The Great American Slow Cooker Book (5 page)

Stir all the ingredients in a slow cooker until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the mixture is rich and thick. Discard the vanilla pod before serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Although cooked quinoa is sometimes dry, it becomes a moist cereal in a slow cooker. Its slightly bitter notes are offset in this recipe by a little sugar and lots of vanilla.

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Tapioca gives the porridge its body, since quinoa will not thicken it the way oats would. Use only instant tapioca, often available in the baking aisle and commonly used as a thickener in pie fillings. Don’t substitute larger tapioca pearls.

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Feel free to add some chopped dried fruit to this porridge: golden raisins, stemmed dried figs, dried nectarines, or the like. However, keep the additions small, no more than ½ cup for a large slow cooker. You don’t want that added fruit to mute the flavor of the quinoa.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Quinoa is naturally coated in a bitter, defensive compound (saponin) to keep animals from eating it. Most quinoa sold today is washed to remove the rank taste, but check your package to make sure. If its directions say you should rinse the quinoa, do so in a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with paper towels (otherwise the grains will fall through the larger holes of a standard colander). Shake dry over the sink; then as a precaution, give the grains a second rinse under cool water.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
To split open a vanilla bean, lay it on your cutting board and draw a paring knife down its length, opening it up. Use the blunt back of the knife tip to scrape the inside of the bean, scooping out the sticky mass of tiny seeds in each half. Add the pods to your mix for more flavor.

Stir all the ingredients in a slow cooker until the honey has dissolved. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the groats are tender, if still sticky.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Buckwheat groats are a tasty, rich source of fiber, always a great way to start the day. Look for the groats in the natural- or organic-food section of your supermarket.

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Buckwheat groats will get quite sticky over time; the longer this porridge sits, the pastier it becomes. It’ll keep well for several hours; but serve it as soon as it’s ready if you prefer a chewier, less gummy texture.

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Cut the dried fruit into tiny bits so that they’re evenly distributed throughout the porridge.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
All dates are not created equal! Try soft and luscious Medjool dates here, cut into tiny bits that almost melt into the cereal. Keep in mind the rule for dates, figs, and all dried fruit: they should be juicy and plump.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Dicing dried fruit can be a difficult job; your knife has to be continuously washed to get rid of the sugary stickiness. To counter (but not stop) the problem, spray your knife with nonstick spray before you begin chopping.

Stir all the ingredients in a slow cooker until the maple syrup has dissolved and all the grains are moistened. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the porridge is creamy and the grains are tender.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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For more whole-grain goodness, use whole-grain corn grits, a specialty item not always available in supermarkets but certainly offered by online suppliers. They’ll give a much more intense, sweet, even earthy corn taste to the cereal.

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Fresh cranberries are not necessarily available year-round. When you see them in the supermarket around the holidays, buy a few extra bags and toss them into the freezer. There’s no need to thaw the cranberries before using them in a cooking or baking recipe.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Grind walnuts in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, pulsing repeatedly until the consistency is a little coarser than sand, but with no chunks in the mix. For more flavor, first toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes, then cool for 30 minutes before grinding. Save any leftover nuts in a zip-sealed plastic bag in the freezer to add to cookie and bread batters, or to coatings for pan-fried or oven-fried fish or chicken.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Millet is the smallest grain available in the modern supermarket—tiny little yellow specks that can turn into a pain in the neck if you spill the bag. Unless otherwise specified, use whole millet, not finely ground millet grits. Because millet goes rancid quickly at room temperature, store it in a well-sealed bag in the freezer for up to 5 months. But always smell it first. It should smell grassy and sweet, not bitter or acrid.

Stir all the ingredients in a slow cooker until the maple syrup is evenly distributed throughout. Cover and cook the mixture on low for 8 hours, or until the wheatberries are tender and the mixture has turned into a porridge.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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There’s not one kind of wheatberry but several, based on the wheat variety. For the creamiest texture befitting a breakfast porridge, look for soft spring white wheatberries. By contrast, hard red winter wheatberries will offer more far more chew.

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You can save any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge. Stir in plenty of milk the next morning to loosen up the cereal, then heat it slowly in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Wheatberries are minimally processed grains of wheat, just minus their hulls and dried for storage. They’re a nutritious whole grain, usually available near the quinoa and brown rice in your supermarket, or sometimes in the health-food aisle.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Ground cinnamon has a shelf life: about nine months if stored in a dark, cool place. After that, it loses much of its zip. Smell yours to make sure it’s fresh and irresistible. Double its shelf life by storing it in the freezer, although the ambient humidity means you can never “thaw” it without its clumping. You’ll have to forgo sprinkling it on cinnamon toast, but you can scoop it out frozen for most recipes.

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Combine the milk, rice, raisins, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a slow cooker, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, or until the rice is tender.

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Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until creamy, then whisk 1 to 2 cups of the rice porridge into the egg yolks, beating fairly furiously to keep the egg yolks from curdling.

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When the mixture is mostly smooth, whisk it back into the rest of the porridge in the slow cooker. Serve at once.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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This is like a thicker, richer version of rice porridge, here made with brown rice (so it’s a whole-grain breakfast). There are also eggs in the mix; they’ll make the dish even heartier, sort of a creamy rice pudding.

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Use only long-grain brown rice here. Short- or medium-grain brown rice will clump.

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The eggs will have been warmed to a safe temperature by the time the whisked mixture is incorporated back into the slow cooker. If you’re concerned, cover the cooker and cook for 5 minutes—but no more, as the egg yolks may “scramble” in the porridge.

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The golden raisins are really for aesthetics—to better complement the color of the brown rice. If you’ve got only black on hand, substitute at will!