked paprika in this dish—you can find it in many markets and gourmet retailers or online at www.penzeys.com.

6 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, quartered

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 medium onions, cut into half rounds

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup all-purpose flour

3½ to 4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

One 14- to 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with their juice

One 12-ounce bottle Guinness or dark ale

arrange the potatoes, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp.

transfer the bacon to the slow-cooker insert and remove all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Heat the remaining fat in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, paprika, chiles, and garlic and sauté until the onions begin to soften 4 to 5 minutes.

transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert. Put the flour and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large plastic bag. Put the meat in the flour, toss to coat, and shake off any excess flour.

heat the canola oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the meat a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to the slow-cooker insert. Deglaze the pan with the tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the tomatoes to the slow-cooker insert. Add the Guinness and stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat and vegetables are tender.

skim off any fat from the top of the stew and serve the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker.

serves 8

slow-cooker savvy

If you decide to omit the vegetables, cook the stew for 4 hours on high.

Located near the hip area, sirloin is a popular choice for slow cooking. Not as tough as chuck, it has some marbling of fat to give it flavor. Sirloin has a great flavor and when slow cooked, it retains its shape, and slices into nice thin slices when allowed to rest after cooking.

This melt-in-your mouth pot roast gets its punch from the addition of dried thyme and porcini mushrooms. The resulting braise, flavored with red wine and cremini mushrooms, is a great entrée for company, as well as a weeknight dinner.

One 4-pound sirloin roast

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, quartered

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered

4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup red wine

2 cups beef broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water or broth (see savvy)

rub the roast with the garlic, salt, and pepper, coating evenly. Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the roast and brown on all sides. Transfer the roast to a 5- to 7-quart slow-cooker insert.

add the onions and thyme to the pan over medium-high heat and sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes, until the mushroom liquid evaporates.

transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert. Put the porcini mushrooms and wine in a small bowl and soak the mushrooms for 10 minutes. Add the wine mixture and broth to the slowcooker insert. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until the meat is fork tender.

remove the roast from the slow cooker, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture, stir to combine, and bring back to a boil.

slice the roast and serve the sauce on the side.

serves 8

thickener savvy

An old chef’s trick for thickening sauces is
beurre manié
, or kneaded butter. Take equal parts all-purpose flour and softened unsalted butter and knead them together to make a paste. Bring the sauce to a boil and whisk in a few bits of the beurre manié, bringing the sauce back to a boil after each addition. This is an easy way to fix a sauce that may not be as thick as you would like.