The Everything Kosher Slow Cooker Cookbook (17 page)

1. Add the broth to the slow cooker. Cut each celery stalk in half. Scrub and cut the carrot into four pieces. Add the celery, carrot, and onion to the slow cooker. Nestle the turkey breast on top of the vegetables, and sprinkle the seasoning blend over it. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
   
2. Remove the turkey breast to a serving platter; cover and keep warm.
   
3. Strain the pan juices through a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a large nonstick skillet, squeezing the vegetables in the cheesecloth to release the juices.
   
4. Transfer
   ¹
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   cup of the broth to a bowl and mix it together with the Madeira and instant flour; stir until the flour is dissolved. Bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk the flour mixture into the broth, stirring constantly until the gravy is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if needed. Slice the turkey and pour the gravy over the top of the slices, or serve the gravy on the side.
   

Turkey in Onion Sauce

This is an African-inspired dish. Serve it over cooked rice.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

5 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

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cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

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teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 turkey thighs, skin removed

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Add the onions, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Nestle the turkey thighs into the onion mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
   
2. Remove the turkey thighs and allow to cool enough to remove the meat from the bone. Leave the cover off of the slow cooker and allow the onion mixture to continue to cook until the liquid has totally evaporated. (You may raise the setting to high to speed things up if you wish. Just be sure to stir the mixture occasionally to prevent the onions from burning.)
   
3. Stir the turkey meat into the onion mixture. Taste for seasoning and add pepper if desired. For more heat, add additional cayenne pepper, too.
   

CHAPTER 6

Beef, Veal, and Lamb

Indoor “Barbecued” Brisket Sliders

Apple-Mustard Beef Brisket

Beef Cholent

Sephardic Cholent

Red Wine Beef Stew

Flanken Ribs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Beef Bourguignon

Brisket Tzimmes

Barbecue Meatloaf

Cottage Pie with Carrots, Parsnips, and Celery

Pastrami

Swiss Steak

Chili con Corn Chips

“Creamy” Swedish Meatballs

Barbecue Meatballs

Better-Than-Takeout Mongolian Beef

Cincinnati Chili

Semi-Spicy Beef Chili

Moroccan-Style Lamb Stew

Stuffed Cabbage

Shredded Beef for Sandwiches

Barbecue Ribs

Beef Biryani

Tavas

Unstuffed Cabbage

Lamb in Curry Sauce

Picadillo

Veal Marengo

Moo Shu Beef

Short Ribs in Ginger Chutney Sauce

Indoor “Barbecued” Brisket Sliders

Because of the salt already in the barbecue sauce, bouillon, and soy sauce, no extra salt is needed.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (2- to 3-pound) brisket, trimmed of excess fat

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cup barbecue sauce

3 tablespoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon powdered beef bouillon

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

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teaspoon pepper

16 pareve dinner rolls, split horizontally

1 cup coleslaw, drained

1. Lightly spray the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
   
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir frequently for 3–4 minutes or until onions just start to brown. Push to the sides and add brisket. Let sear for 4 minutes, then carefully use tongs to turn brisket over. Let sear for another 4 minutes.
   
3. Transfer brisket and onions to prepared slow cooker.
   
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the barbecue sauce, chili sauce, chili powder, soy sauce, bouillon, cinnamon, cumin, and pepper. Pour mixture over brisket. Cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or until brisket is very tender.
   
5. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat.
   
6. Skim any excess fat from the sauce. Return shredded meat to the cooker and stir to combine.
   
7. To serve, divide meat among dinner rolls. Top evenly with the drained coleslaw.
   

Apple-Mustard Beef Brisket

Serve Apple-Mustard Beef Brisket with a crusty bread and a tossed salad with honey-mustard dressing. If you wish, you can add some peeled and quartered root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, or turnips) to the cooker, too.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

1 (3-pound) beef brisket

1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole

1 (10-ounce) jar apple jelly

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

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teaspoon curry powder

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cup dry white wine

1 cup apple juice

1 cup water

2 apples (optional)

Delayed Satisfaction

Brisket will become even more moist and tender if you allow it to cool in the broth, so this makes a good dish to make the day before. To reheat it, bake it for 45 minutes at 325°F. Baste it with some additional sauce and put it under the broiler for a few minutes to allow the meat to develop a glaze.

1. Add all ingredients to 5- or 6-quart slow cooker in the order given. If using apples, peel, core, and slice them and put them in a layer on top of the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.
   

Beef Cholent

Cholent mixes are convenient, but buying the beans and barley separately is much more economical.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

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cup lima beans

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cup navy beans

1 cup pearl barley

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 pound flanken ribs

2 medium or large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

4 cups water, plus more if needed

2 teaspoons kosher salt

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teaspoon black pepper

Cholent

Cholent (CHUH-lent) is a stew traditionally assembled and set over a low flame just before Shabbat began at sundown Friday night, and left to cook overnight and on through the entire next day until after sundown, when Shabbat is over. Since work (which includes lighting a flame or turning on an oven) is prohibited during this seventh day of rest, this dish allows observant Jews to have a warm meal on Saturday night at a reasonable hour.

1. Place lima beans, navy beans, and barley in a fine mesh drainer. Rinse several times in cold water and drain.
   
2. In a 6-quart slow cooker, place ingredients in the following order: chopped onion, carrot, flanken, prepared beans and barley, potatoes, paprika, garlic powder, and water.
   
3. Cover and cook on low for 12–26 hours. Check and add water at any time if cholent looks too dry. If there is too much liquid at the end of the cooking time, uncover and let cook for an additional 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
   

Sephardic Cholent

The ingredients and spices may vary depending upon local customs, but all Sephardic cholents contain eggs cooked in their shells.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6–8

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

3 pounds flanken ribs

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon paprika

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teaspoon kosher salt

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teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons honey

Pinch of saffron threads, crushed

1 cup chicken broth

6 uncooked whole eggs

1. Spray the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with the cooking spray.
   
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften and just start to turn brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir for 30 seconds, then push mixture to the sides. Add flanken and let sear for 3 minutes without disturbing. Carefully turn flanken and sear again for 3 minutes.
   
3. Transfer flanken and onions into prepared slow cooker and top with chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Sprinkle in the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in the honey.
   
4. In a small bowl, mix the saffron into the broth and pour into slow cooker.
   
5. Nestle the eggs in the center of the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8–12 hours.
   

Red Wine Beef Stew

A little bit of wine goes a long way in flavoring this simple one-crock meal.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

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cup red wine

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cup water

4 red skin potatoes, quartered

3 carrots, cut into thirds

2 bulbs fennel, quartered

2 rutabagas, quartered

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2" cubes

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teaspoon kosher salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Pour the wine and water into a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes, carrots, fennel, rutabagas, onion, and garlic. Stir.
   
2. Arrange stew meat evenly over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.