The Great American Slow Cooker Book (20 page)

1
Set a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then swirl in the oil. Crumble in the sausage and brown well, stirring occasionally, between 4 and 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage meat to the slow cooker.

2
Dump the onion into the skillet, still set over the heat. Cook, stirring often, until translucent, between 4 and 7 minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker.

3
Stir in the broth, bell peppers, rice, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the rice is tender.

4
Stir in the kale. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, or until the kale is tender.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Because of the rice, the soup will not keep well on warm. Refrigerate any leftovers promptly, or freeze them in small-serving containers for up to 4 months.

•
Choose a fairly plain sausage here—no cheese or dried fruit in the mix. We prefer mild, although you can use spicy.

SHORTCUTS
Some supermarkets now sell prewashed and chopped kale, available with the bagged salad greens.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Dark green and tasty, kale comes in several varieties, any of which will work here. It’s always a good idea to rinse the leaves under cool water to get rid of any sandy grit. Also, be sure to remove the tough, fibrous, central vein before chopping the leafy bits into 1- to 2-inch pieces.

1
Peel the skin off the duck leg quarters. Remove the thick layers of fat over the meat. Place the quarters in the slow cooker and top with the broth, onions, ginger, scallions, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Stir a bit to dissolve the sugar.

2
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7 hours, or until the duck meat is falling-off-the-bone tender.

3
Use a wide spatula
and
a slotted spoon to transfer the quarters to a cutting board; cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use the slotted spoon to remove and discard all the solids from the cooker. Cover the cooker and keep it on high.

4
Shred the meat off the bones and stir it back into the cooker. Stir any, all, or none of the optional ingredients into the soup. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes to warm through.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Nothing is so rich as duck soup. In this Asian-inspired version, the vegetables and aromatics are discarded so you have a fairly clear soup with some chopped meat (and perhaps some vegetables) in each bowl.

•
The optional ingredients here are particularly necessary if you’re making a meal from the soup the day you make it. If not, store the clear soup with the meat in sealed, small-serving containers in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Stir one or more of these optional ingredients into the soup as you reheat it on the stovetop.

•
For a real treat, render the duck fat into a liquid by heating the skin and fat in a skillet over low heat. Strain out the solids, then save the fat in a covered jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for 4 months. Your roasted potatoes won’t know what hit them.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Rice vermicelli are thin noodles made from rice flour and water, like translucent angel hair pasta. (They should not be confused with cellophane noodles.) rice vermicelli are exceptionally adept at picking up and even amplifying other flavors, particularly hot, sour, and bitter notes.

1
Put a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then swirl in the oil. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened a bit, between 8 and 12 minutes, depending on the size of the batch.

2
Scrape the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt.

3
Mix the ground beef, rice, egg yolks, oregano, and pepper in a large bowl until the eggs and oregano are evenly distributed in the meat and rice. With your clean, dry hands, form the mixture into meatballs, using 2 to 3 tablespoons per meatball. Drop them into the soup.

4
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the flavors have blended.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Although we cut down on the stove work by not browning the meatballs in this recipe, we prefer the onion and bell pepper softened over the heat so they have a leg up on their way to getting sweet.

•
That said, you certainly could brown those meatballs in the skillet over medium heat with a little additional olive oil—if you’re feeling energetic. You’ll have a better-tasting dinner as the payoff.

•
To brighten the flavors, stir in up to 1 tablespoon red currant jelly just before serving.

1
Heat a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then swirl in the oil. Crumble in the ground beef and cook, stirring often, until the meat loses all its raw pink color and has truly browned (not just grayed) in places, between 4 and 6 minutes.

2
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ground beef to the slow cooker, leaving any fat behind. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, onion, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, allspice, and cloves. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours, or until the flavors have blended.

3
Stir in the vinegar just before serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
If you pass around some crunchy bread or even slices of whole wheat toast, you can have the whole Sloppy Joe experience as the meal. (A soup doesn’t work very well in a hamburger bun!)

•
We leave the beef drippings behind, rather than using them in the soup, because they add nothing except a sticky slick. We’re not fans of draining ground beef on paper towels, since the heat can loosen dyes and chemicals in the material; a slotted spoon seems a better choice.

Serve It Up!
To make this a five-napkin soup, top bowlfuls with pickled jalapeño rings, dollops of chow-chow or pickle relish, and grated Cheddar cheese.